Make your own delicious soft flour tortillas from scratch with this super simple recipe using just a few wholesome ingredients that you definitely already have on hand! This makes 16 medium sized tortillas (about 7 inches in diameter) but it’s great for adjusting the size to make thicker small street taco style, or into XL burritos size. Make a double batch and keep them in the freezer for next time, they reheat just as good!
Ingredients:
- Flour – I’ve used both all purpose and bread flour with equally good results
- Baking Powder– for rise
- Salt – sea salt or pink Himalayan
- Butter – the fat element, and the key for nice soft tortillas. I’ve used olive oil before and they were a little too crispy for my liking. Lard would probably be the most traditional fat but I’ve yet to try it
- Water – filtered water, warmed up to help soften the dough
Is a stand mixer necessary to make tortillas?
No, you can easily knead by hand on the counter for a few minutes until the dough comes together and is nice and smooth. Using a dough hook in the stand mixer simplifies the whole process, but I made these by hand for years with excellent results.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add all the ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough comes together and looks smooth- about 5 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes up to 2 hours.
After resting, flatten the dough out and divide into even pieces. This recipe makes 16 medium sized tortillas about 7 inches wide. I’ve also divided the dough into 12 pieces to create larger burrito rolling size, and into 20 pieces for a smaller, thicker taco size. You can use to kitchen scale here if you really want to be exact.
Roll each piece into a tidy round ball and keep all the dough balls covered in the bowl so they don’t dry out. Flouring your surface each time, use a rolling pin to roll each ball out as thin as you can. The rounder the dough ball the rounder the tortilla will be. Try not to stack all the rolled out tortillas, they might stick together.
Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Watching carefully, cook each tortilla for about 45 seconds on each side, until it bubbles. Immediately store to keep them soft. A pie dish with a lid works well, and I’ve also used my dutch oven when making a double batch.
If there’s a few leftover we typically just leave them in the pie dish on the counter and they get eaten the next day. If you don’t plan to use them immediately store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge. These also freeze and thaw well.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Make beautiful soft flour tortillas from scratch with only 5 simple pantry staples, it's easier than you think! After making this recipe and taking a look at the ingredients in store-bought tortillas, you won't go back to buying them. If you like, you can easily adjust the size to make XL burrito size, or mini street taco style tortillas.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (or knead by hand!)
- Large Cast Iron for cooking
- Glass Pie Dish for keeping them hot and soft
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup melted butter cooled slightly
- 1 cup water warm or room temperature
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add all ingredients
- Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes until the dough looks smooth
- Cover and let rest for 20 minutes up to 2 hours
- Divide into 16 even pieces and roll into balls (keep them all stored in the bowl covered so they don't dry out)
- On a floured surface, roll each tortilla out as thin as you can (try not to stack them, they may stick together)
- Preheat a large cast iron pan over medium heat
- Cook each tortilla for about 45 seconds on each side, watching carefully. You may need to turn the heat down once the pan is nice and hot
- Store cooked tortillas in a glass pie dish with a lid to keep them hot and soft while you cook the rest
Notes
- This recipe makes 16 tortillas about 7 inches wide, but you can divide the dough into 20 pieces for small street taco style, or 12 for large burrito size.
- We usually store these on the counter in the same pie dish because any leftovers get used the very next day, but you don’t plan to use them immediately store them in a ziplock in the fridge.
- You can also make a double batch and store in the freezer, the reheat perfectly left on the counter for a few hours to thaw.
- Makes great tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and wraps!