Have you ever made Homemade Flour Tortillas? They only call for 5 ingredients and about 40 minutes of your time. Tortillas from scratch are so soft and pliable, and they're perfect for making wraps, tacos, or quesadillas!
Freshly made, warm flour tortillas are simply the best. Miles above the store-bought kind in terms of texture and flavor. This recipe can be made using a mixer or by hand, and uses staple kitchen ingredients that you most likely already have. Plus, they freeze incredibly well!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.12
- Total Cost (10 8-inch tortillas): $1.23
- Those Other Guys: $4.99 per pack
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - No need for any special types of flour in this recipe.
- Butter - Acts as the fat in the tortillas. I usually use salted butter for extra flavor.
- Salt & Baking Powder - Salt helps get the taste right; don't skip this ingredient. Baking powder creates a lighter, fluffier tortilla.
- Hot Water - Helps to hydrate the dough and dissolve the salt and baking powder throughout the bowl.
Variations and Substitutions
Fat Source: Instead of butter, you can use lard, shortening, or vegetable oil.
Flour: Bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour is the classic type used in this recipe. I've also used whole wheat flour with great results (although you may have to add a little more water to get the dough consistency correct.)
Other Wrap Recipes: For Mediterranean dishes, try my Homemade Garlic Naan which uses a similar cooking process!
How to Make Flour Tortillas From Scratch
Step 1: Stir together your flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
In another cup, melt a stick of butter into hot water. Pour that liquid into the dry ingredients bowl.
Step 2: Mix with a silicone spatula until a dough forms. Next, knead with your hands (or a stand mixer + dough hook) for 5 - 8 minutes.
Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into even-sized pieces.
Step 3: Take each piece and create a dough ball.
Roll it out on a clean surface dusted with flour until very thin, almost transparent.
Step 4: Place onto a heated, ungreased cast iron skillet or griddle. Cook for 30 seconds on one side. Once bubbles begin to form, flip the tortilla.
After another 15 seconds, remove and set aside. Repeat for the remaining pieces of dough!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Let the dough rest. After developing the gluten with a bunch of kneading, we need the dough to rest so those glutens can relax and we have a softer tortilla that's easier to roll out.
- Roll very thin. You want the disc of dough to be very thin, almost transparent. The baking powder helps it puff up to a fluffy consistency.
- Keep the dough hydrated. While rolling out a piece of dough, keep the rest of the dough from drying out by covering it with a damp paper towel.
- Keep them warm. After the tortillas are cooked, store them in a tortilla warmer or a plastic food storage bag so they all stay warm and fluffy.
Recipe FAQs
There's a couple reasons.
They could be overcooked. Be sure to cook for no longer than 1 minute total, and keep the heat on medium instead of high. Using a cast iron helps to conduct heat evenly.
It could also be your storage method. After taking each tortilla off of the griddle, stack them in a plastic food storage bag or under a damp paper towel. This helps the tortillas steam and keep each other soft.
I have tons of recipes on Coined Cuisine that these tortillas can be used for!
For breakfast, try these Breakfast Tacos with Sausage or Southwest Breakfast Burritos.
Spinach Dip Quesadillas or Crispy Chipotle Tacos make a great lunch/dinner option.
You can also serve on the side for Fajitas or Spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls. Wrap enchiladas or make a pizza with these as the base. You can even make crispy tortilla chips!
Not at all. I usually make and knead the dough by hand.
However, if you prefer to use a stand mixer, be sure to use the dough hook attachment.
You need a large kitchen pan that conducts heat evenly.
Traditionally, most Mexicans use a comal. You can substitute with a cast iron skillet or griddle instead.
Yep, these freeze very well!
Simply tack the tortillas with parchment paper in between each layer, and add to an airtight freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 4 months.
When you're ready to reheat, let thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave or on the skillet until warmed through for best results.
Other Mexican Food Recipes You'll Love!
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Homemade Flour Tortillas
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Dough Hook optional - if using stand mixer
- Silicone Spatula
- Clean Kitchen Towel
- Rolling Pin
- Cast Iron Griddle or large skillet
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (420 grams) - plus more for rolling
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup hot water
- ½ cup salted butter (1 stick)
Instructions
- Stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Melt the butter into the hot water and stir well.1 cup hot water, ½ cup salted butter
- Slowly pour the water and butter into the dry ingredient bowl.
- Stir together with a silicone spatula until a dough forms.
- Knead for 5 - 8 minutes. Don't add any additional flour!At first, the dough will be really sticky. After you continue kneading, it will form a smooth dough ball.
- Place the ball of dough into the mixing bowl from earlier, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- The dough should be nice and stretchy. Separate into 10 equal pieces (I usually weigh my dough), keeping the rest of the dough in the bowl.Cover the bowl with a wet paper towel while you're working on one piece, so the dough does not develop a crust.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet, griddle, or comal on medium heat.Keep it plain - no need to add any grease or oil.
- Roll out one piece of dough until really thin on a floured surface. It will be almost see-through.
- Place the rolled out dough circle onto the preheated skillet and cook for about 30 seconds on one side. Some bubbles will form on the dough.
- Flip, and cook for another 15 seconds or so. Remove - carefully! - with tongs and set the tortilla in a large plastic storage bag.
- Repeat steps 9 - 11 until all tortillas are cooked.
- You can serve immediately, or let cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!