Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ready to level up your Taco Night? Let’s make our Homemade Flour Tortillas. These are perfectly softtenderflavorful and so simple to prepare. suited to serving up your favorite shrimp tacoschicken fajitas quesadillas, and breakfast tacos these flour tortillas are a huge upgrade to any meal. They keep well in the fridge and freezer, so you can make a large batch and always have homemade tortillas on hand. Say goodbye to the overpriced, tough, and tasteless store-bought ones, and hello to heavenly homemade tortillas.

What stands out

Taco, fajita, burrito, and quesadilla lovers rejoice! We’re coming in hot with a straightforward flour tortilla recipe that will be your best cooking upgrade. With a stash of these homemade tortillas in your fridge or freezer, weeknight dinners get instantly leveled up. Scratch that…..we’re eating these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: piled high with eggs and avocado for a quick start to the day, stuffed with cheese, melted, and served with salsa for a 2-minute lunch, and loaded with grilled meat and peppers for an epic fajita dinner. All you need is a rolling pin or a tortilla press to make the softest, most tender tortillas.

How to Prepare

Add the bread flour salt, and baking powder to a bowl.

Next, add boiling hot water to a measuring cup and add the butter. Let the butter sit in the water as you stir a few times until it melts.

Once the butter is melted and the water is warm to the touch, add it to the dry ingredients.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until combined and then switch to your hands. Knead for a few minutes. The dough should be nice and soft.

Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

After the dough has rested, divide it into 8 equal portions (or more or less depending on how big or small you like your tortillas). Roll each portion into a ball.

From here, we like to use a tortilla press for a smaller, thicker tortilla or roll it out with a rolling pin for a thinner, larger tortilla.

If using a tortilla press, place a dough ball in between two pieces of wax paper. Close the top and gently press down with the lever to form a tortilla.

Finally, once the tortillas have been rolled out, heat up a pan on the stove and cook each side on medium heat for a few minutes, or until golden bubbles form on each side.

Kitchen tip

For best results, please weigh out the ingredients as listed in the “metric” section of the recipe card. Cooking by weight (vs measuring by cup) will ensure more accurate, consistent results.

Swaps

1. Instead of bread flour, you can also use all purpose or whole wheat flour. A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour works too.
2. You can use lard to make these tender and tasty, but butter or a neutral oil, such as avocado oil, also work.
3. Cook your tortillas on a skillet griddle, or comal. In a pinch, you can also make these on a bbq grill.
4. These are when they are kept simple and traditional which is why we don’t recommend mixing anything extra into the dough.

Serve it with

• Soft homemade tortillas + carne asada = a match made in heaven
• Make cheesy quesadillas from the tortillas and serve them alongside guacamole
• Our ground beef tacos are not even slightly authentic, but they are
• Serve up a stack of warm tortillas alongside chicken fajitas

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• To store: stack them, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a reusable bag, and then store them in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, or freeze them for longer storage.
• To reheat: to reheat homemade flour tortillas and keep them soft, wrap them in a damp paper towel or dish towel, then heat them in the oven, microwave, or on a stovetop skillet. The skillet is our favorite way.

Questions

Can these be made gluten-free?

Absolutely; just use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.

Can i use all purpose flour?

While we do prefer these made with bread flour, you can use all purpose instead. You can also try whole wheat flour.

Can these be made vegan?

Certainly, just use a neutral oil, such as avocado oil.

Why does the water need to be hot?

For two reasons: it helps soften the butter and warm (vs cold) water produces a softer dough.

How do i make these if i don’t have a tortilla press?

Lightly flour a ball of dough and use a rolling pin until you achieve the desired size and thickness of tortilla.

Ingredients

Makes 8 tortillas

• 1 ¼ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup hot water
• 2 ½ tablespoons melted butter, lard or oil will work

Equipment

• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Tortilla Press
• Rolling Pin
• Bread Flour

Method

1. Add the bread flour salt, and baking powder to a bowl.
2. Next, carefully add the hot water to a large measuring cup and add the butter. Let the butter sit in the water as you stir a few times, until it melts.
3. Once the butter is melted and the water is warm to the touch, add it to the dry ingredients.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until combined and then switch to your hands. Knead for a few minutes. The dough should be nice and soft.
5. Note: If the dough is too sticky after a few minutes of kneading, add a small dusting of flour until a smooth ball forms.
6. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
7. After the dough has rested, divide it into 8 equal portions (or more or less portions depending on how big or small you like your tortillas). Roll each portion into a ball. From here, we like to use a tortilla press for a smaller, thicker tortilla or roll it out with a rolling pin for a thinner, larger tortilla.
8. If using a tortilla press, place a dough ball in between two pieces of wax paper. Close the top and gently press down with the lever to form a perfect tortilla.
9. Note: For thinner, larger tortillas, simply add a tiny dusting of flour onto each ball of dough and roll them out nice and thin with a rolling pin.
10. Once the tortillas have been rolled out, heat up a pan on the stove over medium heat and cook on each side for a few minutes, or until golden bubbles form.
11. To store: Stack the tortillas, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a reusable bag, and then store them in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or freeze them for longer storage.
12. To reheat: To reheat homemade flour tortillas and keep them soft, you can wrap them in a damp paper towel or dish towel, then heat them in the oven, microwave, or on a stovetop skillet. The skillet is our favorite way.

Kitchen notes

• A Note on Size: You can make these tortillas any size you want. The tortilla press we shared can make 8 inch tortillas or smaller. If you want larger tortillas, for a burrito, you can always use a rolling pin instead of a press. You’ll want to aim for about 10 inches. For street taco-style tortillas, opt for about 4 inches.
• A Note on Thickness: The level of thickness is totally up to you and your preference. It’s always a good idea to make, cook, and taste one tortilla before continuing with the rest of the dough. Thicker tortillas can be chewier but they won’t rip as easily when stuffed with fillings.
• Gluten-Free: You can easily make these gluten-free by using a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
• Vegan: Make these vegan by using a neutral oil, such as avocado oil.