Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2024)

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Forget store bought tortillas, and make your own with this flour tortilla recipe. This homemade tortilla recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wanted to make larger batches. They freeze perfectly!

Tortillas were one of the first types of bread I learned how to make just because of how easy it is. After making tortillas a couple of times, I slowly worked my way up to more complicated breads. So this is a great beginner's bread recipe to learn from!

If you're new to bread making, this is a great recipe to start with for a couple of reasons.

1) You don't need yeast. Yeast gives you a great piece of bread, but it can be very temperamental and takes a while to relax and rise.
2) This recipe is easy to follow and quite quick. No rise times needed my friends! All you need to do is rest your dough so it's easier to roll out.
3) And even if something goes wrong while making tortillas, you can probably hide it by frying up the evidence and making some flour tortilla chips. A delicious mistake!

These tortillas are made without lard or animal fat, so they're 100% vegan! Lard isn't an ingredient that I like to keep on hand just because I never use it.

I've also tried making tortillas with butter, but I find that butter doesn't give the tortilla as much softness and fold-ability as the vegetable oil. (Is fold-ability a word...?) The softness you get from the vegetable oil is what I think makes this the best tortilla recipe.

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  • Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

How to make tortillas:

To start making your tortilla dough, combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add your vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until it starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and soft (about 2 minutes).

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (1)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2)

Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll and shape your pieces into smooth balls. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature to make rolling the dough out easier.

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (3)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (4)

Once your dough has rested, roll your pieces of dough into thin tortillas. I like to roll my dough out until it's under an ⅛ inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. You want these paper thin!

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (5)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add your first tortilla and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip when you start to see some bubbles forming on the top of your tortilla, and the bottom should have golden brown spots.

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (6)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (7)

After your tortilla is cooked, transfer it into a tortilla keeper or a plate lined with a tea towel. Cover your tortillas with either another tea towel or lid. It's very important to keep your tortillas covered until right before you plan on eating them, otherwise they'll dry out and harden.

Repeat cooking until all of your tortillas are done.

Enjoy! Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.

Difficulty rolling out dough:

If you're trying to roll out your tortillas and you find the dough starts springing back and shrinking on you, it usually just means the dough needs to rest. Letting your dough rest helps relax the gluten in it, which makes it easier to roll out.

Whenever your dough starts to give you trouble, try covering it and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. You should be able to roll it out no problem after that.

How to store tortillas:

Like I mentioned above, tortillas should be covered until right before you plan on serving them (to prevent drying out).

If you don't finish all of your tortillas while they're still warm, transfer them to an airtight container or plastic bag after they've cooled completely to help preserve their freshness. Seal well, making sure to push out as much air as you can if you're using a plastic bag.

Tortillas will keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you don't plan on having them before then, tortillas also freeze very well!

How to freeze tortillas:

To freeze these flour tortillas, let the tortillas cool completely then transfer them to a freezer bag. Push out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Freeze tortillas for up to 3 months.

To defrost frozen tortillas, set them out at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight to thaw. Before serving, I also like to warm the frozen tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute on each side, just to make them pliable and soft again.

If you liked these flour tortillas, check out some of these similar recipes!

ranch chicken wraps
rolled buttermilk biscuits
homemade soft pretzels
dinner rolls
sandwich bread
easy no knead bread

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (8)

Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

Forget store bought tortillas, and make your own with this flour tortilla recipe. This homemade tortilla recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wanted to make larger batches, and they freeze perfectly!

4.96 from 49 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 medium tortillas

Author: Mimi

Ingredients

  • 1 & ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (120mL) warm water

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

  • Add vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it becomes smooth and soft (about 1 to 2 minutes).

  • Divide and shape the dough into 8 even balls. Cover and let the balls rest for 15-20 minutes.

  • On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough out until it's very thin (under ⅛ inch). Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place on tortilla into the skillet and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip once the bottom has golden brown spots and the top starts to bubble and puff up.

  • Flip your dough and cook the other side until you start to see golden spots (about 30 seconds). Take the tortilla out of your skillet and place it on a tea towel lined plate or a tortilla keeper. Cover the dough with a tea towel or lid to prevent it from drying out.

  • Repeat the cooking and covering process with your remaining dough. Make sure you leave your tortillas tightly covered until you're just ready to serve to prevent having them dry out.

    Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.

Video

Tried this recipe?Tag me @eatsdelightfulblog or use #eatsdelightful! I love seeing what you're baking!

Enjoy!

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep homemade flour tortillas soft? ›

I simply keep mine in a resealable bag and try to eat them within a day or two. If I have extra, I freeze them. Fresh homemade flour tortillas are in their softest state when warm so if you have room temperature or cold tortillas, we recommend reheating them in a skillet until they are warm and pliable again.

Why do my homemade flour tortillas come out hard? ›

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

How do you make flour tortillas not fall apart? ›

Make sure that you lightly grease your dish, which will help keep the tortillas from sticking to the pan. Fry each of your tortillas in hot oil before adding in your enchilada filling. This will help keep the tortillas from soaking up too much of your sauce too quickly, which can also cause them to break apart.

How do you make tortillas more pliable? ›

Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels or a damp kitchen towel, then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a microwave-safe resealable plastic bag (keep the bag open to vent). Microwave until warm and flexible, about 1 minute.

How long to let flour tortilla dough rest? ›

Place all of the dough in your bowl and cover with a warm, damp paper towel or place a lid on the bowl. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Heat a griddle to medium heat. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough balls one at a time with a rolling pin.

What does baking powder do to tortillas? ›

Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, giving the tortillas a slightly pillowy texture. Salt: Salt enhances the overall flavor of the flour tortillas. Lard: Lard, a common baking ingredient in Mexican cuisine, adds flavor and helps create the perfect flour tortilla texture.

Do you need baking soda or baking powder for tortillas? ›

I tested a few different variations and found that just a little bit of baking powder yielded the best texture albeit a very minor difference compared to the version without baking powder. So, if you don't have baking powder then you can omit it altogether. The tortillas will be just as good!

Why don t my homemade tortillas puff up? ›

You need ample moisture that can react with the heat in order for it to ultimately convert to steam and puff. If your masa has too little moisture, the tortilla in development will dry out before it can ever puff. A proper mixing/kneading process is critical to ensuring well-distributed and even moisture.

Why aren't my homemade tortillas soft? ›

If your tortillas are not soft there can be several reasons: You did not use all purpose flour. You did not use a cast iron pan. Your pan was not hot enough.

Why are my flour tortillas not stretching? ›

If your tortillas are shrinking the gluten hasn't developed enough. Let the dough rest longer and then try rolling them out again.

Why do my handmade tortillas crack? ›

If your oil is too hot, the outside will cook more rapidly than the inside, creating a hard exterior that will inevitably rupture and crack. Dry tortillas crack and break. Hydrated ones don't.

Why can't I get my tortillas thin? ›

I've made tortillas from our local Oaxacan market's masa para tamales, and those are pretty chubby because of the coarse grain. Dough consistency: if your dough is too sticky you won't be able to press it thin without it sticking hopelessly. If it's too dry it'll be too stiff to press thin, or will crack.

What are Sonoran style tortillas? ›

Sonoran-style flour tortillas are stretched paper thin and cooked on a griddle producing small blisters that give them a smoky flavor. Someburros is famous for their tortillas, which are handmade every day.

How do you keep tortillas from hardening? ›

Careful to not microwave for more than 30 seconds as the tortilla can harden. Now that you've heated your tortillas, keep them warm before serving. We recommend wrapping them in a damp tea towel and setting it on a large plate until it's time to eat.

Can you overwork tortilla dough? ›

The reward is a homemade tortilla that's fluffy, pliable, and elastic, perfect for making the best burritos you've ever had. The most important part of making a great tortilla is to not overwork the dough and to make sure it is hydrated enough. If the dough is overworked, then it will be difficult to roll out.

How do you know if tortilla dough is too dry? ›

It should also be pliable enough to roll into a thin disk. If the dough is too dry, it is difficult to roll and it will break apart. If this happens, put the dough back in a bowl and add a little more water. There is no need to knead this dough because there is no gluten in masa flour.

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