Homemade Flour Tortillas

Name: Homemade Flour Tortillas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 12 serving
Ingredients: 3½ cups all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup lard; 1 cup hot water

User Reviews

4.9

36 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Servings
12
Course
Bread
Cuisine
Mexican

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Tiffany Henry

Report

These easy homemade flour tortillas are so much better than store-bought. A combination of flour, salt, water, and the fat of your choice is all you need to make these soft, pliable tortillas. Perfect for serving with fajitas or your favorite taco fillings!

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

10 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

3½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lard or fat of choice
1 cup hot water

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt. Whisk together to combine.
Heat the water to a hot temperature, not boiling, either in a small saucepan or in a heat safe container in the microwave. Add the lard and stir, allow the lard to completely melt.
Pour the melted lard and water into the mixing bowl with the flour mixture. Knead with the dough hook on a stand mixer on low for about 10 minutes. If not using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes. The dough is ready when it's no longer sticky and has a smooth appearance.
Divide the dough into 12 equal sections. Roll and pinch each portion of dough to form a small ball. Place the dough portions on a lightly floured baking sheet, or on a floured counter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has sat for 30 minutes, heat a skillet over medium low heat.
Lightly sprinkle flour on a clean counter top and rolling pin.
Using your fingers, gently flatten out one tortilla, spinning as you go so that it flattens and creates a circle. If you notice a lot of resistance in the dough, let it rest a bit longer to allow more gluten formation.
If the tortilla dough is soft and pliable, easy to press out with your fingers, continue and roll out the tortilla nice and flat in a round shape. The tortilla should be rolled thin and be slightly transparent.
Place the tortilla on the hot skillet, allow to cook for about 60 seconds, you will notice bubbles forming, don't press them down. After 60 seconds, take a peek at the bottom to check the color of the tortilla, brown spots should have formed, if not, increase the heat slightly. If dark, almost black spots have formed, decrease the heat.
Flip the tortilla and continue to cook the other side for another 30-45 seconds, bubbles will still form and brown spots will appear.
Remove the tortilla from the skillet and place on a plate or in a tortilla warmer. If you don't have a tortilla warmer you can place the tortillas on a clean towel, fold the towel over to cover the tortillas to keep them warm.
Continue this process until all tortillas are cooked. Do not roll several tortillas at a time and stack them since they will stick.
Tortillas are best served warm. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Equipments used:

Notes

Flour: Use an all purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten free option.
Lard: This is the fat that is used in the tortillas, lard is rendered pork fat. You can make your own at home by cooking down pork fat, or you can use store-bought. Substitutes include:

avocado oil butter bacon fat shortening
avocado oil
butter
bacon fat
shortening
If you're looking for fluffier tortillas you can add 1 teaspoon baking powder to the flour and salt before adding in the fat and water.
Storage: Leftover tortillas can be stored in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for 1 day. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat them to help soften back up either in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop. (If you have stale tortillas you can always use them to make migas for breakfast.)
Freezer: Make a large batch of flour tortillas for future use. When freezing multiple tortillas it is important to separate each one with a piece of waxed or parchment paper, so that they don’t stick together. Once separated, wrap the stack of tortillas in foil and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Store in the freezer for up to six months. When ready to use, place the tortillas in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
To reheat place the tortillas on a hot skillet briefly just to heat through, or place on a heat safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 15-20 seconds until warm.