There is no need to go to the grocery store for tortillas when you can make your own Homemade Flour Tortillas with just a few ingredients. These light and fluffy tortillas are perfect for your next taco or fajita night. They are also great for a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast quesadilla.
HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS
It’s not difficult to make your own tortillas. Homemade Flour Tortillas are sturdy enough to hold your favorite fixings, but also soft enough to be used for burritos and enchiladas. They also have a mild flavor so you can get the most flavor out of any or all of your fillings in the tortilla.
HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS RECIPES
With just a few ingredients and a hot skillet, you can have fresh and warm tortillas any time!
Ingredients (full recipe below)
- All-purpose flour (or any flour you have on hand)
- Kosher salt
- Water
- Butter, cut into pea-sized pieces
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS
There are a few simple, but important steps when it comes to making homemade flour tortillas. So, you may want to read through the steps before you start the process.
- To get started, use a bench scraper or knife to cut the butter into small, pea-sized cubes. Set aside.
- Mix together the flour and the salt in a large bowl. You can use any type of flour or even a combination of different kinds of flour (like wheat and all-purpose).
- Next, use a fork to combine the butter pieces into the mixture. You will end up with a coarse meal-like mixture.
- Then, add the water a little at a time. Do not add it all at once! If you are in a more humid climate, you will not need as much water to form the dough.
- After the flour has been completely incorporated, roll the dough a bit until it is smooth. Form the dough into about 20 small balls of dough. Try to make the dough balls the same size (or as close as you can in size).
- Cover the dough balls with a damp towel for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. We tested this extensively and it’s important to not skip this step. Forming the tortillas will be much easier by letting the dough rest.
HOW TO FORM THE TORTILLAS
Once you have let your balls of dough rest under a damp cloth, it’s time to roll them out to cook them. Give yourself some room for error if you have never rolled out a tortilla before. It does take a little practice. This would also be a good time to heat up your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- To roll the dough, sprinkle a little bit of flour on your work surface and get out your rolling pin. Be careful not to add too much flour–it could make your tortillas dry.
- Pick up the dough ball and form a round disc with your hands.
- With the rolling pin and starting at the center of the disc, roll out and towards the edge of the disc. Turn the disc slightly and roll out from the center again.
- Continue to turn the dough about 45 degrees and repeat the process.
- Continue rotating and rolling until you get about a 6-inch tortilla. The dough should be fairly thin.
Once you have the tortillas rolled out, it’s time to cook them on the heated skillet!
HOW TO COOK HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS
Once your skillet is hot and you have your perfect (or close enough to perfect) tortillas rolled out, it’s time to cook them! This happens quickly, so be sure to be on your toes once you place that tortilla in the skillet. It’s a good idea to think about your first tortilla as a “test” so that you can get the hang of the heat and timing.
- After you put the tortilla in the skillet, you should see it start to bubble up (that’s a good thing) and brown spots forming on the bottom of it. Make sure the spots on the tortillas are a light brown. If they are dark brown, your skillet is too hot.
- After about 30 seconds, flip the tortilla over for another 20-30 seconds. Remove the tortilla from the skillet and wrap in a warm towel as you finish cooking the rest of the tortillas.
- Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator if you are not using them right away.
To heat them up, simply place them in a hot skillet just like when you made them the first time or pop them into the microwave.
CAN I ROLL OUT ALL THE TORTILLAS AT ONCE?
Yes! Just make sure that there is sufficient flour dusting between the layers. I actually prefer to roll out all the dough balls at one time. It just makes the entire process smoother and more efficient.
CAN I FREEZE HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS?
Yes! Flour tortillas freeze well. They can actually be refrigerated or frozen. Flour tortillas will last up to ten days in the refrigerator and a little longer in the freezer. Just be aware that the longer the tortillas are stored in the freezer, the less the quality.
Before you freeze the tortillas, chill them in the refrigerator. Do not put them in the freezer while they are still warm. Once cooled, place a piece of parchment paper between each tortilla and store in a zipped plastic freezer bag.
Be sure to label the bag with the date. You can thaw them out at room temperature and heat them up in the microwave when you are ready to serve them.
Now that you know how to make flour tortillas, you will want to make them yourself every time a recipe calls for a tortilla! Here are some recipes that would be great with flour tortillas.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons butter, salted and cubed
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and the salt.
Use a fork to combine the peasized cubes of butter into the flour mixture, creating a coarse meal mixture.
Add the water a little at a time and knead the dough slowly against the sides of the bowl a few times until it forms a smooth ball and all the flour is incorporated.
Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball, making each ball as close in size as the others. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).
Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop as you roll out the balls of dough.
To roll out the balls of dough, add flour to your work surface and use your hands to flatten the balls into round discs. Each will be about 6 inches, depending on the thickness of each tortilla, but keep them on the thinner side.
Once the skillet is hot, lay a tortilla on it and cook for 30 seconds on each side. It WILL bubble up, so don’t be alarmed when that happens!
Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover them with a clean towel. Serve warm.
