EASY FLOUR TORTILLAS

These homemade flour tortillas are chewy, soft, and full of delicious flavor. They’re quick and easy to make with simple pantry ingredients (including one surprise ingredient!) and taste so much better than store-bought tortillas!

For our family, one of the best things to come from quarantine are these flour tortillas. ♥️ A few weeks ago, I was making tacos for dinner and realized that we didn’t have any tortillas. I also couldn’t go out to the store just for one ingredient, but we were dead-set on having Taco Tuesday. 😉 I scoured the internet for inspiration, and after some tweaks and many, many taco nights (I’m not complaining!) I’ve finally landed the perfect and most delicious homemade flour tortilla recipe.

I don’t cook with lard (a traditional ingredient in flour tortillas) so I’ve been trying different variations. The tastiest one – by far – ended up being made with…wait for it…butter! Not totally surprising, since butter makes everything better, am I right?! 😉 I realize that butter is a totally not traditional ingredient in flour tortillas. But I promise you…you will love these buttery, delicious tortillas! And, like us, I bet you will never go back to store-bought…these are too easy (and delicious!) to pass up.

FLOUR TORTILLA INGREDIENTS

1. Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. It might work nicely with whole wheat flour or gluten free flour – please let me know if you try either of those!
2. Baking powder: This gives the tortillas a little fluffiness.
3. Salt: I use 1/2 teaspoon of coarse Kosher salt. (I always use salted butter in my kitchen, so that provides the extra salt). If you’re using unsalted butter, up the salt to 1 teaspoon and then adjust to taste. If you’re using a different kind of salt (table salt, for example) you will need to adjust the amount accordingly.
4. Butter: This provides richness and just straight-up deliciousness in these tortillas. 🙂 Trust me when I say that you will be forever changed by butter tortillas. I use salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted. Let the butter come to room temperature before using so that it’s nice and soft.
5. Water: Hot water helps bring the dough together. Using very, very hot (but not boiling) water will give you a silk smooth dough.

HOW TO MAKE FLOUR TORTILLAS

1. Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add wet ingredients: Add the softened butter and hot water to the bowl and mix with a fork or wooden spoon. The dough will loosely come together. You may need to finish mixing it briefly in the bowl with your hands to get the flour at the bottom of the bowl incorporated.
3. Knead and rest the dough: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cover the dough with a dish towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Shape and cut the tortillas: Remove the dish towel and cut the dough into 12 equal pieces, then shape them into balls. Roll the balls out to desired thickness (I like them on the thicker side).
5. Cook the tortillas: Add a tortilla to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once you see small bubbles on the top, it’s time to flip. Cook second side, then remove from the heat. Place on a plate and keep covered with a dish towel to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS

1. Prep tip: Making tortillas is fun, but it’s a bit time-consuming when you’re in a time crunch. I usually have two sauté pans going so I can cook two at a time. Once I shape and roll out each of the dough balls, I put both of them into the pans and while they’re cooking, I shape and roll the next two, and so on. If you do want to take your time and roll them all out first, be sure to add a bit of flour in between each dough disk as you stack them on a plate to prevent sticking.
2. Dough texture: If your dough seems too wet, add a bit more flour (and if it seems too dry, add a bit more water). I’ve always been able to use exactly the amounts listed in the recipe, but feel free to adjust as needed!)
3. Tools: These tortillas are super easy to make as instructed above, but if you happen to have a tortilla press, feel free to use it instead of pressing/rolling them out by hand. Additionally, if you have a tortilla warmer, use that instead of the plate and dishtowel after you cook them.
4. Storing the tortillas: I keep any extra tortillas in a resealable plastic bag (an airtight storage container would work well also) on the counter. They can be left out for as long as 2-3 days (our never make it past the second day, true story) or frozen for up to 3 months. If you’re freezing them, be sure to put a piece of parchment or wax paper in between each of them so you don’t end up with one big clump of stuck-together tortillas.
5. Possible substitutions: You can make these tortillas vegan by substituting coconut oil for the butter, although I did notice a subtle coconut taste when I tested the recipe with the coconut oil. For anyone who may be super sensitive to coconut, just keep that in mind. You can also keep them traditional by using lard in place of the butter, or extra pantry-friendly by using vegetable oil in place of the butter.

We hope you love these, and that your Taco Tuesdays are forever transformed. 🙂

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? ♥️

Danielle