File this Flour Tortilla Recipe under recipes that are way easier to make at home than you thought they’d be! Use them for tacos, enchiladas, or even just as a delicious side dish to your homemade Mexican meal.
Serve up the ultimate Mexican meal with tacos on homemade flour tortillas, homemade refried beans, tres leches cake for dessert, and Virgin Frozen Margaritas to top it all off!
I am a lover of Mexican food. And one way you can really impress me is with a good flour tortilla. Years ago, I went on a taco tour in Austin, Texas, and I still remember some of those tacos that were on the most delicious, fresh, flour tortillas.
And what’s better than a taco Tuesday with tacos to rival some of those Austin favorites? And nothing brings your taco up a notch than a homemade flour tortilla.
This flour tortilla recipe will show you that homemade tortillas are within your grasp – so much easier to make at home than you’d imagine. And once you start making homemade, you’ll never want to go back to store bought again!
Ingredients
- Flour: I just use all-purpose flour.
- Salt: I prefer a fine sea salt for this recipe. You might want to cut back a bit if you are using table salt.
- Baking Powder: This helps the tortillas to puff.
- Butter: You’ll need some sort of fat, and I usually use butter. If you don’t want to use butter, lard works very well, or bacon fat is a personal favorite. You can even use vegetable oil, although I like the flavor of other choices better.
- Water: You want to make sure the water is very hot. It doesn’t need to be boiling, but I use the very hottest tap water that I can get.
How to Make This Flour Tortilla Recipe
- Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. You want to make sure these are very well combined.
- Pour in your melted butter (or fat of your choice).
- Cut the fat into the flour mixture. I like to use a fork, or it actually works really well to use your hands and pinch and rub the butter through the flour. Once it is fully combined, it will look like cornmeal.
- Pour in the hot water.
- Mix everything until it comes together in the bowl.
- Pour the dough out onto a counter that is lightly dusted with flour and knead the dough a few times. It should come together into a smooth ball. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This helps the gluten to relax so that it is easier to roll out.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. You can get out a kitchen scale and make them all even, or just eyeball it.
- Working with one ball at a time, roll it out into an even circle. Don’t worry about it being a perfect circle – I rarely get a good circle and they still taste delicious. 🙂 You want the dough pretty thin, but not so thin that the tortilla won’t stay soft once cooked.
- Cook the tortilla on a hot griddle or a in a skillet until it gets bubbly and starts to brown, then flip it over and cook the second side.
Tips and Tricks
You want to make sure you keep any dough that you aren’t actively working with covered so that it doesn’t dry out.
Once the tortillas are cooked, and while you are cooking the remaining tortillas, place them under a clean kitchen towel. The heat will keep them pliable and soft. You could also use a tortilla warmer.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. I like these best when they are fresh, but if I do need to store some for later, I keep them in the refrigerator. You’ll want to reheat in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
The tortillas can be frozen in a freezer safe ziplock bag. Make sure they are cool and remove as much air as possible from the bag. To make it easier to take one at a time, I like to put a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper between each tortilla. They can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight, or if you only need one, you can put it in the microwave for a few seconds until thawed.
You’ve Got the Tortillas – Here are the Tacos!
Baja Fish Tacos
Coconut Shrimp Taco Recipe with Mango Salsa
Migas Breakfast Tacos
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Brisket Tacos
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Flour Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 3/4 cup hot water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Pour in the melted butter. Mix in with a fork or with your fingers until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
- Add in the water and mix until the dough comes together. Pour onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth.
- Cover the dough and let it sit for 30 minutes. This will help to relax the dough which makes it easier to roll the dough into tortillas without it shrinking.
- Heat a griddle or a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Working with one piece at a time, and keeping the rest of the dough covered so that it doesn’t dry out, roll the dough into a round about 6-8 inches in diameter.
- Place the tortilla on the hot griddle or into the hot skillet and cook until bubbly and golden, then flip and cook the second side. Place into a tortilla warmer or under a clean kitchen towel.
- Continue until all the dough has been cooked.
Fungai Ndigwirei says
This is a detailed recipe. Thank you for sharing