Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe
Making tortillas from scratch is a process of feel. The goal is a soft, pliable dough that feels like Play-Doh; this texture comes from working lard into the flour, which is the traditional fat for a reason. Resting the dough is the most important step where you do nothing; it’s what relaxes the gluten and makes the dough easy to roll out paper-thin.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup warm water (~105F)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
Make the Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add the cold lard or shortening to the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. There should be no large pieces of fat remaining.
In a separate small bowl, combine the warm water and white vinegar. Pour this liquid into the flour mixture all at once. Mix with a fork until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Knead and Rest the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic.
Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it tightly, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. This step is critical; it allows the gluten to relax, which is what makes the dough easy to roll out thin without fighting you.
Portion and Roll
Divide the rested dough into 12 equal pieces for taco-sized tortillas. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Keep the dough balls covered with a towel as you work to prevent them from drying out.
On a lightly floured surface, take one dough ball and press it flat with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a thin, roughly 8-inch round. You should be able to almost see through it. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect circles.
Cook the Tortillas
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat.
Place a rolled-out tortilla onto the hot, dry surface. Cook for about 30-45 seconds, until you see large bubbles forming on the surface. Flip and cook for another 15-30 seconds on the other side. You’re looking for some golden-brown spots, not a uniform browning.
Transfer the cooked tortilla to a plate and cover it with a clean kitchen towel to keep it warm and pliable while you cook the rest. These are best used immediately.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups AP flour plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup warm water ~105F
- 1 tsp white vinegar
Method
- Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in large bowl.
- Rub cold lard into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix warm water and vinegar, add to flour mixture, stir with fork until shaggy dough forms.
- Knead dough on floured surface 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and rest dough 30-60 minutes.
- Divide dough into 12 equal balls, keep covered.
- Roll each ball on floured surface into thin 8-inch round.
- Heat cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook tortillas 30-45 seconds until bubbled, flip, cook 15-30 seconds until spotted.
- Stack cooked tortillas under kitchen towel.
