Learn to Make Your Own Homemade Flour Tortillas

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Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

I made homemade flour tortillas because money is tight and we’ve been forced to stay home more lately. The flour tortilla recipe is simple and delicious!

If there’s anything I love, it’s Mexican food! We’re lucky enough to have several great restaurants around this area. But with having to stay home more and money being tight right now, I want to make my own.

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

I made homemade flour tortillas because money is tight and we’ve been forced to stay home more lately. The flour tortilla recipe is simple and delicious!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Active Time
20 minutes
Resting Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Servings
8 tortillas
Courses
Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner
Cuisine
Mexican
Estimated Cost
$1

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (fine grain works best)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil (coconut oil also works well)

Instructions

  1. Mix all of the homemade flour tortillas ingredients together until it starts to form a ball.
  2. Take the dough out of the bowl and kneed until smooth and elastic; this step is key. The gluten that develops in this stage is essential for the stretchability.
  3. When your homemade flour tortilla dough is at the point where it is smooth and glossy, place it back in the bowl to rest. Cover with a damp dishtowel to prevent it from drying out. Let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
  4. After your homemade flour tortillas dough has rested, divide it into 8 equal sized balls.

  5. Flatten them with a tortilla press. If you don't have a tortilla press, roll it out on a cutting board until very thin. Getting it very thin is tricky, but the tortillas are so much better if the dough is thin.

  6. Once it is rolled out, you can stack them together under a damp dishcloth to keep them from drying out. I do all of mine at one time so that I can fry them all together. That way I don’t need to switch back and forth between rolling and frying.

Frying

  1. I use a cast iron pan to get my homemade flour tortillas nice and brown, but any pan will do. Heat the pan to a medium to higher heat. You’ll need to test it to see where the heat should be as all pans and stoves are different.
  2. Place a small test tortilla in the pan. You should see the tortilla puffing up and bubbles forming.
  3. Turn the tortilla over. It should be brown in spots, but not all over the surface. It should only be on for a minute or two. If they are heated for too long, they will dry out and be hard on the edges.
  4. Take the tortilla out and place it into a warmer. If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, place on a plate, and cover with the dishtowel from earlier.
  5. Serve immediately.

Notes

I use all-purpose flour in my homemade flour tortillas, but you can use other types. Alternatives will be listed below.

Nutrition:

Serving: 2tortillas | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
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Alternative Flours

You can use whole wheat or part wheat and part white flour. Whole wheat flour won’t develop as much gluten, so they may not have the stretch you need to get them to form right.

This recipe doesn’t work well with gluten-free flours as it is the gluten that makes them stretch. If you want gluten-free tortillas, try the basic recipe in the corn chips article. The tortillas won’t be able to be rolled or folded, but you can use them to serve your meals open-faced.

Other Ideas for Homemade Flour Tortillas

For different applications, you can vary this homemade flour tortillas recipe to suit your needs.

Dessert Tortillas

If you are making dessert tortillas, you can add a bit of sugar or other sweeteners to the recipe.

Imprinted Tortillas

If you want something really cool, try pressing edible flowers into the dough before frying. I’ve seen this done with focaccia bread and I so want to try it!

Herbal Tortillas

You can also add dried herbs such as basil or oregano to the homemade flour tortillas dough. Just be careful not to add too much of anything. If you add too much liquid, your dough will be sticky. If you add too much dry material, like sugar or herbs, your dough may crumble.

Flavored Oils

This flour tortilla recipe is also a good way to use flavored oils. Instead of plain olive or coconut oil, why not use garlic oil? Or rosemary oil? Infused oils can add so much flavor! You can make edible infused oils the same way you make herbal infused oil.

Now you are ready to make soft tacos, quesadillas, or my favorite, carnitas!

What is your favorite way to use your homemade flour tortillas?

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About Debra Maslowski

Debra is a master gardener, a certified herbalist, a natural living instructor, and more. She taught Matt and Betsy how to make soap so they decided to bring her on as a staff writer! Debra recently started an organic herb farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina. You can even purchase her handmade products on Amazon!

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