Perfect Flour Tortillas (From Scratch)
Made with just 5 ingredients, these soft flour tortillas are the perfect vessel for wraps, quesadillas, salads, and more!
Is there anything better than a warm, homemade tortilla? I admit, it’s taken me way too long to try cooking them from scratch, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Aside from the fact that they only take 5 ingredients to make, homemade tortillas taste infinitely better than anything you can get at the store!
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe couldn’t be any simpler—you only need 5 pantry-staples:
- All-purpose flour. No need for bread flour! All-purpose provides the best balance of chewiness and softness. If you want, you could substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat. Keep in mind that I’ve never tried this myself, but if you go this route, you may need to add more water to the dough.
- Kosher salt. To flavor the dough.
- Baking powder. Not all flour tortilla recipes include baking powder, but I find that it adds a nice lightness and puffiness that I prefer.
- Vegetable oil. To keep the tortillas soft and pliable. If you don’t have vegetable oil, any neutral oil like avocado or canola oil will do (you can even use melted butter).
- Water. Make sure that your water is very warm—this will help to melt and evenly distribute the oil for a soft tortilla.
Tortilla-Making Tips and Tricks
- Properly measure your flour. A common pitfall of beginner bakers is that they incorrectly measure flour, which results in a dense and dry baked good. To prevent this, use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup before leveling off the top.
- Let the dough rest. After mixing together the dough, it needs to rest. I know you might be tempted to skip this step, but I promise it’s necessary! Letting the dough rest allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to stretch and roll out.
- Roll the tortillas as thin as possible. I always lightly flour my work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten and rotate the dough into a circle. If the tortilla is too thick, they will be unpleasantly chewy and difficult to fold without breaking, so try and go as thin as you can.
- Cook at the correct temperature. This part can be trickier for beginners, but it just takes a bit of fine tuning. Once the cast-iron is hot, cook one or two tortillas to see if you need to adjust the temperature or cook time. If the pan is too hot, the tortillas will brown too much and get too stiff in a short amount of time. Too cold, and the tortilla will be dry and leathery, making it more prone to tearing.
- Let them steam right after making. To keep the tortillas foldable, stack them on top of one another and wrap them in a clean towel or Ziploc bag. This will trap steam and help them stay nice and soft for serving!
Make-Ahead Instructions
To make these ahead of time, proceed with the recipe until step 4, once you’ve divided the dough into 16 pieces. At this point, you may store the dough in the fridge either before or after rolling.
- If storing in the fridge before rolling, wrap each ball of dough in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to three days. When ready to cook, take out the dough and allow to come to room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes before rolling out and cooking.
- If storing in the fridge after rolling, stack the uncooked tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between each one. When ready to cook, take out the dough and allow to come to room temperature before cooking.
Storage Instructions
If not serving immediately, store the flour tortillas in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for around a week. To freeze, separate each rolled-out tortilla (either cooked or uncooked) with a sheet of parchment paper, then place into an airtight bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Allow the tortillas to thaw at room temperature for around an hour (or in the fridge overnight) before cooking or serving.
Serving Suggestions
There are truly an endless number of ways to enjoy a good flour tortilla, but here are some of my favorites!
- Wraps, burritos, or quesadillas.
- Taco salad.
- Restaurant-Style Chicken Fajitas.
- Feta Fried Egg Tacos.
- Turn them into tortilla chips!
Be sure to tag me if you try this recipe—happy tortilla making!
Perfect Flour Tortillas (From Scratch)
Made with just 5 ingredients, these soft flour tortillas are the perfect vessel for wraps, quesadillas, salads, and more!
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 16 full-size tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup neutral oil such as vegetable or canola, or melted butter
- 1 cup very warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Add in the oil, stirring with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and stir in the warm water. Mix for 1-2 minutes until a shaggy dough forms, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead until smooth, around 2 minutes, then cover with a damp towel and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes but up to 2 hours.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal portions (or 32 portions for smaller tortillas), then form each piece into a ball, lightly dust with flour, and cover with a damp towel.
- Working one at a time on a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a 6-7 inch circle. As you work, regularly rotate the dough to make an even circle and use a rolling pin to get the tortillas as thin as possible. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Stack the uncooked tortillas together with a piece of parchment paper between each one.
- When ready to cook, heat a large, preferably cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the first tortilla to the pan.
- Cook until the dough starts to bubble, brown, and puff up, around 30 seconds per side. Once a few golden spots have formed on the bottom, flip the tortilla and cook on the other side until browned, around 20 seconds. If the tortillas are browning too quickly, turn the heat down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Use a pair of tongs to stack together the cooked tortillas. Keep them wrapped in a clean dish towel before serving.
- If not serving immediately, store the flour tortillas in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for around a week. To freeze, separate each rolled-out tortilla (either cooked or uncooked) with a sheet of parchment paper, then place into an airtight bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Allow the tortillas to thaw at room temperature for around an hour (or in the fridge overnight) before cooking or serving.
