Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2024)

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Forget store bought tortillas, and make your own with this flour tortilla recipe. This homemade tortilla recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wanted to make larger batches. They freeze perfectly!

Tortillas were one of the first types of bread I learned how to make just because of how easy it is. After making tortillas a couple of times, I slowly worked my way up to more complicated breads. So this is a great beginner's bread recipe to learn from!

If you're new to bread making, this is a great recipe to start with for a couple of reasons.

1) You don't need yeast. Yeast gives you a great piece of bread, but it can be very temperamental and takes a while to relax and rise.
2) This recipe is easy to follow and quite quick. No rise times needed my friends! All you need to do is rest your dough so it's easier to roll out.
3) And even if something goes wrong while making tortillas, you can probably hide it by frying up the evidence and making some flour tortilla chips. A delicious mistake!

These tortillas are made without lard or animal fat, so they're 100% vegan! Lard isn't an ingredient that I like to keep on hand just because I never use it.

I've also tried making tortillas with butter, but I find that butter doesn't give the tortilla as much softness and fold-ability as the vegetable oil. (Is fold-ability a word...?) The softness you get from the vegetable oil is what I think makes this the best tortilla recipe.

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  • Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

How to make tortillas:

To start making your tortilla dough, combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.

Add your vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix everything together until it starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it's smooth and soft (about 2 minutes).

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (1)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2)

Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll and shape your pieces into smooth balls. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature to make rolling the dough out easier.

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (3)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (4)

Once your dough has rested, roll your pieces of dough into thin tortillas. I like to roll my dough out until it's under an ⅛ inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. You want these paper thin!

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (5)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add your first tortilla and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip when you start to see some bubbles forming on the top of your tortilla, and the bottom should have golden brown spots.

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (6)
Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (7)

After your tortilla is cooked, transfer it into a tortilla keeper or a plate lined with a tea towel. Cover your tortillas with either another tea towel or lid. It's very important to keep your tortillas covered until right before you plan on eating them, otherwise they'll dry out and harden.

Repeat cooking until all of your tortillas are done.

Enjoy! Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.

Difficulty rolling out dough:

If you're trying to roll out your tortillas and you find the dough starts springing back and shrinking on you, it usually just means the dough needs to rest. Letting your dough rest helps relax the gluten in it, which makes it easier to roll out.

Whenever your dough starts to give you trouble, try covering it and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. You should be able to roll it out no problem after that.

How to store tortillas:

Like I mentioned above, tortillas should be covered until right before you plan on serving them (to prevent drying out).

If you don't finish all of your tortillas while they're still warm, transfer them to an airtight container or plastic bag after they've cooled completely to help preserve their freshness. Seal well, making sure to push out as much air as you can if you're using a plastic bag.

Tortillas will keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you don't plan on having them before then, tortillas also freeze very well!

How to freeze tortillas:

To freeze these flour tortillas, let the tortillas cool completely then transfer them to a freezer bag. Push out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Freeze tortillas for up to 3 months.

To defrost frozen tortillas, set them out at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight to thaw. Before serving, I also like to warm the frozen tortillas in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute on each side, just to make them pliable and soft again.

If you liked these flour tortillas, check out some of these similar recipes!

ranch chicken wraps
rolled buttermilk biscuits
homemade soft pretzels
dinner rolls
sandwich bread
easy no knead bread

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (8)

Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe

Forget store bought tortillas, and make your own with this flour tortilla recipe. This homemade tortilla recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you wanted to make larger batches, and they freeze perfectly!

4.96 from 49 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 medium tortillas

Author: Mimi

Ingredients

  • 1 & ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (120mL) warm water

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

  • Add vegetable oil and warm water to the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough starts to come together into a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it becomes smooth and soft (about 1 to 2 minutes).

  • Divide and shape the dough into 8 even balls. Cover and let the balls rest for 15-20 minutes.

  • On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough out until it's very thin (under ⅛ inch). Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place on tortilla into the skillet and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the first side. You'll know it's time to flip once the bottom has golden brown spots and the top starts to bubble and puff up.

  • Flip your dough and cook the other side until you start to see golden spots (about 30 seconds). Take the tortilla out of your skillet and place it on a tea towel lined plate or a tortilla keeper. Cover the dough with a tea towel or lid to prevent it from drying out.

  • Repeat the cooking and covering process with your remaining dough. Make sure you leave your tortillas tightly covered until you're just ready to serve to prevent having them dry out.

    Tortillas are best served fresh and warm.

Video

Tried this recipe?Tag me @eatsdelightfulblog or use #eatsdelightful! I love seeing what you're baking!

Enjoy!

Homemade Tortillas (Soft Flour Tortilla Recipe) - Eats Delightful (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep homemade tortillas soft? ›

These four tips helped us make soft, chewy, bubbly flour tortillas.
  1. Dissolve the salt in warm water before you add it to the dough.
  2. Roll the tortilla dough into very thin discs.
  3. Get the heat right. ...
  4. Transfer your cooked tortillas to a towel or tortilla warmer, which keeps them warm and soft.

Why do my homemade flour tortillas get hard? ›

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

What does baking soda do in flour tortillas? ›

TORTILLA BLEND™ Sodium Bicarbonate can specifically target the attributes of height and volume, uniform cell structure, bready texture, toast point color and reduced translucency. Sodium Bicarbonate: Timing of the leavening reaction is key to obtaining the best tortilla texture, height and opacity.

How do you make flour tortillas not fall apart? ›

Flour tortillas hold up better if you warm them before using. Put four tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave for about 30 seconds. If they still don't hold up,you are probably putting too much. You need to use a wrap.

How do you keep tortillas pliable? ›

To keep tortillas pliable after you heat them, stack them under a slightly dampened cloth or paper towel until the moment you use them.

How do you keep tortillas from getting mushy? ›

To prevent your tortillas from tearing or becoming soggy, quickly fry each corn tortilla in any oil you like for about 10 seconds on each side, until it starts to get crispy but is still pliable. This will add a barrier that will keep the tortilla from absorbing too much sauce, and also adds a little extra flavor.

How long to let tortilla dough rest? ›

It can sit on the counter for up to an hour if needed, but don't go beyond that. Pro Tip: Resting for at least 15 minutes relaxes the gluten so you can roll them out into smooth discs of deliciousness. Once the dough has rested (don't skip this step!!), you are ready to roll the tortillas out and to cook them.

How do you harden soft flour tortillas? ›

Turn soft tortillas into hard taco shells

In less than a minute, taco night can be saved if you have tortillas on hard. Take an empty microwave-safe glass cup and fold a soft tortilla in half and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.

How to make tortillas more pliable? ›

Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels or a damp kitchen towel, then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a microwave-safe resealable plastic bag (keep the bag open to vent). Microwave until warm and flexible, about 1 minute.

What happens if you don't put baking powder in tortillas? ›

So, if you don't have baking powder then you can omit it altogether. The tortillas will be just as good! However, the version I tested that had more baking powder resulted in a thicker, doughy tortilla that wasn't as pliable and was harder to roll when making a burrito or wrap.

What does lime do in tortillas? ›

The process involves cooking and soaking dried corn kernels with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) or another alkali, which removes much of the grain's bran, significantly increases the availability of niacin in the corn, and delivers other nutritional benefits.

Why are my homemade tortillas not soft? ›

If you overcook them, the tortillas will become hard, but you also don't want to undercook the dough. As a safety net, you can place your tortillas in tin foil to let them gently continue to cook after you've removed them (via Baking Needs).

How to keep flour tortillas from breaking when rolling? ›

Using a ceramic tortilla warmer or steaming them before serving will keep them pliable. Once you get the hang of keeping your tortilla dough the right temperature and moisture, making them at home will become second nature.

How do you store tortillas so they don't dry out? ›

Tortillas usually are available from the store in plastic bags, sometimes even zip lock bags. When you use a few tortillas, just carefully close up the bag. And store them in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for at least a week.

Why do my homemade tortillas break? ›

A common problem with homemade tortillas is cracked and jagged edges, a surefire sign that the dough needs more water. You can prevent cracked tortillas by pressing a test tortilla before you roll the rest of the dough into balls.

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