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Homemade Flour Tortillas

Homemade Flour Tortillas | Kitchen Gidget

This is part 1 of a 2-part series in honor of my mom and grandmother’s birthdays, which are next week.

First up are my grandma’s tortillas.

If you’ve never had homemade flour tortillas then you’re in for a treat. They melt in your mouth!

So tender and flavorful; they taste nothing like the store package variety.

The dough comes together easily, but it does take some effort in the rolling out.

Many hands make work light! When my siblings and I were young, my grandma had a rolling pin made for each of us out of an old broom handle.

We would all help roll out tortillas and we each got to eat the first one we rolled.

We would watch as it cooked on the comal, knowing that it was a good one if it puffed up.

Then we would eat it piping hot and slathered in butter.

Homemade Flour Tortillas | Kitchen Gidget

Tortillas are generally cooked on a comal, which is a round, flat, cast iron griddle.

My family uses old wood-burning cook-stove lids.

If neither of those is available, any cast iron pan will do.

As young’uns our tortillas were not perfectly round, but practice makes perfect!

The technique is important in order to produce soft, fluffy tortillas.

Starting from the middle of your dough ball, roll one stroke down and one stroke up with a light but firm touch.

Turn the tortilla 90 degrees clockwise and repeat the process.

Homemade Flour Tortillas | Kitchen Gidget

“Bolitas”: little balls of tortilla dough

Homemade Flour Tortillas | Kitchen Gidget

Tiny bubbles mean tortilla is ready for its first flip

I’ve tried to explain the steps as best I can, but my grandma’s “recipe” was based on feeling and sight–no tools or utensils besides hands–not exactly standardized measurements!

Feel free to comment or email if you have any questions. 🙂 kitchengidget@gmail.com

Homemade Flour Tortillas (Tortillas de Harina)

Homemade Flour Tortillas | Kitchen Gidget

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Yield: 16 tortillas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Homemade flour tortillas that literally melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 6 tablespoons lard
  • 3/4 to 1 cup warm water

Instructions

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in lard until it resembles fine crumbs. Mixture should lightly hold together when squeezed. Add the warm water, starting with ¾ cup, and mix until it comes together forming a smooth but not sticky dough.

Divide the dough into 14-16 balls. Knead and shape until smooth. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for at least 10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out tortillas. Starting from the middle of dough ball, roll one stroke down and one stroke up with a light but firm touch. Turn the tortilla 90 degrees clockwise and roll one stroke down, one stroke up and turn again. Repeat the process until you reach the desired thickness, about 1/8 of an inch or less.

Cook on a griddle that has been preheated over medium heat. Cook for 3-5 seconds on one side until tiny bubbles appear. Flip tortilla and cook about 30 seconds. Tortilla should puff up. Flip again and cook for about 15 seconds. Lower heat if tortillas are too brown. Continue until all tortillas have been cooked. Keep cooked tortillas warm by wrapping in a towel.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 326mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.

Did you make this recipe?

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Leveller

Saturday 6th of January 2024

I have been meaning to try making tortillas for so long now and just never gotten around to it. But I came across your recipe yesterday and decided to try it today. I used lard, and cooked them in a large cast iron frying pan, as this is what I had available and am used to using. The recipe was very simple and the instructions were great. The end result was AMAZING!. I did them for lunch and we stuffed them with fresh tuna my daughter had canned, slightly warmed, with grated cheese on them and topped with a little salsa. Don't knock it until you've tried it. Hubby was well impressed so I guess we will be making them a lot more from now on. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Cindy

Tuesday 5th of December 2023

I made a batch of these and with a little trial and error, managed some nice soft tortillas, but after refrigerating them in a plastic bag for a few days, we found them to be dry and had become brittle. What could prevent this?

Rebekah

Wednesday 6th of December 2023

Never refrigerate them or they'll be hard. If I have leftovers I keep them in a bag at room temperature and reheat on the stove again.

Betty

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

Vegetable oil is to hard to roll out. Lard or bacon fat works best. Your recipe worked for me

Pam

Wednesday 5th of October 2022

I made 2 batches the first one I kneaded for about 12 to 15 minutes and the second batch just for 8 minutes but both batches came out a little chewy?? Is it the kneading or the cooking that causes the problem?

Rebekah

Tuesday 11th of October 2022

Hi Pam, that sounds like they might have been over-kneaded. They only need to be kneaded until smooth. Or possibly too much flour? Was the dough stiff or soft? Did they puff up when cooked?

Elaine

Saturday 1st of October 2022

These look so good, can't wait to try them!!! I love your site your recipes look delish!!

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