Homemade Flour Tortillas
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.
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.
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
Homemade flour tortillas that literally melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 tablespoons lard
- ¾ 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 ⅛ 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: 1Amount 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.
We came from the Sonoran State of Mexico in 1764 and this recipe is not authentic as baking powder is not used in authentic flour tortillas.Baking powder was not even developed until 1843 in England by an Englishmen so just how the hell do/can you put it in your recipe??
I currently live in the Sonoran desert and you are correct, they do not use baking powder. Their tortillas are thin and not fluffy like these. My family hails from Guadalajara and Texas (formerly Mexico) and they've used baking powder since it was available, just as they used wheat flour when the Spanish introduced it in the 1500's, and gas/electric stoves when they became available. Adaptation and progress do not invalidate cultural authenticity.
@Rebekah, you are correct. My grandma and my Mom made with the. Addition of baking powder.
Great recipe, dough needs to be soft but not sticky guessing some are over kneading. I used an oversized tortilla press instead of rolling and worked perfectly. I used a crepe pan and maintained a medium heat on an induction plate. From time to time a spritzing of water keeps thing going. DONT OVERCOOK the tortillas will puff up and that’s when you need to flip another minute and they are ready. Store in a ziplock bag after they have cooled completely. Thanks for a great recipe!
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!
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?
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.
Vegetable oil is to hard to roll out.
Lard or bacon fat works best.
Your recipe worked for me
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?
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?
These look so good, can't wait to try them!!! I love your site your recipes look delish!!
I have tried so many different recipes on making tortillas and at my age they should come tasteful, NOPE, my younger sister cruise can make such great tortillas and she 65 years old. I will tried your recipe wish me luck. Geri Zapata
My Gma was a little Spanish woman and she made her flour tortillas almost every day. And measured everything in her hand, always used lard, never oil. She lived to be 98. Nobody in the family can make them like hers! I did learn to make my dough in the food processor! And yes measuring is tricky. Thank You for sharing your recipe, I’ll give it a try!
Where did you get your griddle?
Thanks,
Alen
Hi Alen, this has been passed down for generations. It's a burner plate and it originally came from a wood-burning stove.
@alen, I found my tortilla press on Amazon
Finally an authentic recipe! Nothing against oil but my Abuela used only lard!
I recently started making my own tortillas as well from inspiration of a friend who always makes delicious ones for parties, which especially a treat since we are in Japan! Have you tried making tortillas with vegetable oil rather than lard, and does that change the flavor? (My impression is the veggie oil is healthier than lard; is that right?)
I always enjoy your blog!
D
I knew I was going to get a comment about lard! As far as health goes, lard has been making a "comeback," but it depends if you're using pure lard or partially hydrogenated. As far as taste and texture, I can't tell you if lard is different from vegetable oil, although I would imagine so. I have some other recipe notes from a great-great-aunt that calls for any type of fat available--butter, shortening, vegetable oil or even bacon drippings! Maybe I'll have to experiment with my tortillas and find out. 🙂
Oh my goodness! These look like they'd melt in your mouth. Glad you have the touch!
Y'all should make some this weekend!