Authentic Homemade Mexican Flour Tortillas ready in just 5 steps! Soft, flavorful, and actually worth it. Once you learn how to make these, you won’t go back to the store-bought ones because… why would you?! They’re easy to make and so good you’ll want to eat them plain!
Homemade Mexican Flour Tortillas
If you try these, you won’t go back to the store to get their pre-packaged ones. Like, I’ve had good store-bought tortillas down here in Latin America but they still can’t beat homemade Mexican flour tortillas.
So, is it worth it to make homemade tortillas? Hell YES.
Homemade flour tortillas have an actual flavor and the texture is soft because of the ingredients you put in there, not the preservatives working overtime to keep them soft. Oh, and best thing… you can gobble them down warm, as soon as they come off the comal (if you have a pancake griddle, you’re good).
I don’t think you’ll be able to save these for a taco or burrito recipe because they’re delicious eaten plain but you can try (I always snatch 1 or 2 while I’m cooking the others).
What are the ingredients in a flour tortilla?
- Flour. All-purpose flour, nothing crazy.
- Butter. You may also use lard because that’s how they were made originally but butter works just as good. You can technically also use margarin but I don’t recommend it: butter has much better flavor. Use unsalted butter so you can have more control over the amount of salt used. Avoid oil, it’s just not worth it both flavor and texture wise (been there, done that).
- Water. Here’s the trick: use boiling hot water. I use this technique for making arepas, tortillas de maiz, and even regular flour tortillas. Hot water allows the starch in the flour to trap some of the water in the dough while inhibiting the formation of gluten, and helping the butter to distribute more evenly. Do it.
- Salt.
- Baking powder for a little volume.
How to make Homemade Mexican Flour Tortillas
- Combine the flour and butter. Use a food processor, a pastry cutter, or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until the butter forms small pea-sized crumbs coated in flour. This is similar to the process of making pie crust. You can also use your hands for this step but I don’t recommend it if you live somewhere hot as the butter will begin to melt instantly as you touch it.
- Make the dough. Add the water to the flour mixture and mix it in using a fork or your hands, then add the salt and baking powder, and keep mixing until a dough starts forming. Knead the dough until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough over to a floured surface and keep kneading until smooth and elastic (it shouldn’t stick anymore).
- Let it rest. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and cover them with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest.
- Make the tortillas. Use a rolling pin to roll out each tortilla into a thin disc shape. Ideally, you want to roll one and cook it immediately, then roll the next one as the previous one cooks, and so on. Definitely do not stack the uncooked rolled-out tortillas or they will stick together.
- Cook. If you have a comal (a smooth flat griddle) definitely use it, if not the griddle that comes with many stoves will also work. For skillets, a cast-iron is your best choice, regular non-stick skillets won’t give you a good tortilla. Heat your comal or griddle until hot over high heat. Once hot (to the point of almost smoking), turn down the heat and quickly place one of the tortillas on the griddle. Cook until air bubbles start forming, then flip and keep cooking. The cooking process is very quick so you might need to get into it the first time you make them but it’ll be a very quick and easy process if you keep making them!
Can I make flour tortillas ahead of time?
I don’t recommend it because flour tortillas are best eaten fresh, they naturally tend to dry up over time.
How do I store homemade flour tortillas?
Once they come down to room temperature, store any leftover tortillas in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat as needed and enjoy.
Your Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ingredient that all tortillas in Mexico have? When it comes to flour tortillas, that would be flour, fat (may be lard or butter), water, and salt.
Why are my homemade tortillas falling apart? If your tortilla is cracking, your dough is too dry and you need more fat or water. If your tortilla is so sticky that it won’t roll out, then the dough is too soft and you need more flour. This shouldn’t happen but different brands of flour absorb liquids and fats differently and differences in altitude and climate may affect your results.
Why are my flour tortillas coming out hard? There are 3 reasons behind a hard tortilla. You didn’t knead the dough long enough so the gluten hasn’t had the chance to develop and give the tortilla some elasticity. The comal or griddle wasn’t hot enough when you started cooking them so they dried up instead of cooking quickly. You cooked them way too long.
Homemade Mexican Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 stick (50 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (250 ml) boiling hot water
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Combine the flour and butter. Use a food processor or a large bowl and a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the flour until the butter forms small pea-sized crumbs coated in flour. This is similar to the process of making pie crust. You can also use your hands for this step but I don't recommend it if you live somewhere hot as the butter will begin to melt instantly as you touch it.
- Make the dough. Add the water to the flour mixture and mix it in using a fork or your hands, then add the salt and baking powder, and keep mixing until a dough starts forming. Knead the dough until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough over to a floured surface and keep kneading until smooth and elastic (about 8-10 minutes).
- Let it rest. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and cover them with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15-30 minutes.
- Make the tortillas. Use a rolling pin to roll out each tortilla into a thin disc. Ideally, you want to roll one and cook it immediately, then roll the next one as the previous one cooks, and so on. Do not stack the uncooked rolled-out tortillas or they will stick together. Always cover the uncooked dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out.
- Cook. Place a comal (a smooth flat griddle) or any smooth griddle, or a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once hot (to the point of almost smoking), turn down the heat and quickly place one of the tortillas on the griddle. Cook until air bubbles start forming (about 30-40 seconds), then flip and keep cooking for another 40-45 seconds. Immediately remove the cooked tortilla from the griddle to keep it from drying out and place it over a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the cooked tortillas in the kitchen towel as you go so they can retain heat and moisture and stay warm and soft as you cook them.
Notes
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