Our favorite flour tortilla recipe based on the method from Mexico: The Cookbook. A wet dough and long kneading time make them soft and chewy.
Recipe first posted February 15, 2015. Last updated August 23, 2022.
I have been pouring over Mexico: The Cookbook, have you guys read it? There are so many things I want to try. So many things I’ve never heard of. I think I could live the rest of my life and never know even a quarter of what makes up Mexican cuisine.
Could someone please tell me what acitrón de biznaga is? And further more, where I can buy some? This book is giving me a serious case of wanderlust, I just want to know more and more and more.
I have a loooooonnnnggg list of the recipes I want to try from the book but a true indication of any cookbook’s integrity is most often found in the most basic of recipes, therefore, flour tortillas is where I began.
We are a big flour tortilleros in our family. Armando’s family is from Chihuahua in Northern Mexico where flour tortillas reign supreme so he generally prefers flour to corn. I’ll admit since discovering pre-rolled, but not cooked, flour tortillas at Costco, I hardly ever make my own, but they really are not in the least bit difficult to make and as you can imagine, homemade tortillas are pretty outstanding.
More To Explore
Ingredients To Make This Flour Tortilla Recipe
Home cooks who make flour tortillas for the first time are always surprised at how short the ingredients list is. Are you ready? Here it is:
- All purpose flour
- Vegetable shortening, butter, or lard
- Kosher salt
- Baking powder
- Water
How To Make This Flour Tortilla Recipe
step one
Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
step two
Add shortening. Add whichever fat you are using (if using butter make sure it is at room temperature) and rub it into the flour with your hands. Keep working it in until the flour resembles coarse sand with a few larger pebble-sized pieces of fat here and there.
step three
Add water. Add water (hot water from the tap is fine) and mix it in with your hands until all the flour is wet and you have a sticky dough.
step four
Knead the dough. Scrape dough onto a clean counter (don’t add extra flour) and begin kneading the dough. It will be very sticky at first but will come together as you knead it. Use a bench scraper if you have one to unstick the dough from the counter as you go. Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
step five
Let it rest. Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside of it. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
step six
Divide the dough. Pinch off one piece of the dough and roll into a ball. The size will depend on how big your comal or skillet you are going to cook the tortillas on is. If you have a smaller pan you don’t want the dough balls to be too big.
My griddle is 10 inches, so I make my balls about little bit larger than a golf ball each weighing around 1 1/2 ounces (using a kitchen scale makes this super easy). This size ball makes about 8-inch tortillas.
Roll each ball then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I usually get between 28-30 balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
step seven
Roll the dough. Place one ball of dough on a floured work surface and roll with a rolling pin into a very thin circle. Keep dusting the counter and rolling pin to maintain a lightly floured surface to prevent from sticking while you are rolling the tortillas. You should be able to see through the dough. That’s how thin it needs to be. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
You can roll all the dough balls at once and keep them separated between pieces of parchment paper or do them one at a time.
step eight
Cook the tortillas. Heat a comal or other nonstick pan over medium heat. Let heat for about 3 minutes before adding your first tortilla.
Place tortilla on the hot pan and let cook, undisturbed, for about 1 minute or until the surface is covered with bubbles, it removes easily from the pan and has some golden brown spots. Flip and cook on the other side a minute more.
step nine
Enjoy! Keep tortillas warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel and serve right away or let cool completely and then store in a plastic bag for up to a week in the refrigerator. Rewarm in a skillet over medium-high heat for a minute or two before eating.
These Flour Tortillas Were Made For:
- Roasted Squash and Kale Quesadillas (healthy, cheesy, YUM!)
- Fried Green Tomato Vegetarian Burrito (make extra-large tortillas for this one)
- Shredded Beef Tacos (our favorite pairing)
- Classic Grilled Steak Fajitas (naturally)
- Rainbow Veggie Quesadillas (lots of veggies!!)
Variations On This Flour Tortilla Recipe
How to make them gluten-free. I’ve never tried this recipe with gluten-free flour (if you have please let me know how it went in the comment section below). If you are gluten-intolerant however, I encourage you to make these corn tortillas. They are the bomb!
How to make them with a stand mixer. Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the shortening and water and mix on low just until the dough comes together then raise the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. Continue with the recipe as written.
How to make them with other fats. You can swap the vegetable shortening for equal amounts of lard or butter or a combination of any of these as long as it equals 2/3 cup. I’ve never made them using a liquid fat like vegetable oil or olive oil but if you wanted to give it a try, please let me know how they turned out.
How to make them with a tortilla press. You can’t. The dough is too springy and won’t get flat enough. It doesn’t work.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
- Got a can of chipotle peppers in the fridge? Here’s 17 recipes to use them.
- Have you ever made Agua de Jamaica at home? Give this recipe a try!
- This Cilantro Cream Sauce is good on everything!!
- Chicken Mole Verde is one of our go-to meals for family gatherings.
- Kid-friendly option: Chicken Flautas Mexicanas
- A Mangonada is refreshment in the palm of your hand
- Every home cook needs a good bean recipe in their back pocket. This is mine.
Homemade Flour Tortillas Are Simply Dreamy
This flour tortillas recipe is so YUMMY with the perfect soft, chewy texture. Try them and let me know how it goes by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe
Recipe adapted from Mexico: The Cookbook.
Our favorite flour tortilla recipe based on the method from Mexico: The Cookbook. A wet dough and long kneading time make them soft and chewy.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2/3 cup vegetable shortening, lard, or room temperature butter
- 1 3/4 cup hot water (hot from the tap is fine)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add shortening. Add vegetable shortening (or whatever fat you are using) and rub it in with your fingers. It should resemble sand with a few pea-sized pieces of fat.
- Knead. Add 1 water and mix to form a wet dough. It will be sticky. Turn out onto a unfloured work surface and knead for 5 minutes. It will be really sticky at first but eventually will form a smooth dough. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough off the counter as you go if necessary.
- Let rest. Grease a large bowl place the dough inside and turn to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough. Pinch off a small piece of dough (a digital scale is really handy for this). The size of the piece will depend on how large your comal or skillet you will be cooking the tortillas on is. Mine comal is 10-inches so I make about 1 1/2 ounce-sized balls (a little bigger than a golf ball) which give me 8-inch tortillas. Roll into smooth balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth.
- Heat the pan. Place a comal or other nonstick skillet over medium heat and let warm at least 3 minutes before you cook any tortillas on it.
- Roll the tortillas. Place a ball of dough on a lightly floured counter and flour a rolling pin. Roll each ball into a very thin circle. You should be able to see your hand through it. The thinner the better.
- Cook. As you roll place each tortilla on the hot, dry skillet and cook undisturbed until toasted and bubbles cover the surface, about 1 minute. Flip and cook another minute on the other side. Keep warm in a clean towel and repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
If you don't want to cook them all at once, roll out all the dough and layer between pieces of parchment paper. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 95Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allow me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
