Flour Tortillas

Soft, stretchy & blistered — flour, fat, water & a rest · worlds better than store-bought

8 tortillas · 20 min

Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles.

3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (75 g) lard, shortening, butter, or oil
1 cup (240 g) warm water
1¼ tsp salt · 1 tsp baking powder

What you need

3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour

⅓ cup (75 g) lard, shortening, butter, or oil

1 cup (240 g) warm water

1¼ tsp salt · 1 tsp baking powder

Work in the fat. Stir the flour, salt, and baking powder. Solid fat (cold/softened lard, shortening, or butter — not melted): rub it in with your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs, then add the warm water. Liquid fat (oil, or melted butter): skip the rubbing — stir it straight into the warm water, then into the flour. Either way, mix to a shaggy dough.
Knead & rest. Knead 2–3 min to a smooth, soft dough, then divide into 8 balls, cover, and rest 20–30 min. Don't skip the rest — it relaxes the gluten so they roll thin without springing back.
Roll thin & round. On a lightly floured counter, roll each ball into a thin ~8″ circle, turning a quarter-turn between passes to keep it round. Thin is good — they puff up.
Blister on a dry, hot pan. No oil, pan hot. Lay a tortilla down ~30–45 sec until bubbles rise and brown spots form, then flip ~30 sec more. It should balloon in spots — pull it while still soft and bendy.
Stack under a towel. Keep them in a clean towel as they come off so their steam keeps them soft and pliable.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Work in the fat. Stir the flour, salt, and baking powder. Solid fat (cold/softened lard, shortening, or butter — not melted): rub it in with your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs, then add the warm water. Liquid fat (oil, or melted butter): skip the rubbing — stir it straight into the warm water, then into the flour. Either way, mix to a shaggy dough.

2. Knead & rest. Knead 2–3 min to a smooth, soft dough, then divide into 8 balls, cover, and rest 20–30 min. Don't skip the rest — it relaxes the gluten so they roll thin without springing back.

3. Roll thin & round. On a lightly floured counter, roll each ball into a thin ~8″ circle, turning a quarter-turn between passes to keep it round. Thin is good — they puff up.

4. Blister on a dry, hot pan. No oil, pan hot. Lay a tortilla down ~30–45 sec until bubbles rise and brown spots form, then flip ~30 sec more. It should balloon in spots — pull it while still soft and bendy.

5. Stack under a towel. Keep them in a clean towel as they come off so their steam keeps them soft and pliable.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.