Although you can find flour tortillas at just about any grocery store and freshly baked ones at many Latin markets, they really aren’t hard to make yourself. And, if you enjoy flour tortillas, you’re going to love this simple recipe for making them.
For this recipe you need all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, vegetable shortening, and warm water. After combining the ingredients and letting the mixture rest, you can fry portions of it to make your flour tortillas. And that’s how easy making homemade flour tortillas can be!
Tortillas are a versatile staple in Mexican cuisine. They are often paired with stews and soups, can be filled with cheese and fried to make quesadillas, fried until crisp to make tortilla chips, or served in plenty of other ways. Homemade ones have a fresh floury flavor and tender texture you simply don’t get with store-bought.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe
Homemade flour tortillas are so delicious. And what’s more, they’re easy to make as well. You just have to combine your ingredients, let the dough rest and then cook the flour tortillas on a griddle or in a large skillet.
Want to save this recipe?
How to Serve Them
There are lots of ways to serve tortillas, including pairing them with a soup or stew, making them into burritos, fajitas or quesadillas, or cutting them into triangles and frying them to make crunchy tortilla chips.
Can You Make Them Ahead?
Yes, you can prepare the dough ahead and keep it in the Ziploc bag for several hours or overnight before cooking. The resting time relaxes the gluten and makes the dough easier to work with (more soft and stretchy). If you’ve refrigerated the dough overnight, bring it up to room temperature before shaping and cooking the flour tortillas.
Storage Instructions
Leftovers will keep for a couple of days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, as long as you put parchment paper in between them so they don’t stick together. Thaw at room temperature or gently heat them up in a microwave or on the griddle until pliable again.
Variations and Substitutions
Whole wheat flour works in this recipe but the finished tortillas are denser. You can use lard in place of the vegetable shortening if you want to.
Making your own flour tortillas might not be necessary, as you can find them in just about any grocery store, but it’s quick, easy and fun to make them, so why not give this easy tortilla recipe a try?
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
- Mix in the vegetable shortening
- Then mix in enough warm water to make a dough.
- Put the dough in a Ziploc bag and leave to rest for an hour minimum.
- Shape the dough into small balls
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 1-2 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Fry on a griddle until done on both sides.
