How to Make Flour Tortillas

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Last Updated: September 16, 2021 Approved

Have you ever had a craving for those delicious tortillas made fresh in restaurants? Below is an easy and quick way to make flour tortillas from scratch! You'll need to mix the dough, flatten it into rounds and cook each one on the stove to create delicious tortillas perfect for filling with taco meat or veggies.

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup lard or butter or vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water

Steps

Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl.
into the flour and mix with your hands into a soft dough. Add more warm water if it's not coming together.
Form the dough into a ball. Put it in a bowl and cover for 20 minutes. Resting the dough before rolling it out is the secret to making them easier to roll.
Put a little bit of shortening on your hands and roll them into balls.
into a tortilla. Put flour on the surface before rolling them out. Get them as thin as possible.
Cast iron works well for tortillas.
and flip after 15-20 seconds. Bubbling is normal.
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Question

How do you store fresh flour tortillas?

Community Answer

Just cover them with cloth or put it in a little basket that is made for tortillas.

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Question

Can I use whole wheat flour?

Community Answer

Yes, whole wheat flour is a great choice.

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Question

Can I omit the baking powder and use self-rising flour?

Community Answer

Yes. Baking powder fluffs them up but makes them thicker, which is not good for burritos. Use all purpose flour and try to make the tortillas as thin as possible.

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Tips

Add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar per cup of flour to make the dough more pliable and the tortillas more moist.

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Vegetable shortening is generally made from hydrogenated oils. To make a more authentic tortilla, use lard rather than shortening.

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Use a rolling pin or piece of large diameter wooden dowel (Hard Maple is best) to roll the dough thin.

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Warnings

Don't place your tortilla on a too-hot pan, it will burn the outside before the inside is cooked.

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Remember to always be careful when using a stove.

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