Homemade flour tortillas are easy enough for a kids recipe, but fancy enough to make weeknight meals feel just a little more special.
Whenever I have a brain block and ask my husband what I should make for dinner, the answer is usually “tacos”. Le sigh … there’s only so much you can do to make tacos feel homemade.
As appealing as it was to have dinner already figured out, I was craving a way to bring my from-scratch style of cooking into the equation.
Homemade flour tortillas was my solution. I had already found a way to make taco seasoning and used flank steak or cast iron chicken breast for street style taco filling. If I had the ingredients handy, guacamole was no big deal to whip up either.
Making tortillas from scratch was the last piece! And let me tell you, I was SHOCKED to learn out how ridiculously fast and easy it was.
This recipe yields 16 flour tortillas – more or less depending on how you divide the dough. Use leftover tortillas for breakfast wraps, quick lunches, or melty gooey cheese roll ups for the kids.
You can even slice them up with a pizza cutter and throw them in the air fryer or oven for some homemade tortilla chips.
How to Make Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup warm filtered water
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Add the water and oil, and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will be shaggy and soft.
Knead the tortilla dough on a lightly floured counter until it’s soft and smooth – about 2-3 minutes.
Cut the ball of dough in half, and keep cutting the portions in half again until you have around 16 pieces.
Dredge the pieces of dough in flour on both sides and then smush them into flat round discs. Let the dough rest on parchment paper covered with a very slightly dampened dish towel for 20 minutes.
How to Cook Raw Tortillas
Heat a skillet over medium heat, don’t add oil.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough disc to the left and right, and then up and down. Pick up the dough circle and gently stretch it outwards from the middle as if you were stretching a pizza pie. If you find that you start to make homemade tortillas more often, a tortilla press is an inexpensive investment that removes this step making the process virtually effortless.
When the tortilla is the size you’d like, place it in the hot pan for about 90 seconds until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the dough. Turn the tortilla over with tongs and cook for another minute.
Transfer cooked tortillas to a glass plate and cover with a dish towel to keep them soft.
Repeat steps 7, 8, & 9 until all tortillas are cooked.
How to Store & Reheat Homemade Tortillas
Store leftover homemade flour tortillas in an airtight container or BPA free storage bag to maintain freshness.
I keep them in the refrigerator to lengthen the time they last but they can be kept on the counter without spoiling for at least 3 to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 15 seconds on medium power or as a stack in the oven wrapped in foil for 15 minutes at 350°F.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup warm filtered water
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
Instructions
- 1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
- 2. Add the water and oil, and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will be very shaggy and soft.
- 3. Knead the tortilla dough on a lightly floured counter until it's soft and smooth - about 2-3 minutes.
- 4. Cut the ball of dough in half, and keep cutting the portions in half again until you have 16 pieces.
- 5. Dredge the pieces of dough in flour on both sides and then smush them into flat round discs. Let the dough rest on parchment paper covered in a very slightly dampened dish towel for 20 minutes.
- 6. Heat a skillet over medium heat, don't add oil.
- 7. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each dough disc to the left and right, and then up and down. Pick up the dough circle and gently stretch it outwards from the middle as if you were stretching a pizza pie.
- 8. When the tortilla is the size you'd like, place it in the hot pan for about 90 seconds until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the dough. Turn the tortilla over with tongs and cook for another minute.
- 9. Transfer cooked tortillas to a glass plate and cover with a dish towel to keep them soft.
- 10. Repeat steps 7, 8, & 9 until all tortillas are cooked.
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