About a year ago, I started making homemade tortillas, rather than buying them at the store. You know, most of the time, cause it definitely takes a lot longer than grabbing that package off the shelf as you walk by!
They are just so much better, that every time I give in to the convenience of buying them I'm disappointed and annoyed. They always stick together and have no taste at all.
Homemade tortillas though? They are amazing.
I first tried making homemade tortillas after seeing a number of recipes for them on Pinterest, and they were as good as expected. I had already started making most of my own bread at the time, so tortillas were the next logical step in trying to eliminate most store-bought bread.
They are a bit time consuming, but the more I've made them, the faster I've become, and now I can roll and cook a double recipe in 30-45 minutes, which isn't bad at all. So don't despair if it takes a while the first time, it gets faster!
I generally make mine at least half whole wheat, but have made them with just all-purpose flour too and they are divine that way. Also, I have made these using lard, shortening, butter or coconut oil, and all four of those options work well.
I believe that lard is the traditional ingredient to use, but they all work in this recipe, and I haven't noticed much of a difference in taste or texture depending on which I use. Go with your preference, any way you make them homemade tortillas are incredible and well worth the time!
And it doesn't matter if you can't roll out a perfect circle, I sure can't. It's impossible.
But the kids get a kick out of the crazy shapes that sometimes happen – and they all taste great!
Update: Recipe and photos updated June 8, 2016, originally posted July 10, 2014.
Homemade Tortillas
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Yield: 14-16 tortillas
Note: I generally make these at least half whole wheat, but I make them with only all-purpose flour when I feel like extra fantastic tortillas. I also usually double the recipe so that I can have some to freeze. The most traditional way of making tortillas is with lard (I believe), but I have made them with lard, shortening, butter and coconut oil and any of those works very well here so use your preference.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup lard (or butter, shortening, or coconut oil)
- 1 cup hot water
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt. Grate (or cut in) the lard (or whichever option you're using) and mix it together. It should resemble coarse crumbs and be evenly mixed into the flour. Pour in the hot water and stir until the dough comes together. Knead it in the bowl for about 5 minutes until the dough forms a ball and becomes less sticky. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into 14-16 pieces and cover again with a towel, allowing to rest for another 30 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet or electric frying pan to medium heat. On a floured surface, roll out one piece of dough at a time as thinly as possible. Make sure to use enough flour so it doesn't stick to the counter or your rolling pin. I find there is less sticking if I flip the dough over a few times while I'm rolling so that there is enough flour underneath the dough. It should roll out very thin, and be almost transparent in spots. Don't worry about it being a perfect circle, mine never are and they still work!
- Dry fry the rolled out tortilla in the skillet, about 30-45 seconds per side, until bubbly and golden. Repeat with the remaining dough. As you cook the tortillas, stack them on a damp towel, wrapping the towel up and over the stacked tortillas to keep them soft. If you're not eating them immediately, you can allow them to cool completely on a wire rack (they can still be stacked), and then store in an air tight bag or container. Reheating them in the microwave briefly between damp paper towels will soften them up again.
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