Soft, homemade flour tortillas are so incredibly easy to make that you'll have no excuse but to mix, roll, and pan-fry your own. Make them any size, from thick street taco-style tortillas to extra-large burrito wraps. Be sure to make extras, too, as these tasty tortillas are so popular that you'll be inspired to make wraps, quesadillas, and much more.
Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela
Instructions
Combine dry ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Add 1 tablespoon lard and work in with your fingertips until crumbly (resembling cornmeal). Add the ¾ cup water and mix until all ingredients are wet.
Turn the tortilla dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes and divide the dough into 8 portions. Shape each portion into a ball, then press each rounded ball of tortilla dough flat with the palm of your hand. Cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest for about 10-15 minutes.
Use a rolling pin or tortilla press to make a round, thin tortilla. Set rolled tortillas aside without stacking them (as they tend to stick together).
Preheat a large skillet or frying pan to medium-high heat, and use a heat-resistant basting brush to coat the surface with vegetable oil. Place each rolled-out tortilla in the skillet or frying pan one at a time.
Cook tortillas until bubbly and golden brown on the underside, about one minute. Flip and cook the opposite side until golden brown as well, about 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from heat and stack in a tortilla warmer or an aluminum foil pouch, or stack on a plate for immediate use.
Video
Notes
You can substitute vegetable shortening if you don't have lard on hand. The ratio in this recipe should be the same, 1:1 or one tablespoon of vegetable shortening, the same amount as the lard called for in this recipe below.
Vegetable oil is another alternative to using lard. When I use vegetable oil, I add in the tablespoon portion and then slowly add vegetable oil as needed in teaspoon size portions. Typically, the vegetable oil method requires two tablespoons to reach the desired consistency of the homemade flour tortilla dough.
When cooking your homemade flour tortillas, you will know the skillet heat is right, and the flour tortillas are cooked when bubbles have formed.
Flip and cook the other side when the bottom has golden brown spots.
About 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds to a minute on the second side. Voila! Perfect homemade flour tortillas that are soft enough to roll into burritos and enchiladas yet sturdy enough to stuff full of your favorite taco fixings!!
If you do not have a tortilla warmer, make a 'pouch' with aluminum foil to keep your freshly cooked homemade tortillas nice and warm before serving dinner.