How to Make Homemade Tortillas

Homemade tortillas are surprisingly simple and easy to make, and while they do take a little time, the end result is well worth the effort!

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I’ve had it on the books to write a post about making homemade tortillas for a while, and what better time than now, when grocery stores are low on supplies and no one wants to go out more than they have to (#coronavirus)?

Homemade tortillas are surprisingly simple and easy to make, and whipping up the dough takes almost no time at all.

They do take a bit of time to cook, as unless you have multiple pans going, you have to do them one-by-one. But the end result is so good, you’ll be running back to do it again.

Here’s how I make my homemade tortillas:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Flour
Salt
Baking powder
Water
Oil
Tortilla press — optional, but highly recommended

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TORTILLAS

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

Directions

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Add oil and water and mix (I use my hands) until it all comes together and begins to form a cohesive ball. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it’s too sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 16 equal portions. Turn each piece to coat with flour and form into a ball, then flatten slightly. Cover the dough “pucks” with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes (or as much as 2 hours).
Heat a large pan over medium heat.
Roll out one piece of dough into a very thin circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keeping your work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. (I use a tortilla press, which I highly recommend!)
When the pan is hot, transfer the dough into the pan and allow to cook for about 1 minute or until the top surface is bubbly. Flip once and continue cooking for about 30 seconds or until golden brown spots appear on both sides.
Remove the tortilla from the pan and place it into a towel, covering it while you roll out and cook the remaining tortillas.
(You may have to play with the heat a bit. If you find the tortillas are browning too fast, reduce the heat. If it takes longer than a minute to see a few golden brown spots on the underside of tortillas, turn it up a bit.)

TIPS

Here are a few tips to make the process easier:

I’ve said it already (twice), but I highly recommend using a tortilla press. I first tried making tortillas from scratch without one, and I could not get them thin enough without ripping them. It was maddening. (If you don’t want to buy one, borrow a friend’s!)
I wrap plastic wrap or wax paper around the tortilla press paddles to keep the dough from sticking to them.
I mix my dough by hand, but you can use a stand mixer or food processor, if you prefer.
The most time-consuming part of all this is cooking them one-by-one. You can speed up the process by using two pans at once. HOWEVER, I would suggest waiting to try it until you’ve made several batches and have a good sense of the timing.

HOW TO STORE YOUR HOMEMADE TORTILLAS

As you’re cooking your tortillas, make sure to keep the finished stack warm in a towel. The residual heat trapped in the towel will keep them moist (and delicious).

Once the tortillas have cooled completely, you can store them in a sealed bag for up to one week in the refrigerator (or several months in the freezer).

That’s all there is to it! If you try it, let me know how it goes in the comments!