🌮 Homemade Flour Tortillas
These Homemade Flour Tortillas are soft, flexible, tender, and incredibly easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. The combination of hot water and melted butter creates a supple dough that rolls beautifully and cooks into tortillas with lightly golden spots and a deliciously soft texture.
Once you try homemade tortillas, you’ll never look at store-bought tortillas quite the same way. They’re perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, wraps, fajitas, breakfast tacos, and homemade enchiladas.
Recipe Information
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Resting Time: 30 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: About 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 tortillas
- Difficulty: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⅔ cups (400 ml) hot water
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
1. Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
Mix thoroughly so the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
2. Add the Melted Butter
Pour the melted butter into the flour mixture.
Using your fingertips, a fork, or a wooden spoon, mix until the butter is evenly distributed and the flour begins to look slightly crumbly.
3. Add the Hot Water
Gradually pour in the hot water while stirring continuously.
The water should be hot but not dangerously boiling.
Mix until a shaggy dough forms and most of the dry flour has been incorporated.
4. Knead the Dough
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead for about 5–7 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth, soft, and elastic.
The finished dough should feel soft and supple rather than stiff.
If it feels excessively sticky, sprinkle in a small amount of flour. Avoid adding too much, as a stiff dough will produce tougher tortillas.
5. Rest the Dough
Shape the dough into a smooth ball.
Place it back in the mixing bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or a lightly damp towel.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Resting is important because it allows the gluten to relax, making the dough much easier to roll out without shrinking.
6. Divide the Dough
Turn the rested dough onto your work surface.
Divide it into 12–14 equal portions, depending on how large you want your tortillas.
Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
Cover the dough balls with a clean towel while you work to prevent them from drying out.
7. Roll Out the Tortillas
Lightly flour your work surface.
Take one dough ball and flatten it gently with your palm.
Using a rolling pin, roll it outward from the center, turning the dough frequently to maintain an even shape.
Continue rolling until the tortilla is approximately 7–8 inches (18–20 cm) in diameter and fairly thin.
Try to keep the thickness even from the center to the edges.
Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
8. Heat the Skillet
Heat a large dry cast-iron skillet, griddle, or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.
Do not add oil.
The pan should be hot enough that the tortilla begins cooking immediately when placed on the surface.
9. Cook the Tortillas
Place one tortilla onto the hot skillet.
Cook for approximately 30–45 seconds, until small bubbles begin to appear and light brown spots develop on the underside.
Flip and cook the second side for another 30–45 seconds.
Flip once more for a few seconds if needed.
The tortilla should have scattered golden-brown spots while remaining soft and flexible.
Avoid overcooking, as this is the main cause of dry, brittle tortillas.
10. Keep Them Soft
Transfer each cooked tortilla to a clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer.
Stack the tortillas on top of one another and cover them as you cook the remaining tortillas.
The trapped steam helps keep them soft and pliable.
11. Serve Warm
Serve the tortillas warm with your favorite fillings.
They’re especially delicious straight from the skillet while they’re still soft and fragrant.
Chef’s Tips
- Use hot water: Hot water helps create a softer, more tender tortilla dough.
- Don’t over-flour the dough: Too much flour can make the tortillas tough.
- Let the dough rest: This makes rolling much easier and prevents the tortillas from shrinking.
- Roll evenly: Uneven thickness causes some areas to cook faster than others.
- Keep the skillet dry: Traditional flour tortillas cook directly on the hot surface.
- Don’t overcook: Once light brown spots appear and the tortilla puffs slightly, it’s ready.
- Keep cooked tortillas covered: This traps steam and prevents them from drying out.
- Use a hot skillet: A properly heated pan gives the tortillas their characteristic golden spots.
Why Aren’t My Tortillas Soft?
If your tortillas turn out hard or brittle, the most common causes are:
- The dough was too dry.
- Too much flour was added during kneading or rolling.
- The dough wasn’t rested long enough.
- The skillet wasn’t hot enough.
- The tortillas were cooked for too long.
Aim for a soft dough and quick cooking for the best results.
Easy Variations
Garlic & Herb Tortillas
Add ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon dried herbs such as oregano or parsley to the dry ingredients.
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. You may need a small additional splash of water.
Spicy Tortillas
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes.
Cheesy Tortillas
Add ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or another hard cheese to the dough for a savory twist.
Storage
Allow leftover tortillas to cool completely.
Stack them with parchment paper between each tortilla and store them in an airtight bag or container.
Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Reheat briefly in a dry skillet or microwave before serving.
Freezing
Homemade tortillas freeze extremely well.
Place a sheet of parchment paper between each tortilla and transfer the stack to a freezer-safe bag.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature or warm directly in a skillet.
Final Result
Soft, warm, perfectly flexible homemade flour tortillas with lightly golden toasted spots and a tender, buttery texture. They’re simple enough for an everyday meal yet delicious enough to make from scratch for any taco night.