Four Ingredient Flour Tortillas

Supple, restaurant-quality flour tortillas made easily at home.

10 large or 30 small tortillas
45 minutes
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Dough

  • Bread flour
    450 g
  • Water, warm
    250 g
  • Lard
    80 g
  • Salt
    5 g

Method

Step 1: Knead the dough

Add the flour to a bowl and rub in the lard (or butter/vegetable oil) using your fingertips until broken up.

Dissolve the salt in the warm water. Gradually add the water and mix it into the flour mixture to see how much it will absorb. You might not need to use all of the water, especially once you start kneading it together.

Turn the dough onto a flat surface and work it into a cohesive dough, then for about 5 minutes. You’re done kneading when the dough is fairly smooth and not sticking to your hands.

Step 2: Divide & rest the dough

For larger flour tortillas (breakfast burrito size), divide the dough into 10 pieces around ~80 g each. For small taco-sized tortillas, you can do ~25 g pieces (about the size of a ping pong ball), which should yield around 30 tortillas.

Roll each piece into a very smooth ball with your hands. Cover all rolled balls with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours to let the gluten relax.

Step 3: Roll out & cook the tortillas

Heat a large griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat.

Flatten each tortilla ball with a rolling pin to your desired thinness.

  • For burrito tortillas, go as thin as you can — the dough should be almost translucent.

  • For tacos, the dough can be a bit thicker. Cook a few different thicknesses to find your ideal width.

Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle and cook for 10-20 seconds, then flip to the other side to cook for another 10-20 seconds. The tortillas might puff a bit during cooking and become lightly in spots, which is desired.

  • Be careful not to overcook the tortilla or else they will become hard instead of soft and pliable.

Immediately, stack the tortillas in a large cloth or clean kitchen towel to and stay warm until you are ready for serving.

“There's nothing better than a fresh flour tortilla. This recipe is inspired by Diana Kennedy, but I’ve adjusted the amount of required fat without sacrificing texture.”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

entire recipe
Calories2160
326g
63g
62g

Show macros split into…

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Recommended: 20 servings

FAQ

Do I have to use lard?

Lard (pork fat) is traditional and gives an incredible . However, its main purpose is to provide the tortillas with a supple and flexible texture, so any works. You can substitute vegetable oil or butter for similar results.

Can these be made ahead of time?

Tortillas are best enjoyed fresh. However, you can store these in the fridge for up to a few days, just warm them back up on a pan and let them in a kitchen towel or tortilla warmer to soften before enjoying. You can freeze a stack for long-term storage. Defrost them in the fridge and warm them back up the same way.