Homemade Flour Tortillas - Retro Recipe Box (2024)

FAQs

How to make flour tortillas taste like restaurant? ›

Not only do homemade tortillas taste much better than store-bought tortillas, but they are extremely cheap to make using only three ingredients, well four, if you count water!

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

But here's the real secret to truly great tortillas — lard. Yes, lard. It's not only the most traditional fat to use for tortillas, but is also the most delicious. I think that it is important to choose a high-quality lard here; you really want to taste that hint of pork flavor.

Although traditionally made with lard, these tortillas are equally delicious using butter, shortening, or vegetable oil as the fat. If you choose to use oil, add it with the water in step 3.

Homemade tortillas should be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Not only do they taste great, but making them at home allows you to control the ingredients they're made with, so there's no binders, refined seed oils (like the typical soybean or canola oil) or other additives.

As thin as you can get them without tearing up. I roll them on parchment paper because it makes it really easy to transfer them to the pan. Your tortilla dough should be soft and stretchy. If it's crumbly after kneading you've added too much flour.

You actually don't want to use a tortilla press for flour tortillas. You'll get much better results using a rolling pin. When you start putting pressure on the tortilla, you kind of strain the gluten.

Place all of the dough in your bowl and cover with a warm, damp paper towel or place a lid on the bowl. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Heat a griddle to medium heat. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the dough balls one at a time with a rolling pin.

Is lard or shortening better for flour tortillas? ›

Notes. Back lard is preferable for its very mild pork flavor, although more neutral tasting leaf lard or vegetable shortening can be substituted for great results. The tortillas are best eaten fresh and while still warm.

Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener, giving the tortillas a slightly pillowy texture. Salt: Salt enhances the overall flavor of the flour tortillas. Lard: Lard, a common baking ingredient in Mexican cuisine, adds flavor and helps create the perfect flour tortilla texture.

The reward is a homemade tortilla that's fluffy, pliable, and elastic, perfect for making the best burritos you've ever had. The most important part of making a great tortilla is to not overwork the dough and to make sure it is hydrated enough. If the dough is overworked, then it will be difficult to roll out.

It should also be pliable enough to roll into a thin disk. If the dough is too dry, it is difficult to roll and it will break apart. If this happens, put the dough back in a bowl and add a little more water. There is no need to knead this dough because there is no gluten in masa flour.

Their texture, taste, and smell are incomparable. The secret is in the steam. Mexican restaurants steam hundreds of tortillas at a time in large ovens or special steamers.

Tortillas can be industrially produced by dough pressing (hot-press) and extrusion (die-cut). Each operation requires different flour specifications, dough handling properties, and baking conditions, which result in various tortilla characteristics.

Chef and author Rick Bayless recommends steaming: Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel; put them in a vegetable steamer over boiling water; steam them hard for one minute. Turn off heat and let them stand, covered, for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Wrap your tortillas in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until fully heated through. We find that stacks of 6-8 tortillas or fewer works best. If you have more tortillas than this, you can do multiple packs at the same time.