Soft Flour Tortillas Recipe
Total Time
50 mins
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(91)
Ingredients
10 tortillas
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup hot water, or as needed to form dough
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Preparation
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Step 2
Add softened butter and work it into the flour with your hands until you have a sandy/ fine crumb mixture.
Step 3
While mixing with your hands, pour hot water into the dough a little at a time (and carefully since it’s hot). Drizzle in some water then mix and drizzle again and add more water if needed to form a sticky dough ball that pulls away from the edges of the bowl, then transfer the dough to a clean countertop. Knead for 5 minutes until soft, elastic, and smooth (The dough will get less sticky as you knead).
Step 4
Lightly oil a baking sheet and a sheet of plastic wrap. Pinch off balls of dough (about golf-ball size) and roll each into a ball over your counter. Place dough balls on the oiled baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Step 5
Preheat a large 12” non-stick Hexclad non-stick pan (or comal if you have one) over medium heat until it’s super hot (500 ̊F on an infrared thermometer).
Step 6
Lightly flour a work surface. Place one dough ball over the surface, dust it with flour and lightly flatten it with your fingers. Roll the tortilla once, rotate the dough, roll again, then rotate again. Repeat until the dough is about halfway rolled out, then roll it up and down, rotate, and roll it up and down again. As it gets larger, flip the dough over to prevent the edges from curling and continue rolling. Continue until you have about a super thin 10” diameter round, or until your dough begins to look see-through.
Step 7
Cook on the hot pan for about 20-30 seconds per side until you get some bubbling on top and blistering/golden browning on the bottom then flip and sauté for another 20 seconds. Stack warm tortillas wrapped in a dry kitchen towel. Once the tortillas are cool, transfer them to a zip-top bag to keep them from drying out.
Step 8
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Chef's notes
Make sure that the water you’re using to form the dough is hot enough (over 140ºF). I use boiled water and drizzle in a little at a time.
Rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes before rolling. This relaxes the dough and gluten strands, making it easier to roll.
Properly rolling out the dough is key to having it bubble and puff up the way it should in the pan. The tortillas should be ultra-thin and nearly translucent.
Use a non-stick Hexclad skillet, griddle, or comal that’s large enough. It should be wide enough to fit the whole tortilla without curling.
Let bubbles form before you flip, for light, airy tortillas.
If your pan is too hot, your tortilla will develop black spots. Meanwhile, if it’s been half a minute and your tortilla is still flat, this could mean that the pan isn’t hot enough.
