You slow-cooked the most perfect taco meat all day long, and now, the house smells amazing, the avocado is freshly diced, the shredded cheese is ready to be sprinkled over the meat, and, wait. You forgot to buy tortillas. Sigh. We’ve all been there. Luckily, homemade tortillas are one of many pantry staples you can make at home. Your cast-iron skillet (along with flour, water and oil) will save taco night and give you beautifully browned, soft tortilla shells.
This recipe is for making flour tortillas from scratch. If you like your taco fillings inside soft corn shells, check out our tutorial for making corn tortillas. And who knows, you may stop buying all your tortillas from the store once you discover how easy they are to make at home.
Ingredients for Homemade Tortillas
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this recipe. The mid-range protein content in this type of flour gives you that flexible, soft texture you’re accustomed to in flour tortillas.
- Water: Water brings the flour together to form the dough. Use a little more water if the dough still feels floury, adding just a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together into a solid mound.
- Oil: Olive oil provides the fat that makes tortilla dough pliable. This makes it much easier to roll out into thin rounds that keep their shape.
First, whisk together the flour and masa harina. Add the oil, and use a spatula to mix until it’s completely incorporated.
Next, add salt water. Dissolve the salt in the hot water and pour ⅔ cup of it over the flour mixture. Mix with a fork to create a clumpy dough. Then, mix in the remaining salt water.
It’s time to knead! Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. It should be a medium-stiff consistency, not soft like bread dough.
After you knead the dough, divide it up and let it rest. Divide the dough into 8 or 12 portions and roll each one into a ball. Set them on a plate, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes.
While the dough rests, get your tortilla press ready! Place a piece of parchment paper on each side so that the press won’t stick to the dough. Alternatively, you can use a rolling pin to roll out the tortillas between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
Finally, press and cook! Place a dough ball on your parchment-lined tortilla press and press down hard to flatten. Place the tortilla into a preheated dry cast iron skillet over medium heat, and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Flip and cook for 30 to 45 seconds more. Remove it from the pan and wrap it in a kitchen towel to keep warm while you press and cook the remaining dough. That’s it!
Long live the Caesar Salad!
