Delicious Homemade Flour Tortillas

One of the best things about living in Texas is the food. Especially along the U.S.-Mexico border, the tacos and churros can’t be beat. But even before my husband and I moved to the border, I learned how to make flour tortillas at home. And boy howdy, are they delicious!

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Tortillas are cheap and easy to pick up from the store, but they’re even cheaper (and more delicious) to make at home. And they’re easy to make, though they can be a bit time-consuming.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to roll out the dough with a rolling pin—just a little elbow grease, but less than you’d need to roll out potsticker dough. Still, when I came across a cast iron tortilla press at my local grocery store, I didn’t hesitate to buy it. It requires minimal care—just a wipe down after each use and an occasional re-seasoning—and it speeds the tortilla-making process significantly. You can find one for a decent price on Amazon.

Quick warning, though: This dough doesn’t peel away from the press very easily, no matter how well you grease the press. I’ve found that with this particular recipe, I need to use parchment paper on either side of the dough before I press it to keep it from sticking.

So, are you ready to get started?

This recipe is fairly standard for flour tortillas. I actually came across the base recipe on another blog years ago (I’m sorry, but I don’t remember which one!). But I’ve adapted it with my own secret ingredient. (Spoiler alert! It's all about the oil).

Traditionally, tortillas are made with pork lard, but that's off the menu for me and my husband. I've also seen recipes for tortillas made with olive oil... but that is a very strong flavored oil, and (at least in my experience), it doesn't make for good tortillas. Not only is the oil flavor too strong, but the texture becomes crispy and inflexible, not soft and supple and wrap-able.

So, which oil is best for tortillas? What is this secret ingredient that makes these tortillas so much better than the rest?

Simple: Coconut oil.

I know, it seems strange to add coconut oil to tortillas. But let me tell ya—this oil creates the smoothest, silkiest, softest, fluffiest tortillas you’ve ever tasted. If you’re not a fan of coconut flavor, don’t worry—coconut oil has a very mild taste, and I’ve never detected even a hint of coconut flavor from these tortillas.

For the dry ingredients, you’ll need 1½ cups flour, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. baking powder. For the wet ingredients, you’ll need ¼ cup melted coconut oil and ¼ cup warm water. For the coconut oil, I use extra virgin oil, which is available for a decent price at Walmart.

We’ll start with the dry ingredients. Whisk them together in a mixing bowl.

Next, we’ll combine our wet ingredients. Coconut oil is usually solid at room temperature, and it can be kind of a pain to measure out. So, I’ve worked out a trick: use water displacement in a clear, microwave-safe Pyrex cup. I start by measuring the water, filling the cup until it reaches the ¼ line. Then, I add chunks of coconut oil until the water level reaches the ½ line. Once I have both ingredients, I heat the cup for about thirty seconds, or until the coconut oil is just melted.

Whisk the oil and water together as well as possible before pouring the mixture into the dry ingredients. Obviously, oil and water don’t mix, but they’ll combine well in the final dough.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients well. You may need to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as you go. It should form a soft dough ball. Knead it until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Next, divide the dough ball into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a smaller ball. Then, set them aside and allow the dough to rest for ten minutes.

If rolling by hand, turn onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 6” round. If using a tortilla press, sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and press down for several seconds until the dough is flattened evenly

Preheat a pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook each tortilla about a minute on the first side (until the dough bubbles and brown spots form), then flip and cook for another 20-30 seconds. You may need to flatten them with a spatula to help them cook evenly.

Store in a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean towel. If not eating immediately, allow to cool and store in a zipper baggie in the fridge.

This recipe can be adapted easily to make a double or triple batch, depending on how much your family will eat. For my family, a small batch of six tortillas is enough to keep us happy for a few days. But then, that also requires that we resist the temptation to eat them fresh off the griddle. Or slather them with butter and cinnamon sugar and devour them at snack time.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1½ cups flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup warm water

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

2. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, measure out the coconut oil and water. Heat for about thirty seconds, or until the coconut oil is just melted. Mix was well as possible.

3. Pour the water and melted coconut oil into the dry ingredients and mix well. You may need to scrape down the sides as you go. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Allow to rest for ten minutes.

5. If rolling by hand, turn onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 6” round. If using a tortilla press, sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and press down for several seconds until the dough is flattened evenly

6. Preheat a pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook each tortilla about a minute on the first side (until the dough bubbles and brown spots form), then flip and cook for another 20-30 seconds. You may need to flatten them with a spatula to help them cook evenly.

7. Store in a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean towel. If not eating immediately, allow to cool and store in a zipper baggie in the fridge.

So what do you think? Have you tried making these tortillas? How'd they turn out? Let me know in the comments!