Why are my Flour Tortillas Not Puffing?

Generally, homemade flour tortillas won’t puff for two reasons. First, your cooking surface is not hot enough. Homemade tortillas puff up as the water and shortening create steam inside the dough. So, if your cooking surface isn’t hot enough, then there won’t be steam. Another reason your tortillas aren’t puffing is that too much gluten developed while mixing. So, be sure you thoroughly rub in the shortening into the flour, use 110-degree water, only knead the dough until it comes together, and don’t rush the resting phase.

Can You Freeze Uncooked Tortillas?

Absolutely! Uncooked homemade flour tortillas freeze very well. Roll out the tortillas as instructed in the recipe, then place parchment paper between each uncooked tortilla. Place them in a freezer bag and freeze until needed, up to 3 months. You can cook them directly from frozen or allow them to thaw before cooking. The frozen version will take a bit longer to cook, probably closer to 2 minutes on a side.

Why are my Homemade Flour Tortillas Hard?

If your flour tortillas are cracking and hard on the surface, it’s because you cooked them either too hot or for too long. Find that perfect cooking temperature that cooks each side of the tortilla in 1 minute per side. If the inside texture of the tortilla is tough, it’s because too much gluten developed. Be sure you thoroughly rub the shortening into the flour, use 110-degree water, and only knead the dough just until it comes together.

Can I Make Homemade Flour Tortillas with Lard, Butter, or Oil Instead of Shortening?

Yes, those versions of fat will work in homemade flour tortillas. Here’s my order of best to worst substitution. Lard would be the best substitute and provide the most authentic flour tortilla recipe. Because most people don’t keep lard in their pantry, the recipe is written using vegetable shortening instead. Butter is in second place but if you use it, work quickly when rubbing the butter into the flour because it will melt quickly. Last on the list would be using oil in place of the shortening. Because the fat is in liquid form, your tortillas won’t be quite as soft and flaky as they would be using shortening or lard.

Is it Better to Roll or Press Flour Tortillas?

If you are making homemade flour tortillas, you need a quality rolling pin to get the disc of dough thin enough. The gluten in flour tortillas will make a tortilla press a fairly useless tool. You can press down as hard as you can and that dough will never get thin enough because the elastic strands of gluten will keep pulling the dough back in on itself. The tortilla press exists solely for making homemade corn tortillas, which have zero gluten in them.

Is it Cheaper to Make Your Own Flour Tortillas?

Yes, making homemade flour tortillas is not only less expensive but also a healthier option as well. To make your own flour tortillas costs around $0.16 per tortilla, compared to buying store-bought versions which run around $0.26 per tortilla. And, even if homemade were more expensive, they taste significantly better and are worth every penny. As far as being the healthier option, store-bought tortillas also include preservatives to keep them shelf-stable for a long time. Great for the company making them, but not so great for you. So, start making homemade flour tortillas because they are so much better tasting, less expensive, and healthier!

Best Homemade Flour Tortillas | My Kitchen Escapades

Name: Homemade Flour Tortillas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard; 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water at 110 degrees

Ingredients

Scale

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water at 110 degrees

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add shortening and rub it into the flour with your hands until it is completely incorporated. It should have a cornmeal type texture.
Be sure water is 110 degrees and add to the flour mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon then dump onto a floured counter and knead just until the dough comes together. It will still be fairly lumpy. Do not knead too long or it will develop too much gluten.
Divide dough into 12 pieces, roll them into balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 3 days in the fridge. Don’t rush the resting or you won’t be able to roll the dough thin enough.
Flour your counter and one dough ball well. Roll into a very thin 8″ circle. Cover with a towel and repeat. To help keep a round shape, be sure to rotate the tortilla often during rolling.
Heat an electric skillet to high heat, or a nonstick pan on the stove to medium high heat. Cook tortillas on first side until puffed and lightly brown, about 1 minute, flip and cook another 1 minute. Remove from heat and cover with a towel and serve immediately.

Notes

You can freeze uncooked tortillas after they have been rolled out and before you cook them. Layer parchment paper between each uncooked tortilla, place in a freezer bag, and freeze until needed. You can cook them either from frozen or allow them to thaw first.

Author: Carole Jones
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Category: Bread
Method: Grilled
Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 tortilla
Calories: 156
Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 140 mg
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 20 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: homemade flour tortillas, mexican tortillas, authentic mexican recipes