Homemade Flour Tortillas (no baking powder)

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Try these super simple homemade flour tortillas without baking powder. They are easy to make and have a wonderful texture!

Ingredients

3 cups flour (400g) + extra for dusting

1 tsp salt (10g)

¼ cup olive oil (60g)

1 cup warm water (250g)

Instructions

1. Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer
2. Add oil until the mixture becomes crumbly
3. Slowly add warm water while kneading (I use a stand mixer)
4. Knead dough either in a stand mixer or on the countertop for 3 minutes (I knead on the countertop so that I can add flour if needed)
5. Let the dough sit in a covered bowl for 1 hour.
6. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
7. While the cast-iron skillet is heating, separate the dough into 10 pieces, each about 70g.
8. Flour your countertop, then roll out each piece into a ball.
9. One by one, center the rolled-out tortilla in the hot cast-iron skillet and cook for about 1 minute per side.
10. Transfer them to a plate and stack them to keep warm for serving. If you are saving them for later, you can spread them out rather than stack them so they cool faster. Then put them in an airtight bag and freeze or refrigerate.

Note: I have a tortilla press that gets my circles started, then I roll them out to make them thinner. You don’t need the tortilla press; you can just roll them out with a rolling pin from the get-go. If you use a tortilla press, be sure to press the dough between two pieces of parchment paper so it doesn’t stick. But to be honest, my tortillas are not always round, and we don’t mind!

FAQ’s

How long do flour tortillas last?

These tortillas usually last a few days on the counter, but can last up to a week in the refridgerator amybe longer. For longer-term storage, go ahead and freeze them. Once thawed, they retain a nice texture.

Corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas…what’s the difference?

Corn tortillas and flour tortillas are made very similarly, but one uses wheat flour and the other corn flour (or masa). If you’d like a gluten-free version of these tortillas, check out this recipe for corn tortillas.

Why no baking powder?

Baking powder can add some good texture to your tortillas, but I prefer, if I can help it, not to use any ingredients that I couldn’t make myself at home. If it can only be produced with industrial machinery, I’d rather not use it. It’s just my thing.

Can I store the dough for later?

I have tried to save these without cooking and store them, rolled out, between parchment sheets. But I found that the longer the dough sat, the more the flour absorbed, and by the time I went to cook them, the dough was so sticky that it stuck to the parchment paper and ripped. At that point, I had to start over with the rolling. So I recommend that if you want to keep the dough stored without cooking, store the balls in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze (depending on how quickly you’d like to use them). When you’re ready to use them, let them thaw, then roll them out and cook as directed above.

Flour Tortillas (no baking powder)

simple homemade flour tortillas without baking powder

Print Pin Rate

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 tortillas

Author: Jodie Van Huysen

Equipment

• 1 mixing bowl or stand mixer

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour 400g + extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt 10g
• ¼ cup olive oil 60g
• 1 cup warm water 250g

Instructions

• Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer
  3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt
• Add oil until the mixture becomes crumbly
  ¼ cup olive oil
• Slowly add warm water while kneading (I use a stand mixer, but you can use your hands)
  1 cup warm water
• Knead dough either in a stand mixer or on the countertop for 3 minutes (I knead on the countertop so that I can add flour if needed)
• Let the dough sit in a covered bowl for 1 hour.
• Turn on a cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.
• While the cast-iron skillet is heating, separate the dough into 10 balls, about 70g each.
• Flour your countertop and start rolling out each ball. I have a tortilla press that gets my circle started, then I roll it out to get them thinner. You don’t need the tortilla press; you can just roll them out with a rolling pin from the get-go. If you use a tortilla press, be sure to press the dough between two pieces of parchment paper so it doesn’t stick.
• One by one, center the rolled-out tortilla in the hot cast-iron skillet and cook for about 1 minute per side.
• Transfer them to a plate and stack them to keep warm for serving. If you are saving them for later, you can spread them out rather than stack them so they cool faster. Then put them in an airtight bag. They will be ok on the counter for a day or two, bur for longer storage ufreeze or refridgerate.

Notes

I have tried to save these without cooking and store them between parchment sheets. But I found that the longer the dough sat, the more the flour absorbed, and by the time I went to cook them, the dough was so sticky that it stuck to the parchment paper and ripped. At that point, I had to start over with the rolling. So I recommend that if you want to keep the dough stored without cooking, store the balls in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze (depending on how quickly you’d like to use them).