How to Make Flour Tortillas

Step 1

Whisk the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the oil and water together then add this to the bowl of flour and salt. Stir the dough together with a spatula.

Step 2

Note: the dough will seem crumbly at this point, but once you start the kneading process, it will come together more uniformly.

Step 3

Next, remove the dough from your mixing bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep folding over and pressing with your palm for 4-5 minutes.

Step 4

If the dough appears too crumbly, continue adding a tbsp of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play dough. If it's too sticky, similarly add a tbsp of flour while continuing to knead.

Step 5

Cut the ball of dough into 12 smaller pieces. Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth and then flatten slightly. Once they are rolled and flattened, cover with a towel to rest for at least 15 minutes up to a few hours (the longer they rest, the softer they'll turn out).

Step 6

if you have a tortilla press, lightly flour the surface. Open the press and place a tortilla in the center, then close it and press down gently to form tortillas about 6 inches in diameter.

Step 7

If you don't have a tortilla press, use your hand to flatten the ball, then begin rolling it out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. The tortilla should be quite thin (almost see-through.)

Step 8

If you don't have a rolling pin, continue pressing down with a hard, flat surface until your tortilla is the same size as the above methods.

Step 9

Preheat a seasoned cast-iron skillet slowly (~10 minutes to heat it evenly) up to medium. Then, add a tortilla in and cook on the first side for 30-60 seconds, or until you see bubbles forming and light brown spots on the underside. Flip and cook for another 30-40 seconds.

Step 10

Note: for us, 30 seconds on the first side and 30 seconds on the second seems to be the sweet spot with our cast-iron and gas stove, but you may have to adjust depending on your stove and pan.

Step 11

Remove from heat and wrap each tortilla in a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the rest. Serve your flour tortillas warm with your favorite meals. Enjoy!