Homemade Flour Tortillas

I am selective about what foods are worth the time investment for me to make from scratch as opposed to just buying them them pre-made at the grocery store.

I put off making homemade flour tortillas for the longest time because I really thought out of everything I would be willing to invest my time in making from scratch, homemade flour tortillas were not one of them.

I am happy to share with you that I was wrong.

I can think of six good reasons why it makes sense to make homemade flour tortillas instead of buying them:

• If you are trying to eat clean
• You want to save money on the food budget
• If you prefer a higher quality taste of freshly made food
• Do not have any on hand and don’t want to run to the store just to buy one thing
• Enjoy cooking/baking
• Like fun, inexpensive ways to spend time with the family by letting your kids play with the dough while they are being made

If you are trying to make healthier food choices, homemade flour tortillas do not have food additives, preservatives, trans fats, hydrogenated oils or extra amounts of sodium as opposed to their store bought counter parts.

You can save a good chunk of money by making them yourself. (I’ll show you a down to the penny cost later on.)

One really cool thing about making tortillas is that it is not necessary to invest in a tortilla press to make homemade flour tortillas. A simple rolling pin will do the trick.

Apparently, making homemade flour tortillas is now a family affair. I don’t know what it is about making anything with dough in my house, but I have exhausted all efforts in keeping the kids out of the kitchen when doing so. Now, when I make tortillas, the children hang out with me and play with their own balls of dough while I roll out the tortillas. I have embraced this as a creative way to spend more time with my kids. I am able to cook and do something I enjoy as well as spend time with my children while they giggle, chat away and be creative. It’s a win-win for me.

Do I still buy flour tortillas? Sure, I do. For those nights when my husband and I don’t have time to make dinner from scratch, it’s convenient to have a pack of pre-made tortillas on hand. What I have found though, is that I am buying them much less often now that I know how to make a healthier version of them myself.

Like most breads and bakery items made fresh from scratch, homemade flour tortillas will only lasts a few days as they do not have preservatives or additives to prolong their life. Keep tortillas wrapped in foil and use within a few days or place in the freezer until later use. If freezing them, place parchment paper in between each one so they won’t stick.

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe

Makes 10 tortillas
Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup hot water

Directions

Mix flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Drizzle in melted butter and hot water. Mix together well. If dough is too sticky, add flour. On a lightly floured surface, knead into a ball. Split into ten smaller balls. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a thin, round tortilla.

Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tortillas one a time, 15-20  seconds on each side until they bubble and brown lightly. Remove from heat and place in foil. Keep tortillas covered in foil, adding one by one until finished.

Step By Step Directions With Illustrations

1. Mix flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl.

2. Drizzle in melted butter and hot water. Mix together well. If dough is too sticky, add flour.

3. On a lightly floured surface, knead into a ball.

4. Split into ten smaller balls.

5. Using a well floured rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a thin, round tortilla.

6. Cook tortillas one a time, 15-20  seconds on each side until they bubble and brown lightly.

Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks

Using lard The original recipe calls for lard. I don’t use lard so I have tried using both coconut oil and butter. Both worked well for me. I also have tried following the original recipe’s directions for cutting in the lard, oil, or butter and then adding hot water. The last few times I have made these, I melted the butter and drizzled it in the dough and it also worked well for me. Play around with the recipe until you find what method and what type of fat works best for you.

Rolling the dough Start in the middle of the dough ball and roll working towards the edge. Keep rotating and flipping your dough to evenly roll out all sides.

Don’t worry if your tortillas turn out in a perfect circle. Chances are they won’t! It takes practice and time. If having them perfectly shaped is important to you, here is a helpful trick I use to make mine symmetrical.

Roll out your tortilla as you normally would. Afterwards, use a plate or pre-made tortilla (if you have a pack in the pantry) to use as a guide. Using a pizza cutter, trim just outside the edge of the plate or tortilla to give you a perfectly round tortilla. Here is an example below.

Cooking the tortilla It is important to cook on medium high to high heat. Heat for just a few seconds on each side until you see the tortilla start to bubble. If you don’t cook them on high enough heat and cook them for more than a few seconds on each side, they will turn out dry and crispy.

To keep them moist and pliable, cover with foil. The steam will keep them moist. I place a wet paper towel inside of foil and fold the foil over (like a sandwich) to keep the moisture and heat in.

Dust off any extra flour on the tortilla before placing them in the pan/griddle so the extra flour doesn’t smoke off. The first time I made these, I filled the house with smoke and had to open all the windows.

Store Bought Version
Regular Flour Tortillas $1.99
Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas $3.15

Homemade Flour Tortillas
.25 cents/.40 cents

Savings
87% / 87%

Money Saved
$1.74 / $2.75

Monthly/Yearly Scenario

Regular Flour Tortillas
If you use flour tortillas at least twice a month, you would save $3.48 or $41.76 per year.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
If you use flour tortillas at least twice a month, you would save $5.50 or $66 per year.

Our family cost savings is even higher as we typically buy 3 packs of whole wheat tortillas and 2 packs of regular flour tortillas each month. We use them for sandwich wraps, chicken quesadillas, beef and bean burritos and chicken fajitas. Our family saves an average of $11.73 a month or $140.76 per year by making tortillas instead of buying them.

*This price comparison is for estimate purposes only. Your costs may vary depending on family size, nutritional needs, regional pricing and so on.  

Time and Effort

Making homemade flour tortillas did not take long to make.

Final Thoughts

I would have never guessed I could save almost $12 a month on our food budget simply by making flour tortillas instead of buying them.

I have learned over the course of the past year when it comes to trying any new recipe, I tend to take longer to make them the first time or two. After that, I figure out my own ways of making future cooking sessions on that particular recipe to go faster, smoother, easier and so on.

This past week, I pulled out my baking supplies and mixing bowl and whipped together fresh homemade tortillas for three different meals in no time. It required very little effort, now that I know what I am doing, and I am encouraged to make them more often in the future as a result.

Do you make homemade flour tortillas? What are some tips or tricks you would like to share?

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