Soft Homemade Flour Tortillas {Butter Recipe}

How To Make the BEST Soft & Buttery Homemade Tortillas

Homemade tortillas, soft and warm, are one of the best things in the whole wide world. Combine that with how easy they are to make and flour tortillas from scratch becomes one of the few life decisions for which there can be no regrets.

Unless you eat them all yourself. Even then. Probably worth it.

After 20 years of making what I thought were the absolute best homemade tortillas, this all-butter recipe made me realize that sometimes good things can get even better. Let me explain.

In March of 2017, I published the homemade tortilla recipe I’d been making for at least 20 years. It called for using corn oil and it was really super good. The first time I ever made them I couldn’t believe how much better they were than the ones I’d been buying at the grocery store. If you made them, you probably had a similar experience.

However, I recently purchased Nopalito, an incredible Mexican food cookbook from Gonzalo Guzman, head chef at the San Francisco restaurant of the same name. Gonzalo makes his homemade flour tortillas with butter. I have never seen a recipe for flour tortillas that calls for butter. Lard? Yes. Shortening? Absolutely.

I’d been using corn oil for decades because a sweet little Mexican grandmother told me to. She wasn’t wrong. Flour tortillas made with corn oil are delicious. But, using butter makes them even better. Not just a little bit better. A LOT better. Markedly so. Noticeably so. 

My family, who for better or worse, is used to homemade tortillas said, “Ohmygod, these are really good today. What did you do? These are SO. GOOD.”

So. This simple pleasure – soft, warm, homemade flour tortillas – that was already one of the best things in the whole wide world just got even better. Life is good.

If you’ve never made Homemade Tortillas, let’s talk about how easy they are.

I’m a big proponent of slow food. It’s a rare day that you’ll find anything in a box or a bag in my kitchen.

I make most things from scratch for two reasons: 1.) I really, genuinely love to cook, and 2.) I’m kind of a control freak about what’s in my food. Ok. Three reasons. 3.) In general, homemade tastes better and I want my food to taste good.

Of course, this idea, like pretty much everything else in life, is relative. Homemade takes time and the time spent has to be worth it. There are certain things for which the finished product simply isn’t worth the time and effort required to make it from scratch. We are all dealing with a limited amount of time and must prioritize.

This is a constant struggle for me.

You know those people who will say things like, “If _____ was a priority for you, you’d make time for it.” I hate those people. With the fire of a thousands suns. Because, most of the time, my list of “top priorities” is really, really long.

Exercise. Continued education. Spending time with my family. Spending time with friends. Preparing healthy meals. Meditating. Going the extra mile at work. Volunteering. Reading. Learning. Growing.

Not to mention the basics of daily life like paying the bills, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, running errands, and taking the kids to the 10,000 places they need to go that day. Oh yeah. And sleeping. UGGGGG.

How do you prioritize when everything on your list is a #1 priority???

Every day I let a large handful of “#1 priorities” drop to the floor only to pick them up the next day and try again. This is why the end result of anything I make from scratch had really better be worth the time effort. I know I’m not alone in this.

For example, homemade bread is a staple in our house. I make a couple of loaves every week because I feel that the quality and flavor of homemade bread is so superior to what’s available at my local grocery store that it’s easy to justify the bit of time and effort it takes to make it at home.

On the other hand, I made puff pastry from scratch one time and will never do that again. Homemade puff pastry is a lot of work, and the finished product tastes pretty much exactly like the frozen variety in the grocery store freezer. It’s just not worth it for me.

How we spend every minute of every hour of every day is a tradeoff. If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, I don’t know if it’s a worthwhile one for you. I can only tell you that…

The first time I made homemade tortillas, I knew I was probably never going to purchase them again.

Homemade tortillas are surprisingly simple to make and SO. MUCH. BETTER. than what’s available in most grocery stores. Like, shockingly better. In my house, if we’re going to eat tortillas, they are going to be homemade. If I don’t have time to make them, we are simply not going to eat tortillas that day.

And anyway, homemade tortillas don’t actually take much time or effort – especially if you have a standing mixer. Standing mixers are great because they do all the kneading for you. Simply dump all the ingredients into your bowl and let the mixer do the work of transforming flour, water, and butter into dough.

Having said that, I made homemade flour tortillas for years before I owned a standing mixer. You really only have to knead the soft dough for a couple of minutes. Still, totally worth it.

Homemade Flour Tortilla Recipe Notes:

Tortilla dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not wet. If you’re using a standing mixer, you want the dough to clean the sides of the bowl, but stick slightly to the bottom. The amount of water you’ll need to achieve this consistency will vary based on climate, humidity, temperature, and who knows what other factors.

Start with the amount in the recipe and then add more as the dough kneads, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have a soft, smooth dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl while sweeping cleanly along the sides. If at any point you find that you’ve added too much water, just add a bit more flour. No big deal.

Tortilla dough is very forgiving. Add flour and water as needed to create a soft dough that will be easy to roll out. If you’re kneading the tortilla dough by hand, adjust the consistency of the dough as you knead with additional flour or water until you have a soft, smooth dough that clings slightly to the countertop but does not stick to your hands.

Give the tortilla dough a rest and cook it over very high heat.

If you try to roll out tortilla dough immediately after kneading, you’ll discover that it’s nearly impossible to roll the dough flat. Kneading dough strengthens the gluten – those strands of protein that give bread structure and texture. Giving the dough time to rest allows the gluten to relax, making it so much easier to roll out into tortillas.

Cook tortillas on high heat in a dry frying pan. There’s enough fat in tortilla dough to prevent the dough from sticking to the pan as long as your pan is very hot. You also want to cook tortillas over high enough heat that each side takes only about 10-20 seconds to cook. This is what ensures that deliciously soft interior. Cooking them over low heat simply dries out the dough.

Finally, this recipe is easily doubled if you’re making tortilla for a crowd. Honestly, even though there are only 4 people in my house, I usually double this recipe. The tortillas keep for a couple of days and making plenty allows me to make breakfast burritos the next morning with enough left over to satisfy every teenage craving for the next few days.

Frequently Asked Questions about making homemade tortillas {reader questions}: 

Q: What is the difference between using butter vs. lard?

A: The main difference is simply flavor. Lard works great, as does vegetable shortening and oil. I’ve used several different kinds of fat, and the tortillas always turn out about the same except for the flavor. Butter, in my opinion, contributes the most flavor.

Q: I found that the tortillas shrink a bit as soon as they hit the pan. Is this typical or is it a function of gluten in the flour? I also wonder if they are too dry and more moisture would help?

A: Yes – the gluten in the flour does cause them to shrink up a bit when they hit the hot pan. As far as I know, there’s really nothing you can do about that. I have had other readers tell me that they’ve added more butter to the recipe, which might help. Fat interferes with gluten development so it’s possible you’ll get less shrinkage with a bit more butter. In terms of them being too dry – the dough should be slightly sticky. If it ever seems too dry, just add a few more drops of water until it’s soft and smooth and a bit tacky. If you’re using a stand mixer, the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom a bit.

Q: How do you keep these warm and soft? I have made homemade tortillas many times yet often find they are stiff when they cool off.

A: If I want to keep the tortillas warm for a while after baking, I usually stack them as I cook them and then wrap them in aluminum foil. They’ll stay warm for a while on their own if they are wrapped in foil, but you can also put them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to re-warm them. However, they shouldn’t get very stiff after cooling… they won’t ever be as soft and warm as when they are freshly made, but even a day or two later, they should still be soft.

If they are stiff after cooling, my guess is that they were overcooked. It’s important that the pan you cook them in be very hot – hot enough to cook them in about 30 seconds or less. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the dough will dry out too much as they cook.

Q: Can you freeze these tortillas?

A: Yes – you can freeze these homemade tortillas. Make sure they are completely cool, wrap no more than 5 together tightly in plastic wrap and then either wrap again in aluminum foil or put in a ziplock bag. They should last in the freezer for at least 3 months

Useful equipment for making homemade tortillas:

• KitchenAid 6-Quart Standing Mixer
• Cuisinart Non-Stick Skillet

More totally-worth-it bread recipes:

• My Favorite Homemade White Bread
• My Favorite Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
• Extra Soft and Buttery Homemade Dinner Rolls {AKA – those rolls}
• Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
• Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Homemade Garlic Naan
• Buttermilk Cheddar Jalepeno Cornbread
• Homemade Potato Rolls

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.

Happy baking!

Soft Homemade Flour Tortillas {Butter Recipe}

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★★★★★

5 from 15 reviews

• Author: Rebecca Blackwell
• Prep Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (includes 1 hour of resting time)
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes (includes 1 hour of resting time)
• Yield: 20 flour tortillas

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Description

After 20 years of making what I thought were the best homemade tortillas, this all-butter recipe made me realize that sometimes really good things can get even better.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cup warm water

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Instructions

1. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, and stir to combine.
2. Add the softened butter and water and mix on medium-low speed until all the ingredients come together into a dough. Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adjusting the flour or water as necessary to achieve a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom. (See notes)
3. Dump the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into 20 balls of dough. Cover the balls of dough with plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Heat a large non-stick or seasoned cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot. If you sprinkle a drop of water into the pan the water should sizzle and “skip” across the surface of the pan, evaporating completely in a matter of seconds. (You can also use a griddle, turned to high heat.)
5. Remove one ball of dough from beneath the plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to roll it into a thick disk, about 6 inches in diameter. Use your fingers to pat and stretch the dough into a thin tortilla. (You may or may not need to sprinkle your work surface with a bit of flour to prevent sticking depending not the work surface itself and how wet the dough is. If the dough is really sticking to your work surface, lightly flour the surface trying to incorporate as little flour as possible into each tortilla.)
6. Lift the rolled out tortilla and place it in the center of the hot pan. Let the tortilla cook on one side until brown spots begin to form here and there on the surface of the tortilla that’s touching the pan, about 20 seconds. Use a spatula to flip the tortilla to the other side and cook until a few brown spots appear on the other side, about 10-20 seconds. Use the spatula to remove the tortilla from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

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Notes

• Tortilla dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but not wet. If you’re using a standing mixer, you want the dough to clean the sides of the bowl, but stick slightly to the bottom. The amount of water you’ll need to achieve this consistency will vary based on climate, humidity, temperature, and who knows what other factors. Start with the amount in the recipe and then add more as the dough kneads, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have a soft, smooth dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl while sweeping cleanly along the sides. If at any point you find that you’ve added too much water, just add a bit more flour.
• If kneading the dough by hand, follow the instructions below using your hands to bring all the ingredients together inside a large bowl. Dump onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2-5 minutes until you have a smooth, soft dough.
• Adjust the heat of the pan as necessary if the tortillas start to cook too quickly and burn spots appear instead of the lovely brown spots.

Keywords: homemade tortillas, homemade bread, flour tortillas, Mexican food, bread, quick bread, recipe

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