Want to know the secret to the best homemade soft flour tortillas? Read on for the one simple ingredient that makes them extra fluffy, soft and delicious for any taco night.
It’s true: All of my life, I’ve been eating tacos (and enchiladas, burritos, etc.) with store-bought tortillas. Unless I go to some fancy restaurant where the tortillas are homemade, in general, my taco eating experiences have always been just that less tasty.
Until now.
Because, friends, behold: Homemade soft flour tortillas, a.k.a. the best thing to ever happen to taco night. And the best part? They’re yeast-free and so easy to make. You just need a hankering for tacos and six simple ingredients to make these tortillas a part of your life.
THE SPECIAL INGREDIENT TO THE BEST HOMEMADE SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS
OK, so here’s the deal: Bacon fat. I know, it sounds crazy. But when you add it to these tortillas, dreams come true. The added fat doesn’t add any bacon flavor, but what it does add is so much better: The softest, fluffiest end result in all of Tortilladom. If you want a tortilla that’s sturdy enough to hold all fillings but still soft and tender, bacon fat is your friend.
So, how do you get the bacon fat? Just cook up some bacon — you can do it on the stove or my way, as you may have seen on Instagram this week, in the oven! If you cook them on the stove, just pour off 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan into a bowl to save for making the tortillas. If you cook the bacon in the oven, be sure to line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of foil and prop up all four edges of the foil so the bacon fat stays inside the foil the entire time. When the bacon is done baking, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, and carefully pour off the fat from the foil into a bowl.
What to do with the extra bacon, you ask? Use it as a topping for your tacos, DOY.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS
When it’s time to make your tortillas, there are a few tips that you should consider for best results:
1. If you have a griddle, now is the time to use it! Since these tortillas are cooked, not baked, a griddle is a great way to make a few tortillas at a time. I use a Broil King griddle for making them and the results were spectacular. If you don’t have a griddle, a large cast-iron skillet works great, too.
2. When making the tortillas in batches, be sure to leave the yet-to-be-cooked dough balls under a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out! The same goes for the cooked tortillas: once you’ve cooked them, stack them and wrap them in a towel so they stay nice and warm and soft.
3. Storing extra tortillas is easy! Be sure to let them cool completely, then stack them up and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Now you’re set for the best taco night of your life. Just don’t be surprised if these soft flour tortillas ruin you from ever buying ones from the store again. Just be sure to have a lot of bacon on hand for the future.
Need taco recipe inspiration? Try these Blackened Salmon and Mango Tacos or these Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Tacos. MAJOR YUMS.
Homemade Soft Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¼ cups milk, divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus ½ teaspoon
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt to combine.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring 3/4 cup milk, oil and bacon fat just to a simmer (do not boil). Pour into flour mixture along with remaining 1/2 cup milk. Stir with wooden spoon just until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 3 to 4 minutes until dough is smooth and stretchy. Shape into a ball; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour to relax dough.
- Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Divide and shape dough into 16 balls, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cover with a kitchen towel. Working one at a time and keeping remaining balls covered with a kitchen towel, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 6-inch rounds.
- Working in batches, cook tortillas 2 to 3 minutes until air bubbles form on the surface and the bottom browns in spots. Flip tortillas and cook on other side 1 to 2 minutes until brown in spots. Stack and wrap cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel as you go.
- Tortillas taste best when warm; to reheat, stack tortillas on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Microwave 10-30 seconds until heated through. Store extra tortillas, fully cooled, in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
As someone who takes recipe comments seriously, has anyone actually made these yet? I understand prople have questions but it is so frustrating reading all the comments looking for someone who has written in AFTER making them and then what they thought of the outcome.
What is the point of saying you can’t wait to make them, JUST PLEASE MAKE THEM ALREADY and then make your comment
I’m sorry for submitting a non-result comment, but please people, don’t waste busy people’s time to say a recipe sounds good.
I’m learning how to cook and I have a question. I’m learning that you’re not supposed to eat raw flour. Every tortilla recipe I’ve found calls for sprinkling flour on the rolling surface, and possibly on the dough itself. Does cooking the tortilla in the pan kill any potential bacteria that may be in the flour? Is it safe?
John, That is true — you are not supposed to eat raw flour. That said, any flour used in rolling out dough will be cooked once the tortilla is heated in the pan. Hope that helps!
Plagiarized from Bon Appetit.
I used 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 whole rye flour and subbed ghee for bacon fat, but these came out spectacular. Thank you so much for the recipe, this is my new go-to!
Laura, that sounds incredible! Thank you so much!
Can these be made the night before?
RJ — You can make these a day ahead of time for sure! Just be sure to reheat them, covered with a damp towel, stacked on a plate in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
We winter on the Mexican border in Az. and have become good friends with a local Hispanic family. She makes her tortillas with butter for the fat. It gives them the browned butter flavor and we think they are the best we ever had. I just thought you might want to try this.
Richard, thanks for the idea! I’d love to give that a try, too!
Could not save this recipe
Martha, I’m sorry, the save button currently isn’t working. 🙁 It’s one of the issues that is set to be resolved when I have a redesign… soon!
We love making our own tortillas!! Will have to try this (usually I just search and pick out the weirdest named blog)
Sarah — Ha! Well I hope despite the blog name, you love the recipe! 😉
I had no idea hat making your own tortillas could be that easy. I have always wanted to make them from scratch when I make enchiladas but thought it would take forever. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks!
Courtney, these would be AMAZING with enchiladas. Enjoy!
What fat percentage of milk is necessary for these tortillas? We keep skim milk on hand but I’ll buy higher fat levels if it makes better tortillas!
Bryn, good question! I’d suggest using 2 percent or whole milk for this recipe for the best flavor/texture!