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You’ll never need to buy another package of store-bought tortillas after tasting this delicious homemade version! Freshly milled tortillas have a robust, fresh flavor and a perfectly soft texture. They’re a great way to level up your taco nights, breakfast burritos, and quesadillas!
Taco Tuesday isn’t just on Tuesdays in my house. We love everything from skirt steak fajitas to chipotle chicken street tacos on repeat!
As I’m switching all of my bread products to freshly milled flour, I knew I should prioritize tortillas, because we eat them so often!
Making your own tortillas can save a lot of money and allow you to choose better ingredients, but the biggest reason I do it is that they taste so much better.
Seriously, homemade tortillas make every taco, burrito, and quesadilla the best I’ve ever had!
Whether I serve them in simple venison tacos or something unique like buffalo Hawaiian chicken tacos, our dinners feel extra special with freshly milled tortillas.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Homemade is best: Once you try homemade tortillas, you won’t go back! They have a much better flavor and texture than store-bought tortillas, and they make any meal tastier.
- Freshly milled flour: I try to make every flour-based food we consume with freshly milled flour! It’s a fun challenge, and the freshness and flavor can’t be beat.
- Simple ingredients: You can make these homemade tortillas with pantry staples that you probably already have on hand. I rarely have tortillas stocked, but I always have the ingredients to make homemade tortillas.
Ingredients
- Soft white wheat flour: I recommend using soft white wheat for tortillas. Its soft, fine texture makes beautifully tender tortillas without any grittiness or graininess.
- Butter: I like using butter for tortillas because I think it has the best flavor. You can also use lard, shortening, or coconut oil.
- Baking powder: While tortillas don’t have a lot of rise compared to a whole grain pancake or a freshly milled muffin, the baking powder is necessary to get the fluffy, soft texture you expect from a tortilla.
Find a full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Freshly Milled Tortillas
Step 1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2. Add the butter, then slowly pour the hot water over the top and stir well. The dough should look shaggy at this stage.
Step 3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 1–2 minutes, just until the dough holds together. It should feel smooth at this point. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Step 4. After 10 minutes, divide the dough into roughly 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll them out into thin circles, about 8 inches across. You’ll want to keep a lightly floured surface and lightly sprinkle the tortillas with flour to keep them from sticking to the rolling pin.
Step 5. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and lightly coat the pan with oil. Place one tortilla into the hot skillet and cook until small bubbles form on the surface and the bottom begins to brown, about 30–60 seconds.
Step 6. Flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds, until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Tips + Notes
- If your dough is difficult to roll out and it springs back too much, let the dough rest another 10-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
- Take care not to overcook your tortillas. If you notice they are dry, crispy, or easily breakable, try taking them off the heat a little sooner.
- It’s also a good idea to monitor the skillet heat level; if the tortillas are blackening or cooking too quickly, try turning the stove down a bit.
- Be sure to keep the tortillas covered with a towel while they are still warm. This steams them a little, making them softer and more pliable.
Storage
Tortillas can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat them in a skillet until just warm (don’t cook them further, or they’ll get crispy and brittle).
For longer-term storage, tortillas freeze very well! Once they are completely cool, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 6 months. Frozen tortillas can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove — no need to thaw first.
Serving Suggestions
Tortillas are such a useful bread option to keep on hand! I try to keep a batch stocked in the freezer so I can enjoy a Mexican-inspired meal quickly and easily on busy nights.
Of course, the most obvious way to use your tortillas is in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or fajitas. You can fill them with your favorite taco meat and a variety of toppings for a fun build-it-yourself taco bar or make a tried and true recipe. My current favorite taco night recipes are venison fajitas and venison quesadillas!
Tortillas can be a delicious addition to breakfast, as well. Serve them with cheese, salsa, and a scoop of chili scrambled eggs to make a quick breakfast burrito.
Homemade tortillas are also great side dishes for Mexican-inspired soup! A big pot of soup de maiz, Colorado green chili, or even classic ground pork chili will be made better with a side of fresh, warm tortillas for dipping.
Recipe FAQs
It’s possible the dough is too dry, in which case you can knead a bit more water into it. Alternatively, you may be overcooking the tortillas. They really don’t take long to cook, and it’s easy to leave them on the skillet too long, which dries out the dough and makes the tortillas crispy.
Nope! Sifting the flour removes some of the bran, which we want to include in freshly milled recipes. If you mill your flour on the finest setting, it won’t need sifting to have a smooth, fine texture.
You definitely shouldn’t skip resting the dough. This allows the gluten to relax so the tortillas can be rolled out thin without the dough bouncing back. Resting is especially important with freshly milled flour, because it allows the flour time to rehydrate.
I don’t recommend it. Tortilla presses work best with corn tortillas, while flour tortillas need to be rolled out with a rolling pin.
Related Recipes
- Fresh Milled Pizza Dough
- Cornbread with Freshly Milled Flour
- Fresh Milled Flour Hamburger Buns
- Freshly Milled English Muffins
- Freshly Milled Flour Hawaiian Rolls
If you tried these freshly milled tortillas or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Freshly Milled Tortillas
Equipment
- Skillet or cast iron griddle
Ingredients
- 5 cups soft white wheat flour (575g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 5 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup hot water
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the butter, then slowly pour the hot water over the top and stir well. The dough should look shaggy at this stage.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 1–2 minutes, just until the dough holds together. It should feel smooth at this point. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, divide the dough into roughly 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll them out into thin circles, about 8 inches across. You’ll want to keep a lightly floured surface and lightly sprinkle the tortillas with flour to keep them from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat and lightly coat the pan with oil. Place one tortilla into the hot skillet and cook until small bubbles form on the surface and the bottom begins to brown, about 30–60 seconds.
- Flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds, until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Video
Notes
- If your dough is difficult to roll out and it springs back too much, let the dough rest another 10-20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
- Take care not to overcook your tortillas. If you notice they are dry, crispy, or easily breakable, try taking them off the heat a little sooner.
- It’s also a good idea to monitor the skillet heat level; if the tortillas are blackening or cooking too quickly, try turning the stove down a bit.
- Be sure to keep the tortillas covered with a towel while they are still warm. This steams them a little, making them softer and more pliable.
looks delicious!
Thank you!
This is the most amazing freshly milled recipe!
Yay! I am so happy to hear!