Homemade Tortilla Recipe

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Making tortillas was one of those monumental steps in our homesteading journey. Tortillas are so inexpensive. They are super convenient and easy to grab. Even getting organic tortillas is pretty darn easy these days. Homesteading is not about convenience though. It’s not really meant to make life hard either though. From what I’ve found, it’s meant to bring more joy to your life and that is exactly what this homemade tortilla recipe did for me.

These are the best tortillas ever. I swear they have an entirely different taste to them because they don’t have any preservatives in them. They are also so very soft and automatically warm if you are making them the same day. No need to microwave some store bought tortillas anymore. 

I never saw myself making tortillas. I’m all about eating healthy and whole foods. What it took me a little longer to realize is that what the rest of the world views as healthy doesn’t necessarily mean that it has whole food ingredients. A lot of the healthy foods that the stores promote are still processed with additives that aren’t so great. Plus, you have to go to the store to get them. 

When 2020 hit and the pandemic came about I stopped going to the store altogether. Not because I was afraid of the virus. Not even a little bit. I didn’t go to the stores because I was no longer going into work and that saved so much money. I realized that I had been going to the store just because it was convenient. Without realizing it I had developed a bad habit of just grabbing things whenever I wanted to and that led to making poor choices and buying things I didn’t need. I also didn’t feel like dealing with the judgemental people at the store that couldn’t respect my decision to not wear a mask. This isn’t about politics though so let’s just get to the tortilla recipe!

Ingredients Needed

3c flour

1tsp salt

1c warm water

1 tsp baking powder

1/3c olive oil

Directions

In a stand mixer: mix all dry ingredients. Then add water and oil. Mix until a dough comes together. Transfer to a floured surface and split into 16 pieces. Make small balls and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Roll into 6-7” circles. Cook in a frying pan. When it starts to bubble flip it over. When both sides are browned remove from heat.

These will keep for about a week from what I’ve tested. To be quite honest, they just don’t last longer than a week in our house. We will even eat them plain, that’s how much we love them. I haven’t gotten around to freezing any but that is on my list. I have no doubt in my mind that these will freeze just fine. My goal is to start doing double batches when I cook them to have one that we use right away and one that we freeze. If I’m cooking them I might as well make it worthwhile!

My Version of the Homemade Tortilla Recipe

You already know I have my own little version of this recipe. I add all the ingredients together. There is now way I am waiting to mix dry ingredients then the wet later. My version is throwing it all in the bowl and mixing. I haven’t noticed a difference doing it this way and my tortillas turn out just fine. 

I also cook mine right in our cast iron. It works perfect except our smoke detector is super sensitive so it sometimes sets that off. 

My other favorite trick for this (and most bread type items) is to use a silicone mat. When I use my mat I don’t even need to flour it. I roll my dough into balls on the mat to let them rest. Then when it comes time to roll I just roll them out on the mat too. There are circles on the mat so you can even see how big you are making them. 

Tortilla Tips

They tend to shrink up a little bit after rolling. Typically when I pick it up off the silicone mat they get just a little smaller. My trick is to roll them out just a little larger than what I’m looking for. Then by the time I get them into the pan they are just the right size. 

Watch for the bubbles. This is the easiest way to see if they are cooking without even having to check to see how brown they are. They will squish down so you don’t have to worry about them but they make cooking tortillas a little easier. 

Get a tortilla press. This is one of those things that I would  love to have. It’s something I never in a million years imagined that I would ever want or use. Now it’s on that list for my husband for birthdays and special occasions. A press would make this recipe so stinking easy. I use a rolling pin to roll mine out and it works fine. The only thing I haven’t been able to perfect is getting them to be completely round. They are usually a little oblong with some weird edges and shapes. They still taste the same. If you are making them for a crowd though I hope you have better rolling skills than I have.

This homemade tortilla recipe is perfect for your next taco night or quick quesadillas. They take a little more effort but I also love the fact that I’m not running to the store just to grab a bag of tortillas now. I’m hoping to one day turn them into tortilla chips too so stay tuned for that!