How to Make Homemade Flour Tortillas without a Press

Sometimes I think I make things harder for myself. I mean, there was leftover chicken that I could’ve just packed up in my daughter’s lunch box, but noooo. I had the idea that I wanted to make her tortilla chicken pizzas. Easy enough right? I go to the pantry and there are no tortillas. What?! I swear I just bought some. I could’ve gone to the store, but I had the ingredients to make some and decided that tonight would be the night to give tortilla making a shot.

So, I went on the hunt to find a tortilla recipe and video. I found the video below that walked me through the process of tortilla making. I know all you experienced tortilla makers are probably laughing at me right now, but I just wasn’t exposed to this stuff growing up in Hawaii. I mean, I’m Japanese so tortilla making is kind of a foreign thing. Ask me how to make rice and I’m good. Anyway, here is the video I used to help me along.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

On with the show! I loved this video and the little family stories/tips weaved into it. You can tell this was a recipe passed down for generations and will be passed down for many years to come.

Here is my attempt to make tortillas. I started with a ball, not a disc like the video. I also dusted the top with a little flour before rolling it out with a regular rolling pin.

Roll out to about 7-inch in diameter. **Try to get it as thin as possible**
I Use a Silpat mat, which allows the tortilla peel right off.

I didn’t have anything special to cook the tortilla and used a non-stick pan. I cooked it until it puffed up and flipped it to finish cooking.

Finished tortillas – soft and light browned.

Homemade Flour Tortillas Recipe (small batch)

Chef John’s Recipe from Food Wishes Blog:

8 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cup), more as needed

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup hot water (about 105 degrees F.)

Mix everything together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add in vegetable shortening with a pastry cutter until large crumbs form. Add in hot water and mix to form a dough. Knead for about 3-5 minutes, adding more flour if needed. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 8 parts and roll or press into thin tortillas, dusting dough with a bit of flour so it won’t stick to the rolling pin or tortilla press. Add tortillas to a pan over medium heat and cook until about one minute per side or when dough is cooked through.

More good eats…

No Yeast Flat Bread
Simple Garlic Bread Spread

How to Make Homemade Flour Tortillas Without A Press