This Homemade Tortilla Recipe Is Just 4 Ingredients and Tastes Way Better Than Store-Bought

Whether your grocery store just run out of tortillas or you’re looking for a fun and easy baking project, you’re in luck. Homemade flour tortillas are surprisingly easy to make in less than an hour, and the reward is delicious. In fact, the homemade version is so soft and chewy that we might never go back to store-bought.

Our homemade tortilla recipe requires just four ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry: flour, baking powder, salt and fat. (Bacon fat is the most flavorful choice, followed by lard and butter, but if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can use coconut oil as long as it’s the solid kind.) Here’s how to make tortillas at home, you pro chef, you.

Makes about 12 tortillas

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅓ cup bacon fat, lard, butter or coconut oil

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder and whisk thoroughly to combine. Add the fat, and use your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients (similar to how you would make pie crust). When the fat is fully incorporated, add 1 cup hot water. Using clean hands or a fork, mix until a shaggy dough forms, adding up to ¼ cup additional hot water if the dough seems especially dry.

Step 2: Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured work surface, and knead briefly until the dough holds together in a ball. (It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.) Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into rough balls, then transfer them to a baking sheet, cover with a clean, damp towel and rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 3: Preheat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a round. (The size and thickness will depend on your preferences. A 6-inch round will be slightly thicker and good for tacos; an 8-inch round will be thinner and ideal for fajitas or burritos.) Transfer the round to the skillet and cook, flipping once, until bubbles appear on the surface and golden brown spots appear on the bottom of the tortilla, about 30 to 60 seconds per side.

Step 4: Repeat with each piece of dough until all the tortillas are cooked, wrapping the tortillas in a clean towel as they come off the skillet to keep them soft. The tortillas are best the day they’re made, but they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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