Soft Flour Butter Tortillas

June 25, 2020 by Madeline Horszt 2,769 Comments

There are few things better than warm, soft, fresh tortillas. Maybe you have been making them for generations or perhaps you know the perfect take out spot to score a batch. If neither of these applies to you then the South Shore Kitchens version of tortillas is just what you need. They are the perfect starter recipe if you have never tried to make your own tortillas or had success in your previous attempts.

Don’t let the name fool you these don’t have a buttery flavor. It is just an easy fat to work with, which is essential if you are new at trying your hand at homemade tortillas. We especially enjoy this recipe because the results are consistent. We get perfect soft tortillas every single time. Even better, they store perfectly in a sealed container in your bread box. Does anyone else out there have a bread box?

It Sounds Like So Much Work

I know what you are thinking……are these easy to make? Yes, super easy. Are they time consuming? Absolutely! Are they worth the effort? Without a doubt! We very rarely serve store bought tortillas anymore. On the bright side, you cannot really mess this recipe up and it does get easier the more times you make them. Even better, grab a buddy and you will be done in no time.

The whole process goes a little like this mix up your dough (10 minutes), weigh and portion dough balls (5 minutes), let dough rest (1-2 hours), roll out dough and cook (45 minutes). It is basically an hour of work but takes some forethought because they need to rest before rolling out.

Keep That Dough Soft

Once you mix up your ingredients the dough needs to be soft and sticky but not wet. It will be softer than you think and that is ok, as long as it is not wet. As the dough comes together it will have a smooth shiny texture, pulling clean from the sides of the bowl but still sticking to the bottom. As we previously stated, you are looking to create a soft dough. Luckily, our soft flour butter tortilla recipe is a very forgiving dough so if it is too dry just add water a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Conversely, if the dough is too wet add flour a teaspoon at a time. Do not add too much extra ingredients either way. It does not take much to fix the problem.

Dust Off The Scale

The easiest way to get consistent size tortillas is to weight the entire ball of dough and then divide by 18. After you calculate the number of ounces or grams cut off your sections of dough to the correct weight, shape them into a ball and place them on a parchment lined sheet pan. Make sure you cover the sheet pan with cling wrap to keep your dough from drying out. Let dough rest on sheet pan for at least an hour before rolling out. This allows the gluten in the flour to relax and it will be easier to shape. If you don’t wait long enough you will be fighting your dough to keep its shape.

This next part is where things get a little hectic. You are going to roll your dough out and begin cooking. If working alone, we prefer to roll out a few tortillas and begin cooking them. That way you can continue cooking as you are rolling the tortillas into shape. It seems to work best for us, no need for tons of space or have to worry about the dough drying out.

On A Roll

Roll dough balls very thin between two layers of parchment paper. Peel off the top layer of parchment and then flip dough over onto heated cast iron skillet. Once your tortilla is on the heat for a few seconds you can easily peel off the parchment paper. Take cake not to start your paper on fire!

Make sure your skillet is hot enough to cook your tortilla in about 10-15 seconds on each side, creating brown spots but not burning. You are looking for a quick cook. If they take too long to cook your texture will be off. Once they are done cooking remove tortilla from the pan and place on a clean cotton kitchen towel. Fold half of the towel over to cover. Let cool in the towel.

We rarely have leftovers but if you do, they store well in the refrigerator or bread box for about five days.

To freeze or not to freeze! I know what you are thinking….this sounds like so much work! Can we cut some corners and freeze the dough balls? No, nope, just don’t. We froze the dough balls, brought it to room temp, rolled it out, cooked it up and they looked beautiful. We were living the dream. Until we took one bite, and everything came crashing down because they tasted like store bought. So yes, you can technically freeze them, but we do not really know why you would want to.

Comment down below and tell us what your favorite tortilla fillings is. If you tried our recipe @thesouthshorekitchen on Instagram. Looking for something to stuff in your fresh tortillas check out our shredded chicken poblano sheet pan tacos!