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Wheat-flour tortillas

Tortillas de harina · Flour tortillas · Simple tortillas

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A soft wheat-flour tortilla made with baking powder and a fat, rolled and cooked dry on a hot griddle. The King Arthur version is contemporary and distinct from nixtamalized maize tortillas.

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Photograph of Wheat-flour tortillas.

A contemporary home tortilla

This is a soft wheat-flour tortilla, made with baking powder rather than a fermented dough. The King Arthur page presents it as one contemporary home version, not as the traditional tortilla of any place.

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Fat and rest

The fat is worked into the flour before the water, which limits gluten formation and makes the dough easier to roll. The rest relaxes the dough. it can be extended or skipped, and that the dough keeps refrigerated overnight.

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Not a maize tortilla

This recipe is not evidence for maize tortilla heritage. The source does not give a geography or a history for this version, and the maize tortilla made from nixtamalized masa is a separate product.

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Ingredients

Yield 8 tortillas · Scaling: source batch only

All-purpose flour
300 g
2 1/2 cups, plus more as needed
Baking powder
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Salt
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
Butter
57 g
4 tablespoons, or 48 g shortening, 57 g lard or 50 g vegetable oil
Hot water
213 g
7/8 to 1 cup, about 110 to 120 F

Method

  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. Work the fat in with fingers or a pastry blender until no visible pieces remain. If using oil, add it with the water instead.
  3. Add the smaller amount of hot water and stir into a shaggy mass, adding more water as needed to bring it together.
  4. Knead briefly on a lightly floured counter until a ball forms. Add a little flour if very sticky.
  5. Divide into 8 pieces and round each into a ball. Flatten slightly, cover and rest about 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat an ungreased cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat, about 400 F.
  7. Roll one piece at a time into an 8 inch round. Cook in the dry pan about 30 seconds per side, and wrap each tortilla in a cloth as it comes off the pan.
  8. Cool leftovers completely, wrap tightly and refrigerate. Reheat in a dry skillet or the microwave for a few seconds.

Conditions

Yield8 tortillas
Active time15 min
Temperature205°C

Places

No source in this record establishes a place.

Related

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  • Bialy

    Bialys are soft, yeasted wheat rolls baked without boiling, each shaped with an onion-filled central depression instead of a hole.

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