Homemade Sourdough Tortillas: A Recipe from the Farm
Last Updated on January 31, 2024 by TheFarmChicken
Have you ever read the ingredient list on store-bought tortillas? I did one day and was unpleasantly surprised by the long list of unpronounceable ingredients. It made them just a little more unappetizing. That was a huge push to start making homemade tortillas and here I am ready to share with you a great sourdough tortillas recipe straight from our farm. I hope you love these simple, delicious and soft Homemade Sourdough Tortillas: A Recipe from the Farm. These tortillas work lovely for taco night, enchiladas, fajitas, and breakfast burritos. We’ll talk more on what they are good for below, but you get the idea, you need a tortilla, these will definitely fit the bill.
Not only will we learn how to make homemade tortillas, but I have a few tips included for getting your tortillas nice and thin when you roll them! This is a great recipe to start working towards less preservatives in your diet and you can save money by making these instead of the extra cost of buying tortillas. They also taste better.
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Simple Ingredients for Homemade Sourdough Discard Tortillas:
Buttermilk
Tortillas are usually composed of flour, fat, salt, and water. Buttermilk adds a little to the fat and a little to the water or moisture in the recipe. I also like using buttermilk in my tortillas for the softness and flavor that it contributes to a tortilla.
Sourdough Starter
You can either use active sourdough starter or sourdough discard in this recipe. Active Sourdough Starter replaces the need for instant yeast in recipes. Sourdough Starter contains wild yeast.
Do you have a sourdough starter? Agnes would love to get you started. Learn all about it with Learning Sourdough with Agnes.
All Purpose Flour / White Flour
Pick a quality flour that will contribute good flavor to your tortillas. My favorite flour to use is Dakota Maid. It is actually milled right here in North Dakota!
If you prefer whole wheat tortillas over white you can check out my recipe for whole wheat tortillas!
Whole Wheat Sourdough Tortillas: A Recipe from the Farm
Cooking Oil – Your Choice
I usually use canola oil in this recipe, but you could also use olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.
Sea Salt
I use 10 g of sea salt in these homemade tortillas. It adds a nice flavor without being overboard on the salt. You could also use kosher salt in place of the sea salt.
Mixing and dividing the tortillas up:
The easiest part of the recipe is mixing them up. Simply add all the liquid ingredients and mix them together then add the flour and salt. Once the flour and salt have been added you will knead the mixture until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
After you have finished kneading the dough you will cover with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Then divide your dough into 75 g balls for a large tortilla and 60 g for a medium to small tortilla.
Make sure to roll each tortilla on the counter to create some tension- almost like when you are shaping buns. Place these on a covered, parchment paper lined baking sheet and place them in the fridge until you are ready to roll them out.
Parchment Paper:
You can either buy the little parchment paper squares (linked below) or you could do like I do and just buy it in rolls and tear it into smaller pieces.
To cut down on waste I will reuse the torn parchment paper pieces that I used for the layers in-between the tortillas. I just keep a bag with them in it so they are there and ready when I restock by freezer stash of homemade tortillas.
Rolling out Tortillas:
This is probably considered the hardest part of the process but after you have rolled out a few tortillas it gets simpler, and you will find a rhythm to it. I have a YouTube video with the step-by-step process. It is helpful to watch a tortilla being rolled out. Check it out below.
Let’s go over some of my best tips for tortilla rolling success!
Tips and Tricks to get them nice and thin:
- Roll your flour tortillas with a rolling pin and a fair amount of pressure.
- Just keep rolling! Keep rolling till you get your tortilla where you want it size wise. It will get there if you keep at it.
- Sometimes it helps to let the tortilla rest for 5 minutes if it seems to not be rolling out as thin as you’d like. This gives a chance for the gluten to relax and will make it easier to roll.
- After I have gotten close to the size, I want for my tortillas I will usually pick up the tortilla and gently with both hands I will stretch it a little further to make it thinner. Don’t worry too much about getting a perfectly round tortilla.
Ways to Use Homemade Tortillas:
Like we already talked about some, you can use these homemade tortillas for all your tortilla dishes. Homemade tortilla quesadillas are really, next level, compared to those made with store bought tortillas. Once you try these tortillas, I doubt you will go back to store bought….at least it won’t be easy. Here are some ideas of how to use your lovely homemade tortillas:
- Quesadillas
- Breakfast Burritos – One of our favorites- My recipe for them on TheFarmChicken.
- Tacos
- Enchiladas
- Buttered tortillas for a snack
- Fajitas
- Fajita Quesadillas
Pin for Later:
Homemade Sourdough Tortillas: A Recipe from the Farm
- 100 g water, distilled at room temperature
- 120 g buttermilk
- 160 g active sourdough starter, or discard
- 50 g oil – your favorite cooking oil – I like canola oil
- 475 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g sea salt
- In a medium bowl with your gram scale, measure out the first 4 ingredients. The water, buttermilk, active starter, or sourdough discard, and oil. Mix together by hand or with a spoon or Danish dough hook, until mixed well.
- Then add/ weigh out the flour and sea salt and mix/knead by hand until there are no more dry pieces left in the bowl.
- Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Next take and weigh out your tortillas; dividing them into equal pieces.
- 75 g each for a large tortilla
- or
- 60 g for a medium to small tortilla
- Take each one and roll it on the counter to create dough balls. You want to create tension on the surface of the dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or any parchment paper lined airtight container and place in fridge covered with lid or plastic wrap for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- I usually put mine in the fridge and cook them the next day.
Rolling and Cooking the Tortillas
- When you are ready to cook the tortillas, take them out of the fridge and working one at a time roll the tortillas with a rolling pin, on a floured surface, as thin as you can get them. (see tips in text above)
- As you are rolling the tortillas out preheat a cast iron pan / griddle to medium heat. You can do this two different ways.
- Either roll and cook the tortillas as you go
- Or
- Roll them all out stacking parchment paper in between the tortillas so they don’t stick together and cook them once they are all rolled and ready.
- When cooking the tortillas place them on the preheated hot pan for about 1 minute; 2-3 minutes total. You want the side to be golden brown in spots. Then flip the tortilla over. If they balloon up that is actually a good thing and helps the tortilla cook more evenly.
- Continue with all the tortillas and stack the cooked tortillas in a tea towel as you go.
- When they are all cooked you can either use them immediately or stack the finished tortillas with sheets of parchment paper in between and freeze in a freezer zip top plastic bag.
Homemade Sourdough Tortillas: A Recipe from the Farm
Ingredients
- 100 g water distilled at room temperature
- 120 g buttermilk
- 160 g active sourdough starter or discard
- 50 g oil – your favorite cooking oil – I like canola oil
- 475 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl with your gram scale, measure out the first 4 ingredients. The water, buttermilk, active starter, or sourdough discard, and oil. Mix together by hand or with a spoon or Danish dough hook, until mixed well.
- Then add/ weigh out the flour and sea salt and mix/knead by hand until there are no more dry pieces left in the bowl.
- Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Next take and weigh out your tortillas; dividing them into equal pieces.
- 75 g each for a large tortilla
- or
- 60 g for a medium to small tortilla
- Take each one and roll it on the counter to create dough balls. You want to create tension on the surface of the dough.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or any parchment paper lined airtight container and place in fridge covered with lid or plastic wrap for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- I usually put mine in the fridge and cook them the next day.
Rolling and Cooking the Tortillas
- When you are ready to cook the tortillas, take them out of the fridge and working one at a time roll the tortillas with a rolling pin, on a floured surface, as thin as you can get them. (see tips in text above)
- As you are rolling the tortillas out preheat a cast iron pan / griddle to medium heat. You can do this two different ways.
- Either roll and cook the tortillas as you go
- ~or~
- Roll them all out stacking parchment paper in between the tortillas so they don’t stick together and cook them once they are all rolled and ready.
- When cooking the tortillas place them on the preheated hot pan for about 1 minute; 2-3 minutes total. You want the side to be golden brown in spots. Then flip the tortilla over. If they balloon up that is actually a good thing and helps the tortilla cook more evenly.
- Continue with all the tortillas and stack the cooked tortillas in a tea towel as you go.
- When they are all cooked you can either use them immediately or stack the finished tortillas with sheets of parchment paper in between and freeze in a freezer zip top plastic bag.
FAQ:
Homemade tortillas are cheaper than store bought. Yet another good reason to make them plus they taste so much better!
Two- three days on the counter. Seven – ten days in the fridge and up to 3 months stored properly in the freezer.
If your tortillas are hard and/or crispy it is most likely because you have over cooked them. Try to cook them for less time and see if that helps.
Shop this Post:
- Rolling Pin – The one we use and love!
- Smithey Cast Iron Skillet and Pan – Our favorite cast iron brand. Made in the USA!
- Gram Scale – Recently on sale for $9.99.
- Parchment Paper Squares
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O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set they glory above the heavens. Psalms 8:1
Love these!
I’m definitely trying these. They sound delicious
I followed the recipe exactly (used the scale) and that is not something I usually do! Anyway they turned out perfect. Not really hard to do at all. I let them set in the fridge from Sunday to Tuesday and then rolled them out. Rolled very easily. Do flour your rolling surface well.
They were very, very good.
I’m so glad they turned out well for you! Thank you for leaving a comment!