Sourdough Flour Tortillas (made with discard or not)
This recipe is adapted from this flour tortilla recipe, which is made with baking powder (as opposed to a sourdough starter). Regardless of which recipe you are using, there are two keys to success here:
Roll the dough as thinly as possible.
Get your skillet piping hot.
I love using my Le Creuset crepe pan for cooking tortillas.
Recipe by Alexandra Stafford on October 3, 2020
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT15M
Total time: PT45M
Rating
5 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
sourdough, tortillas, discard, flour, simple
Ingredients
210 g (1.5 heaping cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
7 g (1 1/4 teaspoons) kosher salt
56 g (1/4 cup) softened butter
100 g water (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon)
100 g (1/2 cup) sourdough starter
Categories
Tortilla
Cuisine
Mexican
Steps
Whisk flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, cut the butter into the flour, mixing and smushing it until it is well incorporated into the flour. You can use your hands if necessary to further incorporate the butter into the flour.
Stir in the water and sourdough starter and mix with a spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to gently knead the dough in the bowl, if necessary, to get the mixture to form a rough ball.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for another 1 to 2 minutes or until it is smooth and not sticking to the work surface.
Cut the dough into 12 pieces for taco- or enchilada-sized tortillas or 6 pieces for burrito-sized tortillas. Shape each piece into a ball. (Video guidance here.)
Cover with a very light kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Be careful that your room isn’t too hot. Let the dough rest 30 minutes and up to two hours (at room temperature or 24 hours in the fridge. If you need to store the in the fridge, transfer balls to an airtight container.)
Roll out each ball to about 6 to 8 inches (taco size) or 10 to 12 inches (burrito size) in diameter, or till you can see the counter start to come through — in other words, roll them as thinly as possible.
Heat a 12 inch non-stick or cast-iron pan (do not add any oil) on medium-high. Lay the tortilla in the pan and cook until it puffs and little brown spots on the underside appear. Turn with tongs or your fingers and cook again till lightly brown. Each tortilla takes about 60 seconds total to cook. If you like a bit of char, keep the tortilla in the skillet until it is charred on both sides. Note: Your first 3 to 4 tortillas may be on the pale side. This is just likely because your skillet isn’t up to temperature. Once you make a few, you’ll find your rhythm and adjust the heat as necessary depending on if you want more or less char.
Once the tortillas cool, store them in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reviews
Cynthia Nunez on 2025-08-01 (5 stars): I love making this recipe for my tortillas. They are flavorful and soft! Thank you for sharing
Patti on 2025-08-06 (5 stars): My first time making tortillas and they came out great! So easy too. We are using them for fajitas and breakfast burritos. Great way to use discard or leftover bubbly starter.
Ian on 2025-09-10 (5 stars): Gave this a try, worked great. Also tried this with both butter, avocado oil, and EVOO/Avocado blend. All three gave great results, with only slight flavor differences.
Only issues I had were with the temp control, and upon reading the recipe card, it is more clear that the cooking surface does NOT need to be ripping hot, but sufficiently preheated. Also tried using a blackstone griddle, which works pretty well, but can take longer for the tortillas to get color, so was easier to overcook them and end up with large "chips."
Overall, great recipe, definitely adding this to the staples in my kitchen. Thanks Ali!
Grant Durham on 2025-09-13 (5 stars): Amazing recipe. Will absolutely be recommending to friends!
Esther J on 2025-09-20 (5 stars): I love this recipe but it’s just two of us. Can I freeze the dough in portions?
CJ on 2025-10-05 (5 stars): I've made this recipe several times now. Absolutely delicious! Thank you.
Sandie on 2025-10-10 (5 stars): I made these last night so we could use them for carnitas I made (Gimme some oven). They were so easy and delicious. I made the balls and let them sit under the dishtowel for 2 hours or so. I will definitely make these again. They would be wonderful just heated a bit, slathered with some good butter and accompany anything! I will use them for enchiladas next.
Pooya on 2025-10-27 (5 stars): Great recipe, yummy, easy and quick. Love it. Thank you 🙏🏼
Yjay on 2025-11-03 (5 stars): Absolutely love this recipe! Been making it for the past year. I’m currently making them and wondering if I can make roll the dough into their shape the night before cooking, store them in the fridge, and just slap them on the hot pan when I’m ready to cook them? Or must they be cooked immediately after flattening?
Meagan McClarin on 2025-12-02 (5 stars): This tortilla recipe is literally perfection. They melt in your mouth! Such a good flavor and so easy to make. This recipe is on repeat over and over at my house ☺️