This is not a recipe. I’m too impatient to follow an exact recipe. This is deep tortilla knowledge that will allow you to make them without thinking and following recipes. I have been slightly modifying this post over time as I adjust my method for better results.
TLDR. I have highlighted the most impor’nt parts for easy skimming.
I’m half Mexican. I love burritos. Right now I’m living in Asia. They don’t use tortillas (though they do have some kinds of similar things but not exactly what I wanted). I’m not super picky about my tortillas, but they are a staple in my American diet, mostly for burritos and fajitas. I really like to show off and make Mexican food for my Asian friends too. You can find some Mission “wraps” at one supermarket here but that’s on the other side of town, they only have one kind, and they’re kinda pricey. I always thought Mission tortillas kinda suck anyways. Where I come from in Colorado there are little carnecerias and panaderias where you can buy better tortillas. I don’t know if its because they’re more fresh or some other reason, but usually they’re just a lot better tortillas than Mission.
I’ve tried to make tortillas before (not often) and they seem to always kinda suck. Too dry, they tear if you try to roll burritos, wrong texture, etc. Geez, It’s only 4 or 5 ingredients. How hard could it be? So I decided to figure out what I was doing wrong. I mean, not following a recipe. I hate following recipes. I don’t even have any measuring cups or spoons or anything like that. In the US, of course I have that stuff and use them but I’ve looked around here and some things you just cant find. Also It’s just my style to try and make things by eyeballing. My mother cooks like that, my grandma used to also. I learn better when I figure out my own way of doing things. It could also very well be that I’m lazy. Why don’t I just ask my mother? Well, I did and she just said its easy, and didn’t go into any details. Like I’m stupid because I don’t just already know. LOL. So I was on my own here. Anyways. Back to the tortillas!
Good tortillas are a matter of opinion. I read some recipes on various websites and also the comment sections. People often disagree on small details like whether or not it’s blashpemy to use oil instead of lard, how much oil, how much baking powder, but are those small details the reason my tortillas always suck or is it something more? My standards are pretty low I’m not picky. I wanted something that was rollable into burritos without falling apart, and not too dense or dry, that tasted like a proper tortilla. I don’t care about color or fluffiness or anything like that I just wanted something close enough to use for burritos that don’t suck. We’ll call this the “Homemade Tortillas That Don’t Suck” Method.
Here’s What I Discovered!
You can make pretty decent basic tortillas with just flour, water, and salt! Almost every recipe you will find will have baking powder, and lard/oil. I discovered through experimentation that they both can be considered optional. I haven’t made any without salt but I’m assuming that you could omit salt completely if you wanted to without too much consequence other than flavor. That means that technically flour and water are the only required ingredients. I made this discovery when I decided to try to make tortillas with no oil at all just to see how the texture was. I was pleasantly surprised. They were strong, moist, slightly chewy, could roll into burritos well without tearing.
So how about the optional ingredients?
Baking powder is hard to find around here. I have found it before and bought it and used it for pancakes. If I find some again I will try the same recipe with a little baking powder, but for now I did just fine without it. I’m assuming that it gives them a little fluffier, less chewy texture. Try making tortillas without it. I think they’re great. One less ingredient!
Lard/Oil. From what I found, you have to add quite a bit of oil before you even start to notice a difference in texture, and even then I prefer the ones with no oil at all, so why bother? It seems that lard or oil affect the taste more than the texture. Maybe that’s why so many people prefer real lard or maybe real lard affects the texture more. Lard is hard to come by in this part of Asia so I couldn’t try for myself but when I do, I will update with the results.
So why did my tortillas always suck before? I broke it down to a few factors:
First, and most important is how thin your dough is, i.e. how much water you use compared to flour. In the past I always used too much flour and not enough water. I have found that a very stretchy, gooey dough barely to the point of being able to handle and roll it with a rolling pin is the factor that will get you closest to a decent tortilla. If you get that mix right all else will be secondary.
Second, roll them thin. When I made thicker, more dry dough in the past, it was harder to roll them thin. A thin dough will help remedy this, but they can also stick to the rolling pin or surface. If that’s the case, just use a little dry flour on the surface and rolling pin or mix just a tad more flour into the dough. They don’t need to be super paper thin but the thinner the better.
Third, is the pan temperature. I hear a slight sizzle sound when I put one on the pan and bubbles start to form within about 5-10 seconds. If they’re burning in less than 30 seconds its too hot. If there’s no bubbles after a few seconds, it’s not hot enough. Don’t pop the bubbles let them kinda flow through and inflate the tortilla a little, then flip. I only cook each side about 20-25 seconds. I’m using an old gas stove I don’t have a lot of control on the low end. I had to place something metal underneath my pan to get it up further away from the heat.
You may need to adjust the method to your liking, try different kinds and amounts of oil, baking powder, or salt.
I don’t know how to store the dough or tortillas. I have no refrigerator. I just eat them all within minutes.
This very basic 3 ingredient tortilla might not win any awards but it so simple requires no measuring and gets you 90% of the way there. It’s been good enough for me. Good Luck!