Once you make homemade tortillas, especially these soft sourdough ones, it’s hard to go back to store-bought. These sourdough tortillas are soft, flexible, and pliable enough to fold without cracking, with a mild tang from the sourdough starter and a tender, pillowy texture. Made from just a handful of pantry staples, they cook quickly in a dry skillet with no oil needed, and a couple of short rests make the dough easy to roll out thin. Whether you’re using active starter or unfed discard, this is a fantastic way to put it to good use, and the tortillas themselves are perfect for tacos, wraps, quesadillas, and breakfast burritos.
The secret to really soft, flexible tortillas is in the resting and the rolling. Letting the dough rest lets the gluten relax, so it rolls out thin easily without springing back or tearing, and cooking in a hot, dry skillet gives you those characteristic light brown spots and puffed bubbles without any added fat. The sourdough starter adds a subtle tang and helps keep the tortillas tender, and steaming them under a towel right after cooking is what keeps them soft and pliable instead of stiff.
Why this works
A few key techniques are what make these tortillas soft and pliable, and they’re worth understanding.
Sourdough starter adds tang and tenderness. Whether you use active starter or unfed discard, it contributes a mild tang and helps create a soft, tender texture in the finished tortilla. It’s also a great way to use up discard that would otherwise go to waste.
Kneading and resting develop and then relax the gluten. Kneading the dough briefly builds enough structure to hold the tortilla together, while the resting periods, first as a whole ball, then again after portioning and shaping, let the gluten relax. This relaxation is what makes the dough roll out thin without shrinking back or fighting you, if the dough does shrink while rolling, an extra rest fixes it.
Rolling the dough very thin is essential for texture. Rolling each portion into a very thin round (about 1 to 2 millimeters) ensures the tortilla cooks through quickly and evenly without a thick, doughy center. Thin rolling combined with quick, high-heat cooking is what gives tortillas their characteristic light, pliable texture rather than a dense, bread-like one.
And cooking hot and dry, then steaming under a towel, is what keeps them soft. A hot, dry skillet (no oil) cooks each tortilla quickly, creating bubbles and light brown spots without drying it out. Transferring the cooked tortilla immediately to a towel-covered plate traps the steam, which keeps it soft and flexible as it and the others cool. A tortilla doesn’t need to fully inflate to be a success, some bubbling and light spotting is all you need.
What goes in
The ingredient list is short and simple.
You’ll need all-purpose flour, sourdough starter or discard, warm water, neutral oil, fine salt, and a little additional flour for rolling.
A few notes. Either active sourdough starter or unfed discard works well here. A starter maintained at around 100% hydration performs best. Avoid adding too much extra flour during kneading or rolling, since this can make the tortillas dry, use just enough to prevent excessive sticking. And don’t add oil to the skillet, the tortillas are meant to cook dry.
How to make them
In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, oil, and salt. Stir until the starter loosens and everything is mostly combined.
Add the flour and mix with a spoon or dough scraper until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth, soft, and pliable. Add only a small amount of flour if it’s excessively sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball, return it to the bowl, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Divide the rested dough into 8 portions, about 60 grams each. Shape each into a smooth ball, keeping them covered so they don’t dry out.
Let the shaped dough balls rest for another 10 minutes, this makes them easier to roll without shrinking.
Preheat a large, dry skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Do not add oil.
Lightly flour your work surface. Flatten one dough ball with your palm, then roll it into a very thin round, about 1 to 2 millimeters thick.
Place the rolled tortilla in the hot skillet and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, until bubbles form and the underside develops light brown spots.
Flip and cook the second side for another 20 to 30 seconds. The tortilla may bubble in several spots or inflate fully.
Transfer the cooked tortilla to a clean kitchen towel and cover it immediately to trap the steam and keep it soft.
Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Serve warm, or let cool completely before storing.
Tips, serving, and storing
A few things help. Don’t over-flour the dough while kneading or rolling, a little dryness compounds fast. Keep both the raw dough balls and cooked tortillas covered at all times to prevent drying out. If the dough shrinks back while rolling, give it another short rest, it’ll roll out easily after. And make sure your skillet is hot enough to cook each tortilla quickly without burning it.
A couple more. A tortilla doesn’t need to puff up completely to be perfect, some light bubbling and spotting is all you’re after. And rolling thin (1 to 2mm) is more important than most people realize, it’s the difference between a light, pliable tortilla and a thick, doughy one.
These tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, wraps, and breakfast burritos, or simply warmed and served alongside a meal with butter. Their softness and flexibility mean they fold and roll without cracking, which makes them ideal for anything you plan to wrap tightly. Serve them fresh and warm whenever you can for the best texture.
For storing, keep cooled tortillas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. To freeze, layer parchment paper between each tortilla and store in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Reheat briefly in a dry skillet or wrapped in a damp towel in the microwave to soften them back up.
This makes 8 medium tortillas. Soft, flexible, and full of subtle sourdough tang, these homemade tortillas fold and roll without cracking, and they’re a wonderful way to use up starter while making something genuinely better than store-bought.
WP Tasty (Tasty Recipes Premium) field values
- Category: Bread (Tortillas)
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American-Inspired, Mexican-Inspired
- Diet: Vegetarian (contains wheat, so not gluten-free. Naturally dairy-free and egg-free, so vegan as written.)
- Keywords: sourdough tortillas, homemade sourdough tortillas, sourdough discard tortillas, soft flour tortillas, flexible tortillas
- Serving Size: 1 medium tortilla (recipe makes 8)
- Calories: 170 (from source; full nutrition is in the JSON.)
- Equipment: Large dry skillet or cast-iron pan, mixing bowl, dough scraper, rolling pin
Soft Sourdough Tortillas
Equipment
- Large dry skillet or cast-iron pan
- Mixing Bowl
- Dough scraper
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 100 g sourdough starter or discard about 1/2 cup; active starter or unfed discard both work
- 110 g warm water about 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp
- 30 g neutral oil about 2 tbsp
- 6 g fine salt about 1 tsp
- additional flour for rolling, as needed
Instructions
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the sourdough starter, warm water, oil, and salt. Stir until the starter loosens and everything is mostly combined.
- Add Flour: Add the flour and mix with a spoon or dough scraper until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
- Knead: Transfer to a clean surface and knead about 5 minutes, until smooth, soft, and pliable. Add only a small amount of flour if excessively sticky.
- First Rest: Shape into a ball, return to the bowl, cover, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Divide and Shape: Divide the dough into 8 portions (about 60g each). Shape each into a smooth ball, keeping them covered.
- Second Rest: Let the shaped dough balls rest another 10 minutes, this makes them easier to roll without shrinking.
- Preheat: Preheat a large dry skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Do not add oil.
- Roll: Lightly flour the work surface. Flatten one dough ball, then roll into a very thin round, about 1 to 2mm thick.
- Cook: Place in the hot skillet and cook 30 to 45 seconds, until bubbles form and the underside develops light brown spots. Flip and cook the other side 20 to 30 seconds more; it may bubble or inflate fully.
- Steam and Repeat: Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and cover immediately to trap steam and keep soft. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Serve warm or cool completely before storing.
