Soft Sourdough Tortillas
Soft, flexible homemade sourdough tortillas made with simple pantry ingredients. Sourdough starter adds a mild tang and tender texture, while short rests make the dough easy to roll thin. Each tortilla cooks quickly in a dry skillet and stays pliable enough to fold without cracking.
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.
Notes
Active sourdough starter or unfed discard both work; a starter at about 100% hydration works best. Do not add oil to the skillet. Avoid too much extra flour while kneading or rolling, it can make the tortillas dry. If the dough shrinks while rolling, cover and rest 10 more minutes. Keep uncooked dough balls and cooked tortillas covered at all times. The skillet should be hot enough to cook each tortilla quickly without burning. A tortilla doesn't need to inflate fully to be successful. Roll very thin to avoid thick, doughy centers. Keeps 2 days at room temperature, 1 week refrigerated, or 3 months frozen (parchment between each tortilla).