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Calling these the best soft flour sourdough tortillas might seem outlandish, but you’ll learn 10 key techniques (some unusual) that make them the best in this post.

Growing up in California, I’ve grown very fond and particular about Mexican food. I don’t want to make thick, stiff tortillas that lack flavor so you’ll learn all my tips to make the best tortillas.

These tortillas are delicious and turn out soft, light, and pillowy. Learn the recipe and techniques in this post and video!

Ideal flour tortilla texture

Store-bought tortillas are usually rubbery, thick, and not very flexible. Not to mention they don’t have much flavor and have a bunch of unhealthy additives to preserve freshness and flexibility in storage.

If you ever have the opportunity to enjoy fresh tortillas from a Mexican bakery, they are very thin, soft, airy, delicious, and have a somewhat flaky pull apart consistency while still being flexible and strong enough to hold together ingredients for a taco or burrito.

Taco night is something our family enjoys very frequently, often two nights each week. So I’ve been making homemade tortillas for many years.

But I’ve never been fully satisfied with my sourdough versions. I tried other recipes and my own experimenting, but they always fell short compared to my basic non-sourdough recipe.

I came across this recipe for “Paper thin soft, chewy Sonoran-style flour tortillas” by Lady & Pups (not sourdough ) and learned so much from her techniques! Her method is very detailed and time intensive but the results were as promised… perfect paper thin, soft, chewy tortillas with incredible flavor! She has a very unique technique that comes from the making of Peking duck crepes that was fascinating!

Anyway, this sourdough tortilla recipe does not need as much hands-on work but creates delicious tortillas with the perfect texture.

Soft Flour Sourdough Tortilla Ingredients

Use these simple ingredients to make 16 5-6 inch taco sized tortillas (32 3-inch street taco sized tortillas or 8 7-inch large taco sized tortillas):

170 grams very warm water, 110-120 degrees F (1/2 cup and 3 T.)
12 grams fine salt (2 tsp.)
340 grams bread flour (2 1/4 cups)
60-70 grams active sourdough starter (about 2/3 cup)
28 grams unsalted butter, softened (2 T.)

Tools for making Sourdough Tortillas

Mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer
Heat safe liquid measuring carafe
Kettle
Dough scraper or bench knife
French style rolling pin with tapered ends, this one is my favorite from Earlywood Designs and is made in the U.S.
Large cast iron skillet or griddle*
Metal or wood spatula or flipper, this large flat wooden spatula flipper is the one I use.
Plastic wrap
Tea towel or Kitchen towel
Optional: tortilla warmer and keeper

Notes:

You can use a non cast iron large skillet, but you may need to adjust your temperature since many different materials can cook differently.

Unfortunately, a tortilla press won’t work for shaping flour tortillas. White flour tortillas must be rolled out with firm pressure to become thin and stretched correctly. A tortilla press is more appropriate for corn or some whole wheat flour tortillas, like ones made with Sonora wheat.

10 Key Techniques for Making Tortillas

To create the chewy consistency in the tortillas, very warm water is used in making the dough. This temperature has to be managed differently in sourdough tortillas to avoid damaging the microorganisms in the sourdough starter.
Gluten development is also key to tortilla strength and texture. So using bread flour creates the best results, all-purpose flour has less gluten and won’t create the ideal texture.
The kneading process is very important in this recipe. If you use a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment. Do not use the paddle which will negatively impact gluten development.
Delay adding the fat (butter or lard). The mixture of flour, water, and salt needs to be kneaded thoroughly to develop gluten and strength in the dough before adding the fat.
The best way to develop gluten, help the dough relax so it doesn’t resist shaping, and give the sourdough time to develop more flavor and digestibility is by resting the dough. There are two stages of rest, bulk fermentation after the dough is kneaded, and after the dough is divided and preshaped.
Shape each section of dough into a tight, smooth tortilla dough ball for a better end result.
Balls of tortilla dough dry out easily, make sure they stay covered and protected from air exposure during the resting and cooking periods.
A strange technique I use for shaping is firmly hitting each dough ball with my heavy rolling pin before I begin rolling them out. I can’t remember where I saw this or picked this up, but I have noticed it helps the dough roll out more easily. Potentially because they are flattened discs or potentially because it helps relax the gluten more, or both?
Make sure your skillet is hot! Not so hot that your tortillas are burning or smoking, but they should cook rapidly. If they cook too slowly they will become dry and brittle.
To keep tortillas from drying out, wrap them up in a tea towel or kitchen towel before serving. The steam from the hot cooked tortillas keeps them soft and stretchy. Another option is using a tortilla warmer and keeper.

Why use Active Sourdough Starter?

As I mentioned above, I have experimented with sourdough tortillas numerous times. I’ve tested recipes with sourdough starter discard and active sourdough starter.

This recipe with the techniques described above was tested with both kinds of starter.

Simply put, discard WILL NOT give you the results you want. Discard contains very hungry microorganisms that have multiplied exponentially over time as well as waste byproducts from the fermentation process including microorganisms that have expired.

This means that this multiplied population of microbes is hungry and unhealthy which doesn’t bode well for the rest of our dough.

These microbes not only consume flour, they decompose it. So discard also contains decomposed flour which also doesn’t help with the dough’s overall gluten strength.

A healthy, active starter is at a different stage of the process and will enhance dough strength, gluten development, and flavor. So using active starter is the better choice for the best sourdough tortillas.

Starter Preparation for Sourdough Tortillas

You will need a healthy, established sourdough starter for making this recipe. If you need to buy one or make one, here are my resources to get started!

To prepare your sourdough starter for making homemade sourdough tortillas, add one tablespoon of starter from your most recent batch of active starter or discard to a 1-pint jar or similar container.

Then add water and fresh white flour (all-purpose or bread flour can both be used to feed a starter). Mix well, and leave at room temperature.

Let the starter sit at room temperature for 6 to 12 hours until it is doubled in volume, full of large bubbles, and smells fragrant like ripe fruit.

The time range will depend on the room temperature in your kitchen, starting temperature of ingredients, and weather.

Learn more about sourdough starters in these posts:

Making the Sourdough Tortilla Dough

Boil about 2 cups of water. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the hot water to a heat safe measuring carafe.

Put a thermometer in the water to measure the temperature. Add cooler water to the carafe until the temperature range is 110 to 120 degrees F.

Place a mixing bowl on the kitchen scale and tare the weight. Add the very warm water, bread flour, salt, and active starter.

Mix with a spoon or with a dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer.

Kneading the Sourdough Tortilla Dough

Knead this dough by hand or with a dough hook in a stand mixer on medium-low speed for 6 to 10 minutes.

The dough should pull away from the bowl or work surface, it should look smooth, bounce back when poked with a finger, and when you bend the dough it shouldn’t break apart easily, it should be elastic.

Once your dough has reached this stage, it is time to knead in the softened unsalted butter or lard until the fat is completely incorporated.

This final stage of kneading will take 4 to 10 minutes depending on whether you are doing it by hand or with a machine. It should have the same characteristics as I mentioned above (not sticky, smooth, bounces back, elastic) when it is done being kneaded and ready to rest.

For this resting or bulk fermentation stage, doubling in volume isn’t important. But you do want to cover the dough with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container for at least 2 hours up to 6 hours.

Dividing the Tortilla Dough

Place the dough on an unfloured surface.

You can divide the dough by weight or visually by rolling the dough into a log shape then using a bench knife or sharp end of a dough scraper to divide the dough into fourths. Then divide each fourth of dough into fourths again to create 16 equal pieces of dough.

Take each piece of dough and preshape by pulling the ends of the dough out and then under itself repeatedly to create a smooth round top. Pinch the ends to the bottom of the developing ball of dough to help create the tight shape and tension.

Once it’s completely smooth and tight, place on the top of the unfloured work surface or on a baking sheet to rest.

Continue with the rest of your pieces of dough until they are all lined up in neat rows. Cover the balls of dough with plastic wrap to seal out all air exposure and lay a kitchen towel on top of the plastic wrap to make sure the plastic is weighed down.

Let the dough balls rest for a recommended 2 to 4 hours. I have done only 1 hour and the results were good, but recommend at least 2 hours.

Preparing the Skillet

Heat up a large cast iron pan over medium to medium-high heat (natural gases run hotter, so start with medium) for about 10 to 20 minutes to make sure it is thoroughly heated. Place a large plate near your cooking area for the cooked tortillas.

Do not uncover all the balls of dough because they will dry out easily.

While they are still covered, take off the towel temporarily and firmly hit each row of dough balls with the rolling pin 1 to 2 times. Adjust the plastic wrap if needed and put the towel back on top.

Take out one piece of dough and recover the rest with the plastic wrap and the towel.

Place it on your work surface next to where your hot pan is waiting.

Shaping the Tortillas

Use your rolling pin to roll out the dough from the center to the outside edges with firm pressure. Pick up the dough and rotate to roll out the other direction. Continue rolling from the center to stretch the dough into a circle.

Once your dough is about 4 to 5 inches wide, begin to focus on rolling the edges thin by applying firm pressure at an angle. This is much easier with a tapered French-design rolling pin.

Roll the dough until it is the same thickness across, is almost see-through (if your work surface is granite or has a pattern, you should begin to see it), and is 5 to 6 inches wide.

Notes:

I usually do not add flour to my work surface since my dough is well developed and not sticky. I also find that on my smooth granite counter, the dough stays in place better without flour. If you prefer to add a light dusting of flour to your work surface they will still turn out well. Make sure to use only a very light dusting so they don’t slide too much.
I use a French Rolling Pin from USA based company Earlywood Designs. It is my favorite one and does a great job on rolling the edges of dough. You can check it out in several colors here: French rolling pin

Cooking the Sourdough Tortillas

Add the thin, shaped tortilla to the hot pan. Let it cook for 5 to 10 seconds on the first side. The edges should be set and not give when using the spatula or flipper.

Flip the tortilla over to cook on the second side for 10 to 15 seconds. Give gentle pressure around the edges of the tortilla to ensure even cooking (the pressure shouldn’t leave an indentation).

Then, flip the tortilla again to finish cooking the first side and to try to get the center to fill with steamy air. Gently press on the edges of the dough to try to create an air pocket. Once you see an air pocket forming, gently apply pressure to encourage the steamy air to open up more of the tortilla center.

This should happen almost immediately after flipping and applying pressure so if you don’t see it puffing up quickly, within 5 seconds or so, place on the waiting plate for finished tortillas.

Great Recipes to go with Tortillas

How to keep Sourdough Tortillas from drying out

The goal when cooking the tortillas is to cook them quickly so they don’t dry out and make the center fully puff into a pillow before removing to the serving plate.

Stack the cooked tortillas on top of each other. The hot steam will keep them soft and pliable as the others cook.

Once all the tortillas are cooked, wrap them in a tea towel or kitchen towel to keep them soft for serving. A tortilla warmer and keeper can be used to store the cooked tortillas as well. Either method (the tortilla warmer or a towel) will keep the tortillas from drying out while allowing enough steam to escape so the tortillas don’t become sticky.

Storing Sourdough Tortillas

Unlike how I advise people to store sourdough bread (not to use a plastic bag and not to use the fridge), I have found that the delicate texture of thin soft, chewy tortillas is best preserved by storing them in a ziplock bag once they are completely cooled down.

I keep my bag of tortillas in the fridge.

On our first taco night of the week, these tortillas are used as a base for delicious beef soft tacos. If I have time, I make a double batch and save half of the tortillas for leftovers or beef enchiladas.

Savor and Share

I hope you enjoy making these homemade flour tortillas for your family!

Share the recipe with a friend who loves sourdough and tacos (who doesn’t?!)

After you try it, send me a note, leave a review comment, or tag me on facebook or instagram @livingbreadbaker

I love seeing what you create!

More great sourdough recipes pair with your next dinner

Need more sourdough help?

A competent guide is the big difference from floundering in sourdough with information overwhelm to having confidence and ease in your sourdough baking.

If you are just starting on your sourdough journey, you can get my free Quick Start Sourdough Guide to begin learning some of the key terms and concepts in sourdough. Learn the difference between the sourdough stages of active sourdough starter and sourdough discard as well as how to care for a starter.

Perfect for new or experienced bakers, I have a full Sourdough Time Planning Workbook with 8 templates ready to fill in and a baking journal. The 8 templates include 4 different ways to make classic sourdough country breads, 3 time planning worksheets for enriched sourdough bread depending on serving time target, and a blank template. The baking journal goes over baker’s percentages and how to take notes on your sourdough bakes.

Living Bread Baker posts mentioned

How to Know When your Sourdough Starter is Ready (8 signs)

When is sourdough bulk fermentation finished?

When is sourdough finished proofing?

What is a sourdough starter?

Easy & Soft Savory Sourdough Cheese Twist Rolls

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Heat safe liquid measuring carafe

12-inch Lodge cast-iron skillet

Tortilla warmer and keeper

4-qt Cambro container

Earlywood Designs French rolling pin

Food scale

Parchment baking sheets

FREE Sourdough Quick Start Guide

Sourdough Time Planning Workbook

My Intro. to Sourdough online course

My sourdough starter

Breadtopia live starter

Cultures for Health starter

Sourdough Time Planning Workbook & Baking Journal

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