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Many years ago, when I first started making my own sourdough, I decided that I must put some sourdough starter in ALL the things. This was a good thing because sourdough only makes things better! When I first made the leap to make sourdough tortillas, my mind was blown!
Sourdough Discard Recipe
I had been making flour tortillas from scratch for a while and one day I decided to add a bit of sourdough starter and wow, what a difference it made. If you’re on the search for sourdough discard recipes, these sourdough tortillas are perfect!
Ingredients
All-purpose flour: I use organic for this recipe, and another option is to swap out one half cup of all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour if you like that texture.
Butter or ghee: Using saturated fat for this recipe makes the tortillas more tender, I get great results with ghee and butter. Feel free to substitute with coconut oil or a high-quality source of lard if you have access to it.
Sourdough starter: This is the star of the show! It’s ok to use discard, too. If you’re wondering the best way to make homemade tortillas taste better, it’s sourdough!
How to Make Sourdough Tortillas
Now I will show you how to make these super easy and wonderfully tasty sourdough tortillas! Keep in mind that you’ll want to start this recipe at least 4 hours ahead of time and up to a full day ahead of time.
First pulse the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor, then add the butter or ghee.
Pulse in the fat. Of course, you do not need a food processor to do this, it will just take a bit more elbow grease to do it by hand with a fork.
Next, add the sourdough starter and pulse that in.
Then turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle in the warm water just until a dough ball forms. NOTE: You might not need to use the entire half cup of water.
Then turn the dough out onto a floured board and give it a few kneads until it is soft.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (or better yet, homemade beeswax wraps) and let it rest for at least 4 hours to 24 hours.
The dough can rest for even longer, up to several days. Keep it in the fridge and take it out for a few hours to let it come up to room temperature before you roll the sourdough tortillas out.
When it’s tortilla making time, divide the dough into 6 roughly equal size pieces (or 12 if you’ve doubled the recipe).
Flatten each of these into small round discs.
Stack the dough discs except for one on the side of your board, then roll the one out very thin. Make sure to keep flour at hand as you will need it to keep the tortillas from sticking to the board.
If you have a tortilla press you can use it instead of a rolling pin, but it is not necessary.
Heat a large cast iron skillet, or another heavy-bottomed pan, on medium heat. The pan should be dry, with no oil at all.
Once your skillet is hot, put the rolled-out tortilla in it. It should start to bubble rather quickly.
In the meantime, start rolling out your next tortilla.
After a minute or two, flip the tortilla in the pan.
You should see a few nice little brown spots and it will probably bubble a bit on the second side as well. This side takes less time, maybe a minute, but no more.
Take it out of the pan and put your next rolled-out tortilla in. Repeat this until you’ve cooked all of your tortillas. You are probably covered in flour by now! This, my friends, is a good thing.
Stack up your cooked tortillas on a plate or board. Revel in the awesomeness that you just created.
You just made tortillas! So easy, with just a bit of forethought, yet without all of the preservatives and hydrogenated oils that most regular store-bought tortillas contain. Plus, sourdough!
The perfect vessel for your next taco of choice, just add some shredded pork shoulder or slow-cooker shredded chicken and the rest of the fixings you like.
Eat and Store Sourdough Tortillas
I’m always surprised by how easy making things from scratch really is. At first, it may seem daunting, but once you actually do it you realize that it’s not only quite simple but much tastier too!
The most important step in all of this is planning. If you know that you’re going to make tacos for dinner, then you can plan to make these sourdough tortillas. Making your own tortillas is totally worth the few extra minutes it takes.
This recipe is great to make a double or even triple batch! If you’re making them, you might as well make enough for a crowd. Then you’ll always be well prepared for taco night!
Store sourdough tortillas in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator. If you make a large batch, they freeze well too. Just thaw them out and warm them before eating to prevent cracking. Enjoy!
Here are a few of my otherfavorite, delicious sourdough recipes:
- No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Rye Bread
- Sourdough Pizza
- Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes
- Sourdough Naan Bread
- Mini Sourdough Appetizer Pizzas
- Sourdough Flatbread
- Sourdough Discard Bagels
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4.81 from 36 votes
Sourdough Tortillas
Make these easy sourdough tortillas using sourdough starter or discard. These tortillas are full of flavor with this recipe made in a cast iron skillet.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Resting Time 4 hours hours
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Servings 6 tortillas
Calories 157kcal
Author Colleen @ Grow Forage Cook Ferment
Equipment
Plastic Wrap (or reusable beeswax wrap)
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 1½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp butter or ghee
- ¼ cup sourdough starter
- ½ cup warm water
Instructions
Place the flour, salt, and baking powder into a food processor and pulse to combine.
Add the butter (or ghee) and pulse until coarse crumbs form.
Add the sourdough starter, and pulse until combined.
Turn on the food processor and slowly drizzle in the warm water just until a dough ball forms. You may not need to use the entire half cup of water.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead a few times until it's soft.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap) and set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
When you're ready to make the tortillas, remove the dough from the plastic wrap and divide into 6 roughly equal sized pieces.
Flatten each dough piece into a disc, then roll the disc into a thin tortilla, using a sprinkle of flour to prevent sticking if necessary.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Allow it to get very hot. Then, place a tortilla into the dry skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles start to form. Flip and cook on the other side for an additional minute.
Remove the tortilla from the skillet and repeat the rolling and cooking with the remaining discs.
Notes
- You’ll want to start this recipe at least 4 hours ahead and up to a full day ahead of time to allow time for the dough to rest.
- This recipe can easily be doubled if you need more tortillas.
- 1/2 cup of the flour could be whole wheat
Nutrition
Serving: 1tortilla | Calories: 157kcal
