Homemade Burrito Tortillas

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (~250g)
• 3/4 tsp table salt (~4g)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp lard (~63g)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp very hot water (~133g)

Make the Dough

Add the all-purpose flour to a large mixing bowl, followed by the salt, and whisk to combine. Add the lard. Work the lard into the flour with your fingertips, as you would for pie dough, until the entire mixture becomes pebbly and resembles coarse sand.

Hydrate and Knead

Heat the water until it is just under a full boil; you should see steam, but not a rolling boil. Pour the hot water into the flour and lard mixture.

Be careful, as the dough will be hot.

Use a wooden spoon or a dough whisk to mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms and all the dry flour is absorbed. Turn the dough out onto your work surface. The hot water has already done most of the work in forming gluten, so you do not need to knead this for long.

Knead the dough for just ~1-2 minutes, until it becomes relatively smooth and pliable. Overworking it will only make it difficult to roll out later.

Wrap the dough ball in plastic or cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest for at least ~30 minutes. This rest is critical for relaxing the gluten, do not skip it.

Portion and Cook the Tortillas

Divide the rested dough into equal portions.

For large burrito-sized tortillas, make ~6 balls (about 75g each).

For smaller taco-sized tortillas, make ~15 balls (about 30g each).

Set a cast-iron skillet, comal, or griddle over medium-low heat. You want a steady, moderate heat – not an aggressive sear; Do not add any oil to the skillet.

Working one by one, roll a dough ball out on a lightly floured surface. Keep the other dough balls covered so they don’t dry out. Roll the tortilla until it is thin enough that you can almost see through it.

Place the thin tortilla onto the dry, hot skillet. Cook for ~45-60 seconds on the first side. You should see large bubbles begin to form and browned spots appearing underneath when you check.

Flip the tortilla and cook for another ~30-45 seconds, until the other side is also lightly browned.

Remove the finished tortilla and immediately place it in a clean kitchen towel or a tortilla warmer. Stacking them and keeping them covered is essential.

This process traps the steam, which is what makes the final tortillas soft and pliable.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

Homemade Burrito Tortillas

Store-bought tortillas are stiff, crack when rolled, and are never big enough for a proper burrito. This recipe is the solution. Using lard and very hot water makes the dough pliable enough to roll paper-thin without tearing, which is the key to getting soft, restaurant-quality tortillas at home.

prep time:45 minutes mins

cook time:15 minutes mins

Rest Time30 minutes mins

total time:1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ~250g
• ▢ 3/4 tsp table salt ~4g
• ▢ 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp lard ~63g
• ▢ 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp very hot water ~133g

Instructions

• Whisk flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Work lard into flour with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Pour hot water into flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead dough for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
• Cover and rest dough for 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into 6 large or 15 small balls.
• Roll each ball on floured surface until very thin.
• Cook tortillas on dry medium-low skillet for 45-60 seconds per side.
• Transfer cooked tortillas to towel-lined container to keep soft.

Notes

Keep uncooked dough balls covered while working to prevent drying.

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