a tack of soft and foldable tortillas made with fresh milled flour
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How To Make The Perfect Soft Tortillas Made With Fresh Milled Flour

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How To Make The Perfect Soft Tortillas From Fresh Milled Flour, I want to dive in and show you how this can be done, and easily as long as you follow my simple tricks. A Flour tortilla is a simple, yet versatile culinary gem, so why is it then, so many things can go wrong when we try to make them at home? Let’s take a deep look behind the scenes, and do some troubleshooting. But, first we need to discuss what is the perfect flour tortilla Recipe? Well, It is not always just in the recipe, sometimes it is simply the technique or method that can make or break it!

a tack of soft and foldable tortillas made with fresh milled flour

What Is The Perfect Tortilla?

So, what is the perfect tortilla? Well, I say that depends on who you ask. And, each person you ask will probably have a different opinion. However, I do think there is one thing we can ALL agree on, and that is a homemade tortilla, served fresh is the best tortilla!

Troubleshooting Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas

I tested multiple different variations of my favorite tortilla recipe. And, of course I made them each with fresh milled flour. So, let’s jump in together and see all the fails and successes along the way.

What Liquid Is Best For Making Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas?

I made several batches using water, milk, and a buttermilk substitute. And, I was surprised to find out that the traditional option of water preformed the worst for me. Not to say that they were terrible, of course they were still edible, but we can do better. When I used milk instead of water, I got more of the browned bubbly goodness! So, I opted to continue on with the milk as the liquid. But, then I decided I would try adding vinegar to my milk to make a buttermilk “substitute” (To be honest, I would have just used buttermilk, but I did not have any on hand.) But, this made a nice difference with the amount of bubbling action! So, with this milk & vinegar combo (which honestly sounds, and kind of looks disgusting) I found to be the best browning & bubbling! So, I stuck with that!

hands milling grains in a grain mill
Milling half hard white and half Kamut (Khorasan) Wheat.

What Kind Of Wheat Should I Use To Make Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas?

I tested out many different wheat variations, and combinations of wheat berries. Some were easier to work with than others, and some tasted better than others. Again, this does come down to personal preferences. But, hands down 4 out of 4 of my family members. The recipe I share with you here was the favorite, and hit all the points of a perfectly cooked, soft flour tortilla. We decided that half hard white and half Kamut (Khorasan Wheat) was the perfect balance. Those perfect points I was looking for were as follows:

  • How easy is the dough to work with?
  • Did the dough dry out too much?
  • How soft was the dough?
  • Did the tortilla dough roll out easily?
  • Was there enough gluten & strength to hold the dough up to thin rolling, lifting, and flipping?
  • Was I able to roll it out super thin?
  • Did they remain soft even after they cooled down?
  • Lastly, and most importantly, did it taste good!
hands using a measuring spoon to pour olive oil into the fresh milled flour to make tortillas
I am using olive oil and drizzling it in the flour mixture, before adding the wet ingredients.

What Fat Should I Use To Make Flour Tortillas With Fresh Milled Flour?

This may be controversial, because I am not using the traditional lard in this recipe. But, I figured, with the delicious results I attained with the olive oil, why not keep it just a bit healthy. I didn’t feel it sacrificed from the flavor or texture at all! There are some areas lard is easily obtainable, and alternatively, some areas we have been in that has been impossible to find (unless it was ordered in.) So, I feel olive oil is a great choice for these reasons.

hands using a mini roller to roll out fresh milled flour tortilla dough on a mat with measurement markings.
I am rolling out the tortillas here with my pastry mat (super helpful that it has measurements to help.) Grab your mat HERE. Also, this little hand rolling pin works perfectly for getting them nice and round without ripping. You can grab that rolling pin pretty affordably HERE.

Why Do My Dough Balls Keep Shrinking When I Am Rolling Them Out?

When rolling out tortilla dough, and you find the dough just keep shrinking back, then the dough is telling you it is not quite ready. Put it back in the bowl, and cover it back up. Let that dough rest a bit longer, even 5 or 10 more minutes makes a world of a difference. Listening to our dough is one of the most important things we can do while baking, or cooking… anything really. Typically, the dough tells us what it needs.

finger pointing at smoke coming from a cast iron pan
Showing a little smoke coming from my cast iron skillet to make sure my pan is hot, and preheated completely before I start cooking the tortillas.

Tips For Making Soft Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas

It doesn’t matter what recipe you follow, if these 5 things are not right, then the results will be less than ideal.

  • The Heat Is Important! Make sure to preheat your pan well before you start cooking. Preheating your pan to the correct temperature is crucial! (I preheat cast iron pans for about 10-15 minutes, and regular pans for at least 5 minutes) You want the pan to be slightly smoking, but not billows of smoke.
  • Don’t Let The Dough Dry Out! Make note of the dryness of your dough during each step. If it seems dry in the mixing, then it will be too dry! Make sure the dough is soft and pliable, and not starting to form a skin.
  • Roll Your Tortillas Thin! Make sure to roll the tortillas thin. If your dough is ripping and breaking during rolling, it is too dry, and needs to be kneaded longer.
  • Don’t Overcook Your Tortillas! Overcooked tortillas, are crispy tortillas. No more than 1 minute on each side. I like to do about 30-40 seconds each side. If they don’t bubble up in the first minute, they probably aren’t going to. Maybe something else went wrong.
  • Keep Cooked Tortillas Covered! It is VERY important to make sure to have a kitchen towel or tortilla keeper on hand to put the freshly cooked tortillas into. Right after pulling them off the heat, wrap them in the towel. This helps retain the steam, and ensures your tortillas will remain soft & pliable.

So, if you follow those 5 tips, that will ensure a perfectly soft flour tortilla every time!

fresh milled flour tortillas wrapped in a kitchen towel, and one is folded many times showing how soft and pliable they are.
Make sure you keep your cooked tortillas wrapped in a towel to stay warm! This keeps the steam in and ensures a soft & pliable tortilla.

Ingredients To Make Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas

  • 2 cups fresh milled flour 240g (I milled half (120g) hard white(2/3c) & half( 120g) Kamut(2/3c) to get this.)
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder (make sure it is not old baking powder)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup milk 180g
  • 1 TBSP Vinegar
hands kneading fresh milled flour tortilla dough
Kneading the fresh milled flour tortilla dough after the first rest.

Instructions To Making Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas

Making The Tortilla Dough

  1. Mill the flour
  2. Add baking powder to the flour, stir in to incorporate.
  3. In a microwave safe container, put milk, vinegar, and salt. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute. Stir until milk is heated through, and salt has dissolved. It will appear lumpy form the vinegar (this is normal.)
  4. Drizzle olive oil over the flour and stir again.
  5. Then, make a well in the dry ingredients to add the milk mixture. Pour the milk mixture in and stir to combine. It will be sticky at this point. (if the dough is too dry, add a bit of warm water. Make sure all the freshly milled flour is wet, and no dry flour is left.
  6. Cover the bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes.
  7. While the dough is resting, make sure to get a towel to place the cooked tortillas in while they are still hot! This is important to keeping your tortillas soft & pliable!
  8. After the dough has had a chance to rest, start kneading the dough. Knead until the dough is smooth. (About 3-5 Minutes.) Then, form it into one ball, place back into a lightly oiled bowl and roll the ball to lightly coat the dough ball. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10 more minutes.
a ball of dough showing how soft it is, and rolling that dough into dough balls
This dough ball is ready after it’s rest, look how soft it is when I press on it. Then, I divide it and roll into smooth balls.

Shaping & Cooking The Tortilla Dough

  1. After the second rest period, divide the dough into 10 equal size portions. create a bit of surface tension, then roll into a ball. (You can watch me do all these steps in the video.)
  2. During this, I like to get my pan preheating. I place my cast iron pan on an induction coking top at 375*F at least 10-15 minutes before I can cook them. (If you don’t have the same setup as me, that is fine. Just preheat to medium, and if it is a regular pan, you may only need to preheat for 5 to 10 minutes.)
  3. Coat each ball in a little bit of olive oil, and place them back into the lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough balls sit for 10 more minutes.
  4. Once they have rested for the 3rd time, now it is time to roll and cook them.
  5. Flatten each dough piece with your hand a little bit, then flip the dough and roll it out into about an 8 inch round. (You want these to be very thin, I could see my rolling mat through mine.)
  6. Lift the dough gently trying not to tear it, so it doesn’t stick to your work surface. If you find things are sticking badly, you can coat your work surface with a little bit of oil. If your dough balls keep shrinking back up while rolling, they need to rest a bit longer.
  7. I like to lay each of my rolled out tortillas over the edge of the bowl while they are waiting to be cooked. Continue with the same for each dough ball.
hands laying the rolled tortillas over the side of the bowl
I am gently laying the tortillas over the edge of the bowl waiting to cook them. This worked out wonderfully!

Cooking The Tortillas

  1. Place the tortilla in the preheated hot pan (be careful not to burn yourself.) Wait 30-40 seconds (no longer than 1 minute.) Then, the tortilla should puff some bubbles, and the side facing the pan should have some browned spots. Flip, then cook on this side for another 30-40 seconds. If you didn’t get those dark spots on the first side, you can flip it back to the first side, and cook another 10-20 seconds. (If it hasn’t puffed up at this point, it probably isn’t going to. * See my blog post for troubleshooting tips.)
  2. While the dough is resting, make sure to get a towel to place the cooked tortillas in while they are still hot! This is important to keeping your tortillas soft & pliable!
  3. Stack each cooked tortilla on top of the next, making sure to keep them covered. Then, enjoy!
bubbling on the first side of a fresh milled flour tortilla in a cast iron skillet
This bubbling action should start in the first 30-40 seconds of cooking. If not, checkout the tips in the post to troubleshoot what could have gone wrong.

Can I Double This Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas Recipe?

You can double this recipe if you want to make more, but anymore than double, I just recommend a new batch all together, so things don’t get dried out too quickly. I set aside a day, and made 5 batches so I could have some in my freezer for the future.

a fresh milled flour tortilla puffing up in a cast iron skillet.
Not all of my tortillas completely inflated, but most of them did! Beautiful!

How To Store Your Tortillas (Fresh Milled Flour)

Store wrapped up in the fridge for 1-3 days. But, for longer term storage place small squares of parchment paper in between each tortilla, and put them in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 1 year. 

What To Serve In Your Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas?

These are very versatile tortillas! We like to mix things up and serve them in many different ways! Here are a few ideas:

  • Tacos, Burritos, etc (traditional)
  • Air Fried Flautas
  • BBQ shredded pork with coleslaw (Texas Style!)
  • Cut them into chips, and air fry
  • Warm with just butter
  • Butter, then add cinnamon and sugar (Dessert Idea!)
  • And so many more!

Do I Have To Have A Tortilla Press?

No, you can hand roll the tortillas, which is actually quite satisfying! I have a baking mat, and use a small little hand roller. Although a Tortilla Press will work with a flour tortilla, they work for corn tortillas much better. I think they are more likely to cause frustration, than they are to help. To prove this, I had a fancy tortilla press that cooked the tortillas and pressed them for me, and it cause some frustration, and it broke on me after only a couple uses! See where I broke my tortilla press HERE.

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My Flour Mill

Nuwave Induction Top

Cast Iron Pan

Every Day Storage Bins

Digital Kitchen Scale

Pastry Mat

Aluminum Free Baking Powder

Hard White Wheat

Kamut

My Favorite Mini Rolling Pin – This little rolling pin worked perfectly!

Check Out Some Of My Other Recipes

Kamut Pasta

Spelt Waffles

Chocolate Cake

Every Day Sandwich Bread

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Pizza Dough

Baked Chicken Flautas

Fresh Milled Flour Recipe Index

Sourdough Recipes

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Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas – Printable Recipe

a tack of soft and foldable tortillas made with fresh milled flour

The Perfect Fresh Milled Flour Tortillas

This is the perfect soft & pliable flour tortilla, and it is made with fresh milled flour! Checkout the post for tips and tricks, I troubleshoot some common problems while making tortillas at home from scratch. I hand roll these, but you could use a press if you prefer.
4.96 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
resting time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Course, tortilla
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 10 8 inch tortillas

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups fresh milled flour 240g I milled half (120g hard white(2/3c) & half( 120g) Kamut(2/3c) to get this.)
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder make sure it is not old baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup milk 180g
  • 1 TBSP Vinegar

Instructions
 

Make The Tortilla Dough

  • Mill the flour
    hands milling grains in a grain mill
  • Add baking powder to the flour, stir in to incorporate.
  • In a microwave safe container, put milk, vinegar, and salt. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute. Stir until milk is heated through, and salt has dissolved. It will appear lumpy form the vinegar (this is normal.)
  • Drizzle olive oil over the flour and stir again.
    hands using a measuring spoon to pour olive oil into the fresh milled flour to make tortillas
  • Then, make a well in the dry ingredients to add the milk mixture. Pour the milk mixture in and stir to combine. It will be sticky at this point. (if the dough is too dry, add a bit of warm water. Make sure all the freshly milled flour is wet, and no dry flour is left.
  • Cover the bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes.
  • While the dough is resting, make sure to get a towel to place the cooked tortillas in while they are still hot! This is important to keeping your tortillas soft & pliable!
  • After the dough has had a chance to rest, start kneading the dough. Knead until the dough is smooth. (About 3-5 Minutes.) Then, form it into one ball, place back into a lightly oiled bowl and roll the ball to lightly coat the dough ball. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10 more minutes.
    hands kneading fresh milled flour tortilla dough
  • After the second rest period, divide the dough into 10 equal size portions. create a bit of surface tension, then roll into a ball. (You can watch me do all these steps in the video.)
    a ball of dough showing how soft it is, and rolling that dough into dough balls
  • During this, I like to get my pan preheating. I place my cast iron pan on an induction coking top at 375*F at least 10-15 minutes before I can cook them. (If you don't have the same setup as me, that is fine. Just preheat to medium, and if it is a regular pan, you may only need to preheat for 5 to 10 minutes.) Coat each ball in a little bit of olive oil, and place them back into the lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough balls sit for 10 more minutes.
    finger pointing at smoke coming from a cast iron pan
  • Once they have rested for the 3rd time, now it is time to roll and cook them.
  • Flatten each dough piece with your hand a little bit, then flip the dough and roll it out into about an 8 inch round. (You want these to be very thin, I could see my rolling mat through mine.)
    hands using a mini roller to roll out fresh milled flour tortilla dough on a mat with measurement markings.
  • Lift the dough gently trying not to tear it, so it doesn't stick to your work surface. If you find things are sticking badly, you can coat your work surface with a little bit of oil. If your dough balls keep shrinking back up while rolling, they need to rest a bit longer.
  • I like to lay each of my rolled out tortillas over the edge of the bowl while they are waiting to be cooked. Continue with the same method for each dough ball.
    hands laying the rolled tortillas over the side of the bowl
  • Place the tortilla in the preheated hot pan (be careful not to burn yourself.) Wait 30-40 seconds (no longer than 1 minute.) Then, the tortilla should puff some bubbles, and the side facing the pan should have some browned spots. Flip, then cook on this side for another 30-40 seconds. If you didn't get those dark spots on the first side, you can flip it back to the first side, and cook another 10-20 seconds. (If it hasn't puffed up at this point, it probably isn't going to. * See my blog post for troubleshooting tips.)
    bubbling on the first side of a fresh milled flour tortilla in a cast iron skillet
  • While the dough is resting, make sure to get a towel to place the cooked tortillas in while they are still hot! This is important to keeping your tortillas soft & pliable!
    a fresh milled flour tortilla puffing up in a cast iron skillet.
  • Stack each cooked tortilla on top of the next, making sure to keep them covered. Then, enjoy!
    fresh milled flour tortillas wrapped in a kitchen towel, and one is folded many times showing how soft and pliable they are.

Video

Notes

You can double this recipe if you want to make more, but anymore than double, I just recommend a new batch all together, so things don’t get dried out too quickly. I set aside a day, and made 5 batches so I could have some in my freezer for the future.
Store wrapped up in the fridge for 1-3 days. But, for longer term storage place small squares of parchment paper in between each tortilla, and put them in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 1 year.Ā 
Keyword flour tortilla, fresh ground flour, fresh milled flour, freshly milled flour, tortillas

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98 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have to say that ive tried several FM tortilla recipes and they all pale in comparison to this recipe. Im kinda of glad to see that the tortilla cooker did not work for you because i thought it was just me. I did well with your rollout method. These were so buttery tasting without all that extra fat in other recipes..i used buttermilk and it worked great. Im so excited and hubby loved it! Glad i found your recipes. Ive made a couple recipes now.

    Reply

    1. Awesome! I am so happy to hear that! We make a double batch almost every week! lol. Yes, that tortilla press ended up being much more of a pain than just rolling them out. But, that mini roller was worth it’s weight in gold! Thanks so much! šŸ˜Š

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Hi! Thank you for this recipe! The dough was easy to work with and everything came together great. Taste was amazing. I do have some questions bc I did not follow the recipe exactly and the tortillas were hard on the edges. I’m wondering if it was bc, as I began the recipe I realized I didn’t have any milk, I used heavy cream (what I had). Do you think the hard edges happened bc the dough wasn’t hydrated enough perhaps due to the heavy cream? That was my only change. Everything else I followed and all the rest times, etc

    Reply

    1. That is possible, or if they were cooked a bit too long could cause that. The most important thing for keeping them soft is to make sure to wrap them completely in a kitchen/tea towel right after cooking while they are still warm. That keeps the steam in and keeps them super soft!

      Reply

      1. Yes I kept them wrapped while cooking the others. I rolled one at a time as I cooked them and kept the other balls covered. I also cooked them about 45 seconds on each side. Maybe more since I was doing this with my daughter. So perhaps it was the longer cook time? It was just the edges that were hard. Hmmm. I’ll give it a try with milk next time to see if that was the issue. Thanks!

        Reply

        1. I see you kept the dough balls covered, did you also keep the cooked ones covered so that the steam kept them soft? I am just making sure I understand correctly. šŸ˜‰ The milk does help soften them, so let me know how it goes next time! šŸ™‚

          Reply

          1. Yes cooked ones were kept covered too. I will update once I make them correctly with milk next time lol. Thanks for responding to all my questions! I appreciate it!

  5. 5 stars
    I tried a different whole grain tortilla recipe and they were awful.
    I am so happy I tried your recipe though. These turned out excellent!
    Thank you, Kara!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    These were amazing! Iā€™ve tried multiple recipes and this is by far the best! I switched to milling my own grains a few months ago and my kids have not liked my tortillas sinceā€¦ Until tonight! Thank you so much will make over and over again šŸ˜Š

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    These are amazing! I compeleted the recipe as written but after forming the balls and 3rd 10 min rise, I left in fridge till ready to eat. I cooked the tortillas and placed in a warmer till dinner. I have never made tortillas before and these were so easy and delicious! I recommend this recipe for sure! Easy to follow directions and perfect results!

    Reply

  8. Hi! What is the best way to reheat these after theyā€™ve been frozen so theyā€™re soft and pliable again? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. We let them thaw at room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours, and they are nice and soft. OR you can wrap them in a wet towel and reheat in the microwave for just a short time. Leave them in a towel once hot to keep the steam in.

      Reply

  10. You may have addressed this in another comment but what can I use to substitute for kamut. I donā€™t have kamut and would really like to make a batch of these today. Your dinner rolls were a hit! Thanks.

    Reply

  12. 4 stars
    The taste of these was great, but the process was a nightmare for me. I’ve tried making tortillas several times over the years, and never had success. I have mastered all kinds of skills and recipes in the kitchen, including your excellent whole wheat sourdough, but tortillas have been my nemesis. I desperately want to be able to make my own, because we eat a lot of Mexican food, and store-bought tortillas are so unhealthy! Not to mention good fresh tortillas can take a meal from “boring” to “exciting” with simple pantry ingredients!
    So my first problem was sticky dough. I oiled my mat and my hands but my dough didn’t act like yours until I coated everything with flour. I was happy with how things were going with shaping the dough into balls, but when it was time to roll out, everything went wrong. The dough stuck to my surface, so I kept adding either more flour or more oil. Then when I got it rolled as thinly as I thought it should be, I found it difficult to transfer the thin uncooked tortillas to my hot pan. How do you transfer them flat to the pan without them folding or wrinkling in places?
    The only thing that helped me some in the end was to make my doughballs smaller and roll them out on my silicone sourdough sling and then flip it upside-down on to my pan and peel the silicone sling off while the first side cooked. I might try this recipe again using that hack, but for now I’m defeated.

    Reply

    1. I am sorry to hear that. I do have another video on troubleshooting tortillas, where I make many different ones with different wheats, etc. (I have 2 different videos on tortillas.) What kind of wheat are you using, and what mill? Here is that other video https://youtu.be/0NUbOhheYc8

      Reply

  13. How do you keep the tortilla from shrinking while you are rolling it out? I’ve tried to make tortillas without a press, and as soon as I roll them out to a good size, they shrink up to small odd shapes, and then they are very chewy.

    Reply

    1. The shrinking is caused by the gluten not being relaxed. Each time you shape them or roll them into the balls, etc they need some time to relax a bit. Allow more time between shaping them and rolling them for the dough to relax a bit. Also, this can happen if the dough starts to get too dry. I share lots of helpful tips and tricks in this video https://youtu.be/bUz-vk6-iyY

      Reply

    1. Yes you can, but they won’t be quite as soft. You could do half hard white and half spelt as well (with spelt you may need slightly less liquid)

      Reply

  16. 5 stars
    Yummy! These were so good and will be my tortilla recipe from now on. I am sticking to your website from now on. I see you have a cookbook, too. I’m new to milling wheat and I’ve tried a lot of recipes. Yours are consistently great! Thanks!

    Reply

  18. Does your mill make your flour completely into a fine powder? I can never see the bra in your pictures, which is very different to the results Iā€™m getting. I struggle to get a good dough going without sifting.

    Reply

      1. Iā€™m using a mock mill 100, as fine as I can set it, and I still get huge flakes of bran. Not sure how to get the bran to go fine like in your pictures.

        Reply

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