These sourdough discard tortillas are the bomb. I never thought to make these myself, just figured it either wasn’t possible or would be way too difficult.
While they are a little time-consuming, the flavor and deliciousness they add to a meal are second to none.
Why make your own tortillas?
A few years ago, while we were making our millionth school lunch, we realized that while we were desperately trying to create healthy meals for our kids, we were wrapping them in processed garbage. Have you read the ingredients on a package of tortillas? It’s a little unsettling.
Now, have we stopped buying them all together? Not totally, life is still busy and sometimes we just need convenience, but we have drastically cut down on the amount we use. Between the sourdough sandwich bread and sourdough tortillas, we have lots of lunch options.
Where is this recipe originally from?
There are quite a few out there, but this one is from Alexandra’s Kitchen originally. I like hers the best and have had the best results.
- Why I love this recipe
- What tools do you need
- Ingredients you will need
- How to make-make ahead chicken tacos
- Recipe Card and FAQ
Why I Love These Sourdough Tortillas
This sourdough tortilla recipe is such a nice treat when you are craving something truly homemade and from scratch.
-Healthy:
These sourdough tortillas only have 5 ingredients and all are likely in your pantry right now. No preservatives, no chemicals, no fillers. Just flour, starter, water, salt and butter.
-Delicious:
Since these take a little extra time, you better believe they’ve got to be good. And let me tell you they are. Perfectly soft while a little crunchy if you brown them just right. Yum!
-Efficient
These tortillas are a great way to use up that extra sourdough discard you’ve got lying around. And it doesn’t matter if it’s only a day old or a week or so old (as long as it’s been in the fridge of course). Either works and reduces waste!
What Tools You Will Need
This is the one I use and love. It’s not the top of the line but a great option if you are on a budget. I cook so many things in my cast iron pan and love the lack of toxic chemicals.
These are great for so many reasons. I use them to knead, shape or cut my dough. They will not stick as much but stay in place well, which the parchment paper will not do. I also use them to cover food in the oven if needed.
This is essential if you are doing anything with sourdough, especially recipes other than bread. You could use a large knife as well, but this does it so much nicer and easier and is pretty cheap.
It would be hard to make the sourdough tortillas without this! You could also use a tortilla press, but I don’t find I need one. The rolling pin works just fine.
If you do sourdough a lot, you’ve probably got one of these as well. If not, you will love it once you get it and will be surprised at how often you use it!
Ingredients You Need for Sourdough Discard Tortillas
- Sourdough Starter (active or discard)
I usually use day old starter, or one that I’ve fed and have leftover from. Occasionally I use one from the fridge that’s been sitting there for a week or so and it still works, they may have more of a sourdough tang though.
- Flour
Regular unbleached all-purpose flour is what you want for these. I now use fresh milled flour from Farm to Flour and get amazing results. I’m sure whole wheat would also work well.
- Salt
I use pink Himalayan sea salt, but any type of salt should work, as long as it’s fine and not coarse.
- Butter
Salted butter works great in this recipe. I sometimes buy it at the store but also grab it at the farmers market.
- Water
Filtered water is best. We have a reverse osmosis system, so that is what I use.
How To Make Discard Sourdough Tortillas
You want to start this about an hour before you plan to eat dinner. Or you can do them the day before and warm up when you are ready to eat.
PRO TIP 1: Make sure your skillet is piping hot. You don’t want to burn the tortillas, so I usually put it at medium-high to warm up quickly while I’m rolling the tortillas out, then reduce to medium-low to cook.
Step 1:
Turn your skillet on to medium heat. Mix your flour and salt in a large bowl, then cut your butter into the flour as best you can. A fork works well to do this. It doesn’t have to be perfect as you will be kneading the dough by hand at the end.
Step 2:
Add the starter and water to the mixture. Mix until well combined, you will probably need to use your hands at the end to make sure all ingredients are incorporated well. You will end up with a shaggy dough at first and it will come together the more you knead it, in a few minutes.
Step 3:
Press your dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface and cut your dough into 12 equal-sized portions with your bench scraper. I usually cut the rectangle in half, then each part in half again, then the remaining parts into 3 portions to make 12, 6″ – 8″ tortillas.
Step 4:
Form each portion into a ball, pinching the dough where there are any seams.
Step 5:
Cover and let the dough balls rest for at least 30 minutes. This is usually when I take care of making whatever else is for dinner.
PRO TIP 2: When you are rolling them out, flip quickly after the first few rolls to ensure they don’t stick to your surface. Use additional flour if needed.
Step 6:
Roll each tortilla out on a lightly floured surface (countertop or silicone baking mat).
PRO TIP 3: Use square parchment paper or just cut what you have into squares and place them in between each tortilla as you roll them out.
Step 7:
Cook your tortillas! This is the time-consuming part because you can only do one at a time, unless you have multiple skillets going. You want to turn them after about 1 minute or when they start to puff up. Cook for 30 seconds on the second side and transfer to a plate.
PRO TIP 4: Don’t forget to watch them! This is hard because you will want to do something else. Sometimes I set a recurring timer so I don’t get side-tracked.
Storage
These will be kept in a container or ziploc bag on the counter for 3 days or you can freeze or transfer them to the fridge. They do tend to get hard in the fridge so I recommend using them quickly or freezing if you don’t.
FAQ
Can I use gluten-free flour?
No way. As with all sourdough recipes, you need all-purpose, fresh-milled, wheat, or bread flour in order for the gluten to react and break down accordingly.
Can I use a tortilla press?
Yes, for sure. I just don’t make these frequently enough to need one, maybe I’m missing out!
What if my butter is still too chunky in the dough?
Keep kneading until it softens and blends in. I mistakenly combined all the ingredients without cutting the butter in first and it still turned out great!
Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Bench Scraper
- 1 Silicone baking mat
- 1 Cast Iron Pan
- 1 Kitchen Scale
Ingredients
- 100 grams Sourdough Starter Discard 1/2 cup
- 210 grams Unbleached all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups
- 100 grams Filtered Water 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon
- 56 grams Butter 1/4 cup
- 7 grams Salt 1 1/4 teaspoons
Instructions
- Mix your flour and salt in a large bowl, then cut your butter into the flour as best you can. A fork works well to do this. It doesn't have to be perfect as you will be kneading the dough by hand at the end. You want a shaggy dough to form that you can then blend together with your hands.
- Add the starter and water to the mixture. Mix until well combined, you will probably need to use your hands at the end to make sure all ingredients are incorporated well.
- Press your dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface and cut your dough into 12 equal sized portions with your bench scraper. I usually cut the rectangle in half, then each part in half again, then the remaining parts in to 3 portions to make 12.
- Roll each portion into a ball, pinching the dough where there are any seams.
- Cover and let the dough balls rest for at least 30 minutes. This is usually when I take care of making whatever else is for dinner.
- Roll each tortilla out on a lightly floured surface (counter top or silicone baking mat). You want them pretty thin, this is what cooks the best. 6-8" tortillas are usually best.
- Heat up your skillet. Medium-high to get it warmed up then lower it to medium low so you don't burn the tortillas. A hot skillet is essential to cooking the tortillas properly!
- Cook your tortillas. This is the time consuming part because you can only do one at a time, unless you have multiple skillets going. You want to turn them after about 30 seconds to 1 minute or when they start to puff up and brown just a tad. Cook for 30 seconds on second side and transfer to plate.
