Classic Lard Flour Tortillas

Name: Classic Lard Flour Tortillas
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled, plus extra for dusting; ¾ tsp (3 g) baking powder, fresh; 1 tsp (6 g) fine salt; 3 tbsp (40 g) lard, at room temperature, soft but not melted; ½ cup (120 ml) hot water, about 120°F (49°C), plus up to 2 tsp more if needed

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft, pliable, lightly blistered Mexican-style flour tortillas made from just flour, lard, baking powder, salt and hot water. The dough comes together in minutes, rests briefly, then rolls thin and cooks in about a minute on a hot dry griddle.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Wait: 35 min
Total: 1 hr 15 min
Makes: 8 tortillas, about 8 inches (20 cm) each

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Steps

Before you start

Heat about 1 cup (240 ml) of water until steaming hot but not boiling, about 120°F (49°C), comfortable to touch briefly.
Use room-temperature lard so it rubs into the flour easily; if it is fridge-cold, let it sit 20 minutes.
Plan on a 30-minute dough rest. Skipping it makes tortillas spring back when rolled and turn tough.
Have a clean kitchen towel ready to keep cooked tortillas warm and steamy.

1
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds until the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed.
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Ready when: No streaks or clumps of baking powder remain.
Tip: Weigh the flour if you can; scooping straight from the bag packs in too much and makes dry, stiff tortillas.
2
Rub in lard
- Add the lard in small dollops.
- Pinch and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for 2–3 minutes until the mixture looks like coarse, sandy crumbs with no visible white lumps of fat.
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Ready when: Mixture holds together slightly when squeezed in your fist and then crumbles.
Tip: Work quickly so the heat of your hands does not melt the lard into a greasy paste.
3
Add water
- Pour in ½ cup (120 ml) hot water all at once.
- Stir with a fork or your hand until a shaggy dough forms and no dry flour remains in the bowl.
- If dry patches persist, add water 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 2 teaspoons total.
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Ready when: Dough is shaggy and slightly tacky, with all the flour picked up.
Tip: Hot water relaxes the gluten and helps make tortillas tender and easy to roll.
4
Knead the dough
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter.
- Knead for 2 minutes, pressing with the heel of your hand, folding and turning, until it is smooth, soft and no longer sticky.
- It should feel like soft modeling clay and spring back slowly when poked.
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Ready when: Surface is smooth and a poked dent fills in slowly.
Tip: Do not over-knead; a few minutes is plenty and more makes the tortillas chewy.
5
Divide and shape balls
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 52 g (1¾ oz) each; weigh them for even tortillas.
- Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball, tucking the seams underneath.
- Place the balls on a plate, seam side down, touching lightly.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth and round with no cracks.
6
Rest the dough
- Cover the dough balls with a damp towel or invert a bowl over them.
- Let them rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Balls feel soft and puffy and flatten easily when pressed.
Tip: Resting up to 2 hours is fine; keep covered so a dry skin doesn't form.
7
Heat the griddle
- Toward the end of the rest, set a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat.
- Do not add oil.
- Let it heat about 5 minutes until a pinch of flour sprinkled on it browns slowly in about 30 seconds.
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Ready when: A pinch of flour turns tan within about 30 seconds.
Tip: If flour scorches black instantly, the pan is too hot; lower the heat a bit.
8
Roll out tortillas
- On a lightly floured counter, flatten one ball into a disc.
- Roll from the center outward, giving the dough a quarter turn after every roll, until you have a thin round about 8 inches (20 cm) across and about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick.
- Dust with flour only if sticking.
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Ready when: Round is thin enough to see the counter's shadow faintly through it.
Tip: Keep unrolled balls covered. If dough springs back, rest it 5 more minutes.
9
Cook on griddle
- Lay a tortilla on the hot dry griddle.
- Cook 30 seconds until small bubbles form and the underside has light tan spots.
- Flip and cook 30–40 seconds until it puffs in places and has golden-brown freckles.
- Flip once more for 5–10 seconds if it hasn't puffed.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas, rolling the next while one cooks.
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Ready when: Tortilla is flexible, puffed in spots, with golden-brown freckles and no raw doughy patches.
Tip: Overcooking makes them crisp and cracker-like; total time is about 1–1½ minutes.
10
Steam and serve
- Move each cooked tortilla straight into a clean kitchen towel and fold the towel over the stack.
- Let them steam together for 5 minutes before serving warm.
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Ready when: Tortillas fold without cracking.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh ingredients for reliable results; cup measures of flour vary widely.
Roll thinner than you think; tortillas puff and thicken a little on the griddle.
Cook on a dry, properly hot pan. Too cool and they dry out and turn stiff; too hot and they scorch before cooking through.
For burrito-size tortillas, divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll to 10 inches (25 cm), cooking about 20 seconds longer per side.

Make ahead

Make the dough through step 5, wrap the balls individually, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling. Cooked tortillas can be made a day ahead and reheated on a dry skillet.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature in a zip bag or wrapped in foil: 2 days. Refrigerator: up to 1 week. Freezer: up to 3 months with parchment between tortillas. Reheat on a dry skillet over medium heat for 15–20 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 20–30 seconds. Thaw frozen tortillas at room temperature first.

Substitutions

lard → vegetable shortening. Same quantity; gives a very similar tender texture with a more neutral flavor.
lard → unsalted butter or neutral oil. Use 40 g butter or 3 tbsp (45 ml) oil; tortillas will be slightly less flaky and a bit less pliable when cooled.
all-purpose flour → white whole wheat flour. Replace up to half of the flour; add 1–2 extra teaspoons of water since whole wheat absorbs more.
hot water → hot whole milk. Same amount; yields a slightly softer, richer tortilla that browns faster.