If you're looking for a fun and easy way to use your sourdough starter, these homemade sourdough tortillas are just what you need! Made with only five basic ingredients—sourdough starter, water, flour, salt, and butter—these tortillas are soft, flavorful, and incredibly versatile.
In a stand mixer with a dough hook (or by hand), combine the sourdough starter, water, melted butter, salt, and flour. Knead for 3 minutes in the mixer, or about 6 minutes by hand, until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. You made need to add a little more flour depending on the thickness of your starter or if using sourdough discard.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl that is not metal, cover with a damp tea towel, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours. You can also use this dough right away without a long rest period! See notes for details.
The next day, divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape each one into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a thin circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Try to make the tortillas as thin as you can without tearing the dough.
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook each tortilla for about 1 minute on each side, until they puff up and develop light golden spots.
Cover the cooked tortilla with a clean dish towel while cooking the others to keep it warm and the little bit of steam they make keeps them soft.
These tortillas are best enjoyed warm, but they can be reheated in a skillet or oven. Use them for tacos, wraps, or as a flatbread base for your favorite toppings!
Notes
You don’t have to wait for these to ferment overnight, you can use the dough right away after they are mixed in the stand mixer. I often do that! They are great both ways. And if I don’t have a full 12 hours but remember in the morning, I’ll often just mix them up and let them sit at long as I have until dinner. They are really flexible.
You can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard for this recipe. I prefer to use active starter because it has a milder flavor. If you are using discard, you may need to add a few tablespoons of flour to adjust for the thinner consistency. I like to use discard that is no more than 10 days old and has been kept in the fridge, the fresher the better in my opinion.
If your skillet isn’t seasoned well and things are sticking, you can add a little butter or oil to the pan to help them not stick to the pan.
Both all-purpose and whole wheat flour work well in this recipe, but for lighter, fluffier tortillas, stick with unbleached all-purpose flour.