Butter Tortillas are the best tortillas on the planet

Butter Tortillas are a very special type of flour tortilla made with (wait for it…) butter! Lard or vegetable shortening were the traditional fats we used in our kitchen when I was growing up. However, butter has made a big comeback in the U.S.A., so why not?

Uncommonly Delicious

Because flour tortillas are regional to Northern Mexico and South Texas, butter is not a common ingredient in this hot, desert climate. Most people rely on refrigerators these days to keep their food fresh. Even though Butter Tortillas are not too common, they are all kinds of delicious.

One of the tricks for making Traditional Flour Tortillas is to let the dough rest for at least 20 minutes before rolling them out. I always had trouble rolling out round tortillas before I discovered the resting trick. The dough should rest at least one hour on the countertop or overnight in the refrigerator. Flour tortilla dough that rested 4 days in the refrigerator rolled out beautifully round and thin with no difference in flavor.

You might notice that this recipe doesn’t call for baking powder. If you want to try baking powder when you make Butter Tortillas, simply add 2 tsp. (8g) of baking powder to the dry flour mixture when you add the salt. I think baking powder makes the flour tortillas a bit more spongey. Everyone has their own preference.

Roll, don’t press

Remember that you can’t make wheat flour tortillas using a tortilla press. Flour tortillas must be rolled out using a rolling pin. I know there are loads of marketing photos online showing flour tortillas made with tortilla presses, but that is incorrect. Wheat dough is too stretchy to be pressed out effectively. Only corn tortillas are made with a tortilla press. Use a good heavy rolling pin when making your flour tortillas.

I want to encourage you to practice making Butter Tortillas as often as possible. I messed up loads of tortillas when I first started making them. Keep trying and you will get the hang of rolling out round thin tortillas. Homemade Butter Tortillas are the best tortillas on the planet. I know you will agree!