I’m so excited about this one! Finally, gluten-free flour tortillas!
Really, I don’t need to tell you why flour tortillas are awesome. You either love ’em or you don’t. Me? I’m in the love camp. So it thrilled me (thrilled, thrilled, THRILLED me) when this recipe finally came together.
This recipe makes a chewy, flexible wrap. Ready to begin?
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Be sure to select a bowl with an opening large enough to reach into. This is important.
Add shortening or lard. While this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free, it isn’t fat-free. And that’s a good thing! The fat adds a pleasant flavor and texture to the wraps. Don’t skip it!
It’s best to do this recipe by hand. Reach right into the bowl and work the shortening into the flour with your hands. A snapping motion of your fingers accomplishes this task quickly. You don’t want any large pieces of shortening to remaining.
Add the water. At first, just half a cup cold water. Stir it into the flour mixture.
The flour mixture will be dry. VERY dry. This is normal.
Add 1/4 cup additional water. Stir. If the dough just begins to hold together, stop adding water! If the dough remains dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.
You want to add the water slowly. If this dough gets too wet, it’s impossible to work with. Don’t let that scare you! Just be cautious when adding the water and the dough will be fine.
Generously white rice flour your counter. Turn the dough and any dry ingredients that are clinging to the bottom of the bowl onto the counter. Dust your hands with flour and begin to knead the dough.
You want the dough to be smooth. If at any point during kneading the dough is wet, knead in more flour. If the dough doesn’t come together, add a splash more water. During this step you really want to feel the dough. The texture you’re looking for is similar to play-doh: damp but not wet.
Once you think you’ve got it, pinch off a piece of the dough. Roll it between your palms. It should be easy to handle. You don’t want the dough to stick to your hands or fall apart. Again, think clay or play-doh.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming.
Cut open a plastic bag and place it on a tortilla press. Dust the bag with flour. Don’t skip this or the tortilla will stick to the plastic.
Pinch dough, you want about two tablespoons, and roll into a ball. The dough should not stick to your hands. Place dough into tortilla press. It’s a good idea to place the dough ball closer to the hinge than right in the center. Then simply close the press. The dough flattens under the pressure.
Don’t have a tortilla press? They are worth the investment. But, until you get one, you can make this recipe. Simply slip the dough ball between two pieces of floured parchment paper. Then use a heavy skillet and “squish” down the dough ball.
Slide the tortilla–still in the bag– off the press. Gently pull the plastic bag off the tortilla. Go slow. If the dough rips, don’t worry. You can re-roll the dough.
Hold the tortilla in your hand. Pull away the bag. You don’t want to pull the tortilla or it could rip.
Hold the tortilla in your hand. Pull away the bag. You don’t want to pull the tortilla or it could rip.
If your tortilla isn’t as thin as you’d like, re-flour your bag and return the tortilla to the bag. Gently roll out the tortilla.
Heat your cast iron skillet until it smokes lightly. Add the tortilla. Cook the first side for about three minutes.
Flip! The second side doesn’t cook as long nor will it get as dark.
As soon as the tortilla comes out of the pan, place it on a plate under a clean, dry towel. Cover. The steam will soften the tortilla. This is a good thing.
The tortilla shown in the pan above is just a wee bit dark. That’s ok! Adjusting the heat takes some practice. The tortilla above, however, is pretty perfect.
Same tortilla. Different side. As you can see, the second side isn’t as dark. If we cook the second side too much, the tortilla might tip into the “too crisp” stage. At that point, even placing the tortilla under a towel to steam for a minute won’t soften it.
Here’s what you want to avoid. Learn from my mistake! The pan was too hot when I put the tortilla in it. The resulting tortilla almost burnt. If you get a tortilla or two like this, reduce both the heat under the pan and your cooking time.
And here the pan was too cold. The tortilla did cook but it’s anemic. If your tortilla looks like this, increase the heat under the pan.
If you are new to making tortillas, you might have a few that aren’t “just right.” That’s ok. (Well, it’s a bummer in the moment.) With practice, you’ll get the hang of it. In fact, try making a “play” batch first. You don’t want a wonderful meal waiting for your first batch of homemade flour tortillas.
If you make a play batch, you could throw in, say, some lettuce, turkey, and lettuce. And you will LOVE it. I promise.
Or you could just stare at the plate of tortillas you made and beam with pride. That’s a good option too!
How to Make Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white rice flour (6 ounces; 170 grams)
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 57 grams)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons shortening or lard (1 ounce; 28 grams)
- 3/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed (6 ounces; 170 grams)
Instructions
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In medium bowl, whisk together white rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.
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Using your hands, cut in the shortening. Do this by using a snapping-like motion with your fingers. No large pieces of shortening or lard should remain.
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Add 1/2 cup cold water. Stir with a wooden spoon. Dough will be dry. Add another 1/4 cup water. Stir. Feel the dough. If it starts to hold together and feels damp, stop adding water. If the dough feels dry, add another two tablespoons water. Repeat until dough is moist but not wet.
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Generously white rice flour your countertop. Turn dough out onto counter. Flour your hands lightly with white rice flour. Gather dough into a ball. Knead the dough until smooth. If the dough is too wet, knead additional white rice flour into it; if the dough feels dry, knead a splash more water into it. You want the dough to be easy to work with. Pull off a little. Roll it between your palms. It should not stick or fall apart. The dough's texture should be similar to clay or play-doh.
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Cover dough with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming.
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Heat 10-inch cast iron skillet (non-stick pans don't work well. They don't get hot enough.) over medium heat. While skillet heats, line a tortilla press with a cut open plastic bag. (Only cut open the bag on two sides. The "hinge" of the bag should line up with the hinge of the press.) Dust the bag with white rice flour. Pinch off a dough ball, about two tablespoons. Roll dough into a ball.
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Place the dough ball into the press and close to flatten. Slide the bag off the tortilla press. Gently pull the bag away from the tortilla. Lift the tortilla into your hand. Pull away the second piece of plastic. If the tortilla seems thick (which doesn't happen too often), dust the bag with flour, return the tortilla to the bag. Dust the top of the tortilla, cover, and roll out a little.
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Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high if the skillet isn't smoking lightly. Place the tortilla into the skillet. Cook, about three minutes, until the tortilla is golden brown.(As your first tortilla cooks, begin pressing out the next tortilla.) Flip. Cook an additional minute. Remove and place hot tortilla onto a plate. Cover with a clean, dry towel.
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Repeat. Tortillas are best enjoyed right away. You can store them overnight in a sealed bag. Reheat by placing into a warm skillet.
Sarah says
Can’t wait to try these! My husband has crohns disease and the one doctor suggested a gluten free paleo diet. While I’m not too interested in going fully paleo, I’m definitely willing to try incorporating some gluten free alternatives. We both are working on eating healthier (well he hasn’t liked my green smoothies haha). My mom is gluten free because it makes her feel better and she doesn’t like a lot of the store bought stuff that doesn’t always taste good. Excited to try baking my own recipes though. Ordered some of the recurring ingredients i’ve noticed already! I’d also like to thank you for your judgement free baking space. I found another blog before this one and I haven’t tried anything but I noticed she is very strict about following her recipes and not trying anything else ever. She just doesn’t seem very nice about things. While I understand baking can be finicky like you said, I read some comments and noticed you encouraging experimenting here and there to meet peoples needs and I feel more welcome. Can’t wait to get started when I acquire my necessities. Thank you so much!!!
Carol says
Your instructions are so good. Thank you for telling us how to make them without a tortilla press. I’d like to try them without buying a press. If that works well enough, I won’t purchase one because appliances tend to pile up!
Monica says
Looking forward to trying these for New Year’s Eve! Just curious, you say the serving size is 12. Does it make 12 small tortillas? Thanks!
Elizabeth says
The tortillas are about 6 1/2 inches across. Enjoy!
Mark M. says
These were the absolutely best “Flour” tortillas I have hade. Much better then any store bought gluten free flour tortillas I have tried. I do not have a tortilla press so I had rolled them. The first one was a little to thick but I did a much better job on the rest. A tortilla press is now on my must have list.
Jennifer says
can i skip the xanthan gum? I don’t know where to get it and i don’t think i will use it for any other recipe.
Elizabeth says
I don’t think this one will work without the xanthan gum. You can usually find it in the gluten-free sections of health food stores. Arrowhead Mills sells 1 tablespoon packets. I think they’re around a dollar (US) and perfect for small recipes. https://www.hodgsonmill.com/products/gluten-free-xanthan-gum
Stacy says
Hi Elizabeth! Just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I used this dough to make gluten free samosas, and it worked beautifully!
Brigitte says
Terrific recipe – my kids loved these! When I’m short on time, I make tortillas with pre-cooked white corn meal. If you have a multi-cultural food store, look for “harina de maiz blanco precocida”. Note: This is not the same thing as “masa harina”. (I use the popular P.A.N. brand, in the yellow bag – it’s gluten-free). Mix one part corn meal, one part hot water plus salt to taste. Mix well and let it sit for a few minutes. Scoop up a golf-ball-size ball, place it in the press, then fry it in a lightly-oiled hot pan for about 3 minutes per side. One quarter cup of the flour makes two 6″ tortillas.
Diana says
I make these on the regular and the whole family loves them. When I use the tortilla press I Just sprinkle some rice flour on it before I press the tortilla and don’t have tons of issues with the tortilla sticking. We do “chili” lentils with sweet potatoes, avocado, and hot sauce. Why I only make them for this meal, I don’t know!
Maybelle says
Chili lentils with sweet potatoes , that sounds yummy! I would like the recipe !
JL says
This recipe is awesome! I have prepared it for the 1st time this week. We are all enjoying our home made tortillas. I have a concern. After cooking my tortillas are quite hard and not soft enough. My dough is mixing properly and everything seems to be right. Any hints on how to make this softer and easier to chew? Thanks !
Elizabeth says
Reduce the heat when you cook them. That’s probably the cause.
Brigitte says
I ran out of plastic freezer bags and instead used a silpat (silicone baking mat), folded in half, in my tortilla press. It worked really well! It’s a lot less finicky than the bags too.
Cat says
I loved the flavour, but mine were really crispy. I am not sure what I did wrong..
Elizabeth says
Hello!
If the tortillas were too crispy, they were baked either too long or at too high a temperature. Next time, reduce the heat and cook for a little less time. That should solve the problem.
Hope this helps!
AJ says
My tortillas are too stiff and I can’t fold them. What did I do wrong>
Thanks
Elizabeth says
That can happen for two reasons: either the dough was too dry. A tablespoon or so additional water should help. Especially if it’s winter where you are right now. It can also happen if the pan is too hot. Reduce the heat and the tortillas should be nice and soft for you.
Marianne says
Are there any adjustments if I choose to make these with brown rice flour?
Elizabeth says
Sometimes you need to add a splash more water when using brown rice flour. Other than that, you’re good to go!
Ej says
Hi! Do these freeze well? Is it better to freeze the rolled out dough or freeze the cooked product? Thanks!
Elizabeth says
They freeze pretty well. You want to cook them before freezing. I like to uncook them just a bit. This way, when I’m ready to serve, I can throw them back in the skillet without worrying about them burning. So when I cook the first time, I remove them from the pan when they’re just barely brown.
Melissa says
Have you tried this with either millet, buckwheat, or sorghum? Do you think it would be a 1-1 swap?
Elizabeth says
I haven’t tried it. But, in my experience swapping white rice flour for either millet, buckwheat, or sorghum, it works well. So I think this would work!
Kat says
This is a kickass recipe!!! It worked 100% from the first try, I love the texture and softness of the tortilla! My tacos are back in town!
Thank you lots!
P. S. Used a ready bread mix B by Italian company Dr. Schar – it’s rice/corn/tapioca mix, but rest is your recipe.
Vanessa says
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! My wife cannot have gluten or corn so these are perfect. They are so easy too. No tortilla press here but I used a mini rolling pin and they were wonderful ❤️
Jane says
Hi what can i use instead of tapioca starch? I’m not sure if its available where i live
Elizabeth says
You could try corn starch or potato starch. The tortillas won’t be as chewy but the recipe will work.
Beverly Hitchcock says
Can I use this recipe with and all purpose gf flour blend? It already has the xanthun gum in it
Elizabeth says
It’s hard to say because aa gluten-free flour blends behave differently. However, it’s worth a try!
Beverly Hitchcock says
Thank you!
Mindee says
I made these using Cup-4-Cup flour. They are the best gluten-free tortillas I’ve ever had and I’ve tried so many recipes! Thank you so much for sharing your talent!!
Melody Long says
Excellent recipe! Just made them and they worked perfectly!! They taste just like regular wheat flour tortillas that I’ve been missing since my Celiac diagnosis….actually, they taste better. Also, these aren’t “gummy” like the GF store-bought kinds. So THANK YOU for this recipe! It will be my go-to for now on. 🙂