This Sourdough Discard Tortilla recipe makes authentic Mexican flour tortillas with sourdough discard. These delicious tortillas have the perfect flavor and texture! You can make these sourdough discard tortillas using the discard from my basic sourdough bread recipe, but you can even make them without!
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A while back, while having our first snowstorm here in Montana, I realized we were out of tortillas. In this family, being out of tortillas is not a good thing... we NEED our tortillas! We make carne asada quesadillas and breakfast burritos at least 3 or 4 times a week if not more. This recipe was a lifesaver then and has become a regular ever since!
I've made many batches since then, trying to perfect this recipe, and I even gained a few pounds in the process as I tried each batch (you're welcome).
Eventually, I purchased a tawa, which just happens to be the Assyrian word for "skillet." It made cooking the tortillas much easier since it's a flat surface, so if you plan on making tortillas regularly, I highly recommend getting one.
I knew the recipe was just right when my son, the perfectionist, finally approved of the flavor and the texture. I teased my Facebook group members/friends that these tortillas were so good that I wouldn't share the recipe and would be selling them instead. The orders started coming in, but who's got time to fulfill tortilla orders? I've got a blog to run!
Although you can use butter or oil to make these sourdough discard tortillas, I prefer using homemade rendered lard, which gives the tortillas an authentic Mexican flavor. The end result is tortillas with a unique depth of flavor and a tender texture!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sourdough discard tortillas are easy to prepare and only require a few ingredients!
- This recipe is flexible enough to tweak as needed based on the ingredients you have at home.
- Using discard sourdough starter to make these tortillas makes them better for you than store-bought tortillas.
- Making these sourdough discard tortillas is a great way to use up sourdough discard instead of tossing it out. You can also use the discard to make sourdough discard crackers!
- This sourdough discard tortilla recipe makes enough for 8 medium-sized tortillas or 6 larger ones (about 11"). Of course, you can make them as small or large as you prefer. Double the recipe for larger tortillas.
- These tortillas freeze well!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: All-purpose flour. If you have a Mexican market nearby, you may want to get extra fine tortilla flour. It gives the tortillas an even more tender texture.
- Lard: I use lard, either store-bought or rendered pork fat. Butter can be substituted. You can also substitute an equal amount of oil for vegan tortillas.
- Sourdough Discard: I add ⅓ cup sourdough discard. What happens if you don't have it? You can still make these tortillas, but will need to increase the amount of liquid, a little at a time, until you have a shaggy, wet dough.
- Salt: Sea salt
- Baking Powder: ½ teaspoon baking powder, optional, but recommended!
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card.
🔪 Helpful Tools
- A mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Cast-iron skillet or, better yet, a tawa
🫓 How to Make Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Step 1: Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder until combined. Work in lard with your hands until thoroughly mixed and crumbly. Mix in sourdough discard, then add water, ¼ cup at a time, until you have a wet, shaggy dough. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water, if needed.
Pro Tip: You can also combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and lard using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or wet sand, then add water. This ensures an even distribution of fat.
Step 2: Knead the dough mixture for 5 minutes while still in the mixing bowl. When the dough is soft and smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, form it into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: Don't skip resting the dough for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour). This relaxes the gluten, making the tortillas easier to roll out and prevents shrinkage.
Step 3: Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Use a kitchen scale to ensure equal portions, mine weighed between 95-98 grams each. Cover the dough balls and allow them to rest for 15 more minutes.
Step 4: Begin by flattening one dough ball with your hands until it's 4"-5", then place it on a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, start in the center and roll the dough once going up and once going down. Turn clockwise and roll in the same manner to keep a round shape. Continue rolling, flipping, and adding flour, until the tortilla is 10"-11" in circumference.
Pro Tip: Use a rolling pin (or a traditional Mexican palote) to roll the tortillas as thin as possible without tearing them. Authentic Mexican tortillas are thin but sturdy enough to hold fillings.
Tortilla Cooking Instructions
Step 5: Carefully transfer one tortilla at a time onto a heated large cast-iron skillet or tawa. Cook for approximately 45-60 seconds, flipping often, until large bubbles and pale brown spots begin to form.
Pro Tip: The skillet should be preheated to medium-high heat. A well-heated surface ensures tortillas cook quickly and puff up. Using a tawa with no sides makes cooking the tortillas much easier!
Pro Tip: To encourage puffing, press lightly on the edges with a spatula during cooking. Puffing indicates well-developed gluten and proper hydration.
Step 6: Add cooked tortilla between a folded kitchen towel and continue to cook, stack, and cover until all the tortillas are cooked.
Pro Tip: Place cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft until serving.
🫙 Storage Instructions
Once the tortillas have cooled off, store them in an airtight container, for example, a two-gallon ziplock bag (my personal favorite), and refrigerate them for up to a week.
What readers are saying
I loved the texture these had. I've made other discard tortillas in the past & they didn't have as smooth of a texture. 🙌🏽
-Sarah
🌯 Serving Suggestions
I often enjoy these sourdough discard tortillas with some feta cheese, or buried cheese (yes, that's a thing), but they're also great for serving with Mexican chicken fajitas, carne asada, chorizo verde, and this California burrito recipe. But why stop there? They're also great with pressure cooker carnitas, Instant Pot chile verde, and this Chile Colorado recipe. I can go on, but you get the picture...
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Place the tortillas in a hot skillet and warm for 15-30 seconds on each side. Tortillas can also be heated on the stovetop, directly over the flame.
A healthy discard has a tangy, slightly sour smell. If it smells putrid, it's likely spoiled. Fresh sourdough discard typically ranges from cream colored to slightly grayish. If it turns pink, orange, or any unusual color, it's a sign of contamination and should be tossed out. A layer of liquid (hooch) on top is normal and can be stirred back in. However, if it has a strong acetone (nail polish remover) smell, it may indicate a discard that has been neglected for too long.
The best way to toast a tortilla is right over a stove flame. The trick is to flip the tortilla every few seconds until slightly charred. Another option is to toast the tortilla in a hot cast iron skillet.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- This sourdough discard tortilla recipe uses lard for flavor and texture. If you prefer a vegetarian option, you can use vegetable shortening or neutral-flavored oil, but lard yields the most authentic taste.
- When making this sourdough discard tortilla recipe, use warm water to help the fat incorporate and create a smooth, pliable dough.
- Don't skimp on the salt. It enhances the flavor of the sourdough discard tortillas significantly.
- If making larger tortillas, these two-gallon ziploc bags come in handy. I can't recommend them strongly enough!
- If you live in a drier climate, your dough may need more hydration (more liquid).
- Making this sourdough discard tortillas recipe is an art. The more you practice, the more you'll refine your technique for rolling, cooking, and achieving the ideal texture.
🍞 More Bread Recipes
If you enjoy this sourdough discard tortilla recipe, check out these other bread recipes.
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder until combined. Work in lard with your hands until thoroughly mixed and crumbly. Mix in sourdough discard, then add water, ¼ cup at a time, until you have a wet, shaggy dough. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water, if needed.
- Knead the dough mixture for 5 minutes while still in the mixing bowl. When the dough is soft and smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, form it into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Use a kitchen scale to ensure equal portions, mine weighed between 95-98 grams each. Cover dough balls and allow to rest for 15 more minutes.
- Begin by flattening one dough ball with your hands until it's 4"-5", then place it on a lightly floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, start in the center and roll the dough once going up and once going down. Turn clockwise and roll in the same manner to keep a round shape. Continue rolling, flipping, and adding flour, until the tortilla is 10"-11" in circumference.
- Carefully transfer one tortilla at a time onto a heated large cast-iron skillet or tawa. Cook for approximately 45-60 seconds, flipping often, until large bubbles and pale brown spots begin to form.
- Add cooked tortilla between a folded kitchen towel and continue to cook, stack, and cover until all the tortillas are cooked.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- You can also combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and lard using a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs or wet sand, then add water. This ensures an even distribution of fat.
- Don't skip resting the dough at least 30 minutes (up to an hour). This relaxes the gluten, making the tortillas easier to roll out and prevents shrinkage.
- Use a rolling pin (or a traditional Mexican palote) to roll the tortillas as thin as possible without tearing them. Authentic Mexican tortillas are thin but sturdy enough to hold fillings.
- The skillet should be preheated to medium-high heat. A well-heated surface ensures tortillas cook quickly and puff up.
- To encourage puffing, press lightly on the edges with a spatula during cooking. Puffing indicates well-developed gluten and proper hydration.
- Place cooked tortillas in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft until serving.
- Traditional tortillas often use lard for flavor and texture. If you prefer a vegetarian option, you can use vegetable shortening or neutral-flavored oil, but lard yields the most authentic taste.
- When making this sourdough discard tortilla recipe, use warm water to help the fat incorporate and create a smooth, pliable dough.
- Don't skimp on the salt. It enhances the flavor of the tortillas significantly.
- If making larger tortillas, these two-gallon ziploc bags come in handy. I can't recommend them strongly enough!
- If you live in a drier climate, your dough may need more hydration (more liquid).
- Making tortillas is an art. The more you practice, the more you'll refine your technique for rolling, cooking, and achieving the ideal texture.
TERESA EVERS says
I definitely recommend trying Hilda’s sourdough discard tortillas, they are amazing. The texture was perfect , the taste was scrumptious, I could eat flour tortillas with just about anything. The ingredients are always in my pantry, if you don’t have the sourdough starter, you can still make them without it. But I like the added flavor of the sourdough. Thank you Hilda
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you Teresa, enjoy!
Sarah says
I loved the texture these had. I’ve made other discard tortillas in the past & they didn’t have as smooth of a texture. 🙌🏽
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Sarah, glad you liked them!
Kelly Methey says
These are fantastic! I love the texture and taste of these tortillas. You can really smell the sourdough when taking the plastic wrap off the bowl. It smelled wonderful.
I need more practice at making my tortillas round but I was thrilled that it puffed up nicely. Hopefully, I will get there as I plan to make these often, they are that good!
Hilda Sterner says
You know what they say, practice makes perfect! You got this!
Kathy Fisher says
I've been a sourdough fan for many years. Today was my first try at making sourdough tortillas. I was pretty impressed at how well it went.
Not quite perfect but a nice first try. Be sure a follow these directions.
But, the proof is in the taste and that was perfection. I love the flavor that it added to the tortilla. It's pretty amazing. For anyone who likes experimenting with sourdough, I think you will be impressed. I certainly recommend you give it a try. You'll be glad you did. Just the scent of something baking with sourdough brings back so many good memories. I've kept a starter going for over 20 years.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Kathy! As always, I appreciate your thoughtful review!
Kelly Methey says
Yum! I would never have thought to make tortillas with sourdough discard. What a fantastic idea!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, you're going to get to try them tomorrow!