Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas

Homemade Flour Tortillas made with leftover bacon drippings. They taste better than any store bought tortilla.

After several tries and taste testings, I’ve perfected my flour tortilla recipe! I can confidently say that making your own tortillas is worth the extra effort.

Making the dough and rolling the tortillas does take some practice, but even if they are not perfectly round, they will still taste delicious!

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour
• Bacon drippings
• Salt
• Warm water

Flour– Use white all purpose flour for this recipe. I know there are variations with whole wheat flour, but I have not tested this recipe with other flours.

Bacon Fat- Whenever I cook bacon in a skillet, I allow the grease to cool then pour it into a glass jar through a fine mesh strainer and store in the refrigerator.

If you do not have leftover bacon fat, then use lard (manteca).

Salt– I tested 1 teaspoon of salt and another time with 1.5 teaspoon of salt. The 1.5 teaspoon had more flavor, but it’s a personal preference if you want them saltier.

Warm Water– The water needs to be hot to help form the gluten and make forming the dough easier. If you are using your hands to knead the dough, then make sure the water isn’t boiling.

If using a stand mixer with dough attachment, then the water can be hot.

Kneading the Dough

Traditionally the dough for flour tortillas is kneaded by hand. But I also tested using a stand mixer with the hook attachment, which did a good job and it’s easier on your hands.

Hand Method– In a large bowl add 3 cups of flour and salt, mix with hands. Add bacon fat in small pieces to distribute evenly into the flour. Then mix with hands to incorporate.

Add about half of the warm water, and carefully start mixing with your hands. If it’s too hot then wait a little bit. Keep mixing with hands, and add more water until a dough ball forms.

If the dough is too sticky add a little flour, if it’s too dry add more water.

Keep kneading dough either in the bowl or on a clean work surface until a smooth ball forms.

Mixer Method– In a stand mixer with hook attachment, add flour, salt, and bacon fat. Mix on low speed to incorporate.

With mixer on low speed slowly add in hot water.

Increase speed of mixer to medium. If dough is too sticky add a little flour, if it’s too dry add more water. Continue mixing until a smooth ball forms.

Portioning Out The Dough

Start by separating the dough into individual balls. I used a kitchen scale for accurate measurement to provide a better guide.

For large burrito size tortillas I used 50g of dough.

For small taco size tortillas I used 25g of dough.

Once all the dough is portioned out, I rub my hands with a little bit of oil and pat the tops of the dough balls so they don’t dry out.

Cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and allow them to rest for 20 minutes.

During the resting time, I clean up my work surface and prep it for the rolling part. You’ll need some extra all-purpose flour to roll out the tortillas.

I also start heating up my griddle or skillet now so it’s nice and hot when I’m ready to cook the tortillas.

Rolling out the Tortillas

Rolling the dough can take some practice if you’ve never done it before. Unlike Corn Tortillas, where you use a press, flour tortillas require you to roll them out by hand.

Add a pinch of flour to a clean surface and more to your rolling pin. Take one of your portioned dough balls, and slightly flatten it on the floured surface.

Using even pressure, start rolling and going over all the edges of the tortilla. If the tortilla is sticking add a little more flour. You don’t want too much since it will make the tortilla drier.

Keep rolling until you get it as thin as you can. Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect circle, they will still taste good!

Cooking the Tortillas

I use a cast iron griddle to cook my tortillas. Or you can use a comal. Do not add any oil to the pan. The fat in the tortillas is enough to make it not stick.

Begin pre-heating the pan at medium heat. You want it hot but not to the point where it is smoking.

Take your rolled out tortilla and place it in the hot pan. After about 10-20 seconds it should start bubbling up.

Let it cook for 30 seconds on one side then flip it over for another 30 seconds. The time may vary depending on how hot your pan is.

You want some char marks, but not burned. Remove the tortilla from the pan and place it in a clean towel inside a tortilla warm or a large zip top bag. If tortillas are left out, they will dry out.

Storing them wrapped up allows the heat to steam the tortillas and makes them even softer. Finish cooking all the tortillas and store them until ready to serve.

If you have leftover tortillas, place them in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. Tortillas can also be frozen in a zip top bag and then allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat on a skillet or comal.

Try my Bacon and Egg Burritos with Freshly made flour Tortillas. Or make Bean Burritos with Frijoles Puercos.