How to make Perfectly Soft Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Sourdough discard tortillas are such a great staple recipe to have on hand for any night of the week! They are easy to make, incredibly soft and the flavor is unbeatable.
If you make sourdough and have yet to try your hand at tortillas, let this be your sign to start! They are much easier to make than you may think, and taste so much better than store bought. Simply mix the dough, let it rest, then roll it out and cook for a couple minutes. And just like that you have homemade sourdough discard tortillas!
I love making these tortillas at the beginning of the week so I can use them for all sorts of meals throughout the week. Tacos, breakfast burritos, quesadillas, chicken wraps or even a sweet little snack with some peanut butter and banana. They are the perfect gut healthy vessel to hold all kinds of deliciousness!
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Tips For Perfect Soft Sourdough Discard Tortillas
1.I recommend using sourdough discard that is no more than 3-4 weeks old. As it gets older it can end up tasting a bit funny and giving your tortillas on “off” taste.
2. Do not flour your counter before rolling out the tortillas. You want the tortilla dough to slightly stick to the counter so it can hold its shape as your roll it out. If you flour the counter, the dough will jut slide around and make it difficult to get nice and thin.
3. Roll the tortillas as thin as you can. They will puff up slightly as they cook, so you want to get them super thin, especially the edges.
4. Cook the tortillas on medium heat for just 1-2 minutes per side. I find that if you cook them for too long, they do not stay as soft and malleable.
Sourdough Discard Tortilla Ingredients
Flour– I use unbleached all purpose flour for these because that is what I use for my bread and what I keep on hand. All purpose or bread flour will work.
Sourdough Discard– This is inactive sourdough starter that you have saved from when you feed your starter. I like to keep a jar of this in the fridge and add to it anytime I have starter I need to discard. I like to use discard within a couple weeks.
Butter– Melted butter is added to the tortilla dough which adds flavor, tenderness and keeps the tortillas nice and soft.
Salt– You can use whichever salt you keep on hand at home.
The Steps
1. Start by stirring together the water, melted butter and sourdough discard. Stir until smooth and slightly bubbly.
2. Add in the flour and salt and gently stir until combined. I like to use my hands, as the dough will be thick.
3. Next, dump the dough out onto a clean counter. Knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated and it becomes smooth. About 3-4 minutes.
4. Place the dough ball back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rest at room temperature for an hour or so.
5. Once the dough has rested, pull it out of the bowl and cut into 8-12 pieces. The number of pieces you cut just depends on how big you want the tortillas. When I make these small for tacos, I make 12.
6. Gently roll each piece into a ball, then using a rolling pin roll each ball nice and thin into the shape tortilla you would like. I recommend not flouring your counter. When the dough slightly sticks to the counter it helps the dough keep its shape.
7. Heat a cast iron or carbon steel pan on medium heat. Gently place a tortilla in the pan and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes before flipping. There will be bubbles that grow as its cooking, this is what you want.
8. Flip, then allow to cook for 1 more minute before removing from the pan. Place the freshly cooked tortilla in a tea towel and wrap to stay warm. The tortillas will stay nice and soft while they are warm. Once they cool they will stiffen up slightly. Just heat them back up to get them perfectly soft again.
9.Use these tortillas for tacos, breakfast burritos, chicken wraps or even a little sweet snack with peanut butter and banana. Enjoy!
Equipment I use for Making Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Dough Whisk- This is one of my favorite tools to use for all of my sourdough recipes. Its a stiff whisk made for dough that allows you to stir thick dough without it bending. Find mine here https://amzn.to/3FhXD8Y
Wooden Rolling Pin- I find wood one of my favorite types of rolling pins to us. No plastics and works well with dough. I love this dowel one because it is not too big, it is light, but still gets the job done! https://amzn.to/4kqiSFQ
Cast iron or Carbon Steel Pan- Without a doubt my favorite pan I own is my carbon steel pan. Similar to cast iron, but I find it cooks even better! I use his pan for searing steaks, sauteing veggies and making things like tortillas or english muffins. The perfect non toxic frying pan! https://amzn.to/3Fl4Q8c
Soft and tender buttery tortillas with a hint of sourdough flavor. Easy and a perfect staple recipe to have. *Store the cooked tortillas in a sealed bag for up to a week, or place in the freezer for up to 2 months. *If you want to make a batch of these at the beginning of the week, you can make the dough and cut it into balls then store the dough balls in a container in the fridge. Any day that you want fresh tortillas just roll out a couple of the balls and fry them up! The dough balls will stay god in the fridge for up to a week. *Key to nice soft tortillas is having the heat high enough that they cook in 30-60 seconds on each side. IF you over cook them, they wil get hard. 
Perfectly Soft Sourdough Discard Tortillas
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
