IN THE KITCHEN

GERTIE'S SOURDOUGH DISCARD FLOUR TORTILLAS

Soft, tender flour tortillas are one of my favorite ways to put sourdough discard to good use. They come together with just a few ingredients, need only a short rest, and cook in minutes in a hot skillet.

Makes: 8 tortillas

Size: About 7–8 inches each

Rest time: 1 hour

Cook time: About 1 minute per tortilla

Ingredients

  • 120 g sourdough discard
  • 160 g all-purpose flour
  • 15 g Crisco
  • 5 g cultured butter
  • 4–5 g salt
  • 60 g hot water

Instructions

  1. Make the dough. Combine the sourdough discard, flour, Crisco, butter, salt, and hot water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
  1. Knead. Knead the dough for 3–5 minutes, until it becomes smooth and supple.
  1. Let it rest. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This gives the flour time to hydrate and, more importantly, lets the gluten relax so the tortillas are easier to roll thin.
  1. Divide. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each into a small ball. Keep the dough balls covered while you work so they don't dry out.
  1. Roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a thin 7–8-inch round. Don't worry about making them perfectly circular—homemade tortillas are allowed to look homemade.
  1. Cook. Heat a dry skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla for about 20–30 seconds on the first side, until bubbles begin to form and you see a few browned spots. Flip and cook for another 20–30 seconds.
  1. Keep them soft. Stack the cooked tortillas as you go and keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel. The trapped steam keeps them warm and pliable until you're ready to eat.

A Few Notes

Don't overcook them. The goal is a soft tortilla with a few toasted spots, not a crisp one.

If the dough keeps shrinking back while you roll it, let it rest. Give that dough ball another 5–10 minutes and try again.

A hot pan matters. You want the tortillas to cook quickly enough to puff and develop those lovely brown spots without drying out.

And perhaps the most important rule: the first tortilla is the cook's.

About the butter. I use cultured butter because it has a slightly tangier, more complex flavor from the cultures added during production. European-style butter isn't necessarily cultured, but it generally has a higher butterfat content than standard American butter, which gives it a richer flavor and texture. If you don't have cultured butter, European-style or regular salted butter will work just fine here. With only 5 grams in the recipe, we're talking about a subtle difference—not a tortilla emergency.

KRISTYN RANKIN

Food is rarely just about the food.

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