Easy Soft Flour Tortillas

1Dissolve salt: Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt dissolves.

2Make dough: In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. Pour in almost all of the salt water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more water.

3Quickly knead: When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover with a clean dishcloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.

4Roll out the dough: Divide the dough into 10 equally sized blobs and shape them into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disk into an 8-inch round (a rolling pin is better than a tortilla press for this recipe). The thinner, the better. If you get 9-inch tortillas, don’t worry! We also don’t worry too much about making them perfectly round. (See our video to watch us do it.)

5Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas simultaneously. Roll one tortilla out, then roll out the next tortilla while the first one cooks.

6Preheat a skillet: Preheat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes.

7Cook tortillas: When the skillet is preheated, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles. When the bottom of the tortilla has some brown spots, flip it and cook until the second side is browned in places and the tortilla looks dry around the edges. Each tortilla will take 1 to 2 minutes to cook. If this is taking a long time, increase the heat. If the pan smokes or browns the tortillas too quickly, reduce the heat.

8Keep warm: Transfer the cooked tortilla to a dishcloth and cover it, then continue with the remaining tortillas, adjusting the heat as needed.