Sourdough Tortillas Recipe: Tips for Sourdough Discard Tortillas

Sourdough tortillas are wheat flour tortillas made with a portion of sourdough starter. Making tortillas from scratch is a process that can be slightly time-consuming, but it’s worth the effort. Whether making corn or flour tortillas—or using an alternative ingredient instead—tortilla-making is a tangible, tactile experience. The difference between store-bought and homemade tortillas is evident: Homemade tortillas smell sweet and earthy and have a flexible texture—best enjoyed hot and fresh off the stove. Sourdough starter discard can lend an earthy, almost-sour note to the familiar flavor of a flour tortilla.

Sourdough is another term for naturally leavened bread and baked goods. After feeding a sourdough starter with flour, it’s necessary to remove about half of the levain, or starter. Regularly removing half of the dough and feeding flour to the remaining half keeps it active and bubbly. Instead of throwing away the discard, use it to make flour tortillas.

You do not need an active sourdough starter to make flour tortillas. If you make sourdough bread at home, you may have two types of starter on hand: fresh, active starter and starter discard. Fresh starter is full of bubbling yeast and bacteria, ready to leaven loaves like this rye bread recipe by baker Apollonia Poîlane. However, the wild yeast in unfed discard is relatively inert, having run out of fresh flour to consume. Tortillas don’t rise much, making them an excellent use for sourdough discard.

Flour tortillas are a staple of northern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Use sourdough tortillas anywhere you would regular flour tortillas. Consider these serving ideas:

1. 1. Crisp up the tortilla and make a tostada. Cook your sourdough tortillas in some butter until browned and crisp, slather some refried beans on top and garnish with radishes, Oaxaca cheese, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
2. 2. Smother enchiladas in a rich sauce and lots of cheese. Fill three tortillas with shredded chicken, lime juice, and some beans, roll them up, transfer them to a baking dish, and top with salsa verde and shredded cheese. Toss the chicken enchiladas into the oven to melt, and then serve with rice and beans.
3. 3. Get melty with a quesadilla. Pile up some of your favorite quesadilla ingredients— chicken, beef, chorizo, heaps of cheese, beans, rice, peppers, onions, garlic—fold the tortilla over, and cook in a dry skillet until it is deep brown and crisp and the cheese has melted. Slice the quesadilla into four wedges and serve with sour cream and guacamole.
4. 4. Make a wrap. A sourdough tortilla elevates a standard wrap. To make an easy Buffalo chicken wrap, chop up some fried chicken, toss with blue cheese, cheddar cheese, and diced tomatoes, and roll it up like a burrito before slicing in half and serving with ranch dressing.
5. 5. Make tortilla chips. Guacamole is a great vehicle for homemade tortilla chips. Pile up your tortillas and cut the whole stack into eighths before tossing them into an air fryer or deep fryer and cooking until browned and crisp. Drain, salt, and serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. This tortilla chip recipe features corn tortillas, but you can use the same method to make flour tortilla chips.
6. 6. Roll your favorite ingredients into a burrito. Beans, cilantro-lime rice, grilled shrimp, and pulled chicken doused in a mild salsa and wrapped in a sourdough tortilla make for a super-filling and enjoyable portable meal. Use this burrito recipe as a guide.
7. 7. Start sizzling with fajitas. Flour tortillas are a traditional pairing for Tex-Mex fajitas. Sauté onions and peppers along with your favorite proteins, and serve a stack of warm sourdough tortillas on the side. Place small bowls of toppings and garnishes on the table for an easy, interactive meal. Learn how to make homemade steak fajitas or veggie fajitas.

To ensure the highest-quality and best-tasting sourdough tortillas, follow these tips. The process isn’t overly complicated, but here’s how to make it more manageable:

1. 1. Choosing your oil: Flour tortilla dough comes together with a little bit of fat. Lard is the traditional choice, but feel free to use any neutral-tasting cooking oil, such as coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
2. 2. Picking a cooking vessel: A comal is a round griddle made from cast iron or clay and the traditional vessel for cooking tortillas. If you don’t have a Mexican comal, use a cast-iron griddle or a large skillet.
3. 3. Different pressing methods: A tortilladora (tortilla press) is an inexpensive tool available in most Mexican markets that will help you achieve uniform tortillas with speed. However, it’s not essential when making flour tortillas since the dough is less sticky than the masa used to make corn tortillas. If you don’t have a tortilla press, use your palms and a rolling pin to shape the sourdough tortillas.
4. 4. Properly storing tortillas: Keep cooked tortillas warm in a clean kitchen towel or a tortilla warmer as you cook them. Store the tortillas in the refrigerator or freeze as needed—just be sure to bring them to room temperature before reheating on the stove.
5. 5. Choosing the flour: While many flour tortilla recipes call for all-purpose white flour, whole-wheat flour or gluten-free options also work. Remember that your sourdough tortillas won’t be completely gluten-free unless you also use a gluten-free sourdough starter.