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A stack of bacon fat flour tortillas and fried bacon slices on a wooden cutting board.
5 from 7 votes

Homemade Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas

Bacon fat flour tortillas are soft and very tasty, plus they are an easy way to utilize leftover bacon drippings from breakfast or lunch. Learn how to make them with our step-by-step recipe.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 8 minutes
Resting time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 48 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 152kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of all purpose flour approx. 500 gm
  • cup bacon fat* 60 gm
  • 1 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cup boiling water
  • 3-4 slices of bacon finely chopped

Utensilios

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Kitchen scale or measuring cups
  • Rolling pin, this is my favorite
  • Cast-iron griddle or comal or a large skillet
  • Tortillero or kitchen towel

Instructions

Prepare the Bacon

  • You will need 3-4 fried slices for this recipe, and with the ones you have left over, you can prepare this delicious recipe which I made on the shows as well Chicken Salad with Bacon and Macadamias.
  • Chop the slices of bacon as finely as possible; by doing this, the flavor will be even throughout the dough and will also help you roll out the tortilla.
  • If the bacon pieces are too large, they could affect the tortilla’s thickness or break it when you form it. Set aside.

Prepare the dough

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, bacon fat (either firm if you’ve been storing it or liquid if you’ve just fried the bacon), salt, and boiling water.
  • Stir with a wooden spoon first, remember that the water is very hot, until the bacon fat has either melted or integrated.
  • You can also use a stand mixer to make the dough if you have one. Please use the dough hook.
  • Add the chopped bacon, and with one hand, continue kneading until you get a slightly moist and elastic ball of dough that easily comes off your hand. This will take approximately 8 minutes.
  • Important note: The weather affects the texture of the tortilla dough. On rainy or humid days, the dough could be wetter than normal; if after kneading for about 5 minutes, you notice that the dough is still wet and very sticky, add a teaspoon of flour and continue kneading.
  • Repeat if necessary, but be careful not to add too much flour as this could make your tortillas dry and hard when cooked. The dough should feel slightly moist. Try not to add more than three tablespoons.
  • Conversely, on very hot or dry days, the dough may require more water. Add a teaspoon at a time.
  • Remember that practice makes perfect; as you make more and more tortillas, you will identify the ideal texture.

Divide and rest the dough

  • Divide dough into the number of tortillas you want. The nutritional information and photos in this recipe are for regular 6-inch size tortillas, but you can make them smaller 4-inch circles for taco size or larger for burrito size. Review the table above in the blog post.
  • I recommend that you use a kitchen scale for consistently even size tortillas. This is the scale that I have, but there are many others at different price points.
  • If you don’t have one, consider buying one, you will use it a lot, I assure you. If you don’t have one and want to make the recipe right now, you can divide the dough into equal pieces.
  • Create balls by rolling them in the palm of your hand or on your work surface, then place them on a lightly floured surface. Sometimes, I use a cutting board, so I can move them if needed. Cover them and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
  • This rest time is important because it will allow the gluten that gives elasticity and consistency to the dough to develop. It will also be easier to form the tortillas.

Shape the tortillas

  • On a lightly floured work surface place one of the balls, please make sure the remaining balls of dough are covered so they don’t dry out.
  • Then with the rolling pin, roll out a tortilla from top to bottom, exerting a little pressure, then rotate it a quarter turn and roll it again from top to bottom. Now flip it over and repeat.
  • When you flip the tortilla, the flour on the surface will help it not stick to the rolling pin. Try not to add more flour, if you add too much, the tortilla will have a dry texture.
  • Continue rolling from top to bottom and rotating or flipping it until you achieve the desired thickness and diameter. Repeat.
  • I recommend that you roll out only as many as the space in your kitchen allows. You don’t want to stack them one on top of the other, since they will stick together and you will have to roll them out again.
  • I usually roll out three at a time and then, while I’m waiting for one to cook, I roll out the next.

Cook the Tortillas

  • Heat the comal over medium-high heat and place the first tortilla on it. In my experience, the first tortilla rarely turns out perfectly; it is the test to see if the temperature is appropriate.
  • When you notice that the surface of the tortillas has changed from a whitish tone to a yellowish tone, bubbles begin to form, and a few brown spots have developed, flip the tortilla. This will take, depending on your stove and comal, between 45-55 seconds.
  • Wait another 40-45 seconds to cook the other side. Flip again and cook for 10-25 seconds. In this second flip, you will see some of the tortillas puff up.
  • Remove and wrap tortillas in a kitchen towel or tortillero to keep them warm. Repeat until you finish all of them. And enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas
Amount per Serving
Calories
152
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
 
0.002
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.3
g
Cholesterol
 
5
mg
2
%
Sodium
 
172
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
41
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
24
g
8
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
0.1
g
0
%
Protein
 
4
g
8
%
Vitamin A
 
1
IU
0
%
Calcium
 
5
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Antojitos Mexicanos, Breads
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Easy tortilla recipe, Flour tortillas, Mexican tortillas

Notes

* If you don’t have any bacon fat saved up, you’ll need to fry a few bacon slices before you start. Depending on the package size you bought, you will need about 9-10 slices.
Important Note: Roll out the tortilla to about 2 centimeters (about 1 inch) larger than you want at the end as the tortilla shrinks as it cooks.
Don’t expect tortillas to be perfectly round on the first try. That takes practice. But no matter their shape, they will taste just as good.
Tip: Cooking time will vary depending on where you cook them. Cast iron comales or skillets tend to maintain the heat level; other types of skillets will need regular temperature adjustments as the tortillas cook.