Flour tortilla calculator
Flour tortillas on lard and warm water, with no baking powder.
Flour tortillas the traditional way, Rick Bayless’s formula: flour, lard, salt and very warm water, nothing else. No baking powder in the classic article; a well-rested dough and a hot, dry griddle do everything.
How it works
Fat first
Rub 17% lard (vegetable shortening is his stated substitute) into the flour until sandy, then add 1.2% salt dissolved in 46% very warm water. Warm water hydrates faster and keeps the fat soft; the dough should come together supple, not sticky.
Bayless’s batch
385 g of flour, 5 tablespoons of lard (64–71 g), 177 g of very warm water and about 4.5 g of salt: a dozen tortillas of about 53 g, rolled to 15 cm. The default is that batch: 387 g of flour, 178 g of water, 66 g of lard and 4.6 g of salt.
The 30-minute rest
Knead briefly until smooth, divide into ~53 g balls, and rest them covered at least 30 minutes. The rest relaxes the gluten completely; skip it and the tortillas snap back and roll unevenly.
Roll and griddle
Roll each ball paper-thin to about 15 cm and cook on an ungreased griddle or cast iron at medium-high, 30–45 seconds per side, until puffed in spots and freckled brown. Stack under a towel; the steam finishes them soft.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- Rick Bayless — flour tortillas — The traditional formula followed: 46% very warm water, 17% lard, no baking powder.
- King Arthur — Simple Tortillas — The hot-water + baking-powder school (67–76% water), recorded.
- Serious Eats — Mexican-style flour tortillas — The milk-based Norteño style running lard to 36.5%, recorded.
FAQ
Don’t tortillas need baking powder?
The traditional lard-and-hot-water style uses none; that is Bayless’s forty-year formula. King Arthur’s popular version does add a teaspoon (with much hotter, wetter dough at 67–76% water), and Sonoran-style recipes vary. Both schools exist; this page follows the classic.
Can I use oil or butter instead of lard?
Vegetable shortening is the source’s own alternative; oil works but gives a flatter flavor and slightly less tender bite. Lard remains the reference for both texture and taste.
What is the Serious Eats Norteño version?
A milk-based northern style that runs lard to 36.5% of the flour, more than double this one. Recorded as the other end of the range, not followed here.
Why did mine turn out stiff?
Rolled too thick, cooked too long, or the rest skipped. A tortilla finishes in ninety seconds total; past that it is on its way to being a cracker.
More from Flatbreads
Corn tortilla calculator
Masa harina tortillas: 40 g balls, water dosed to your own masa, cooked on a hot comal.
Hydration 135% · 10 × 40 g
Naan dough calculator
Naan on yogurt, off a screaming-hot skillet, brushed with butter.
Hydration 77% · 8 × 65 g
Lavash dough calculator
Armenian lavash rolled paper-thin: a lean dough with a tiny yeast dose.
Hydration 61% · 8 × 105 g
Pita bread calculator
Pocket pita: 65% hydration, rolled thin and baked at full heat so they balloon.
Hydration 65% · 6 × 75 g
Flatbread dough calculators6 calculators