Sourdough Discard Tortillas Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These sourdough discard tortillas are soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious. They are what every taco night dreams of! Stuff them with your favorite fillings and fermented salsa for tacos, or use them for a quick chicken shawarma wrap.

These sourdough discard tortillas are soft, easy to make, and perfect for tacos, burritos, and wraps. I love keeping a batch on hand for simple meals.

I always think rolling dough will take too much time, but this homemade flour tortilla recipe reminds me how simple it can be. Like my sourdough flatbread recipe, it uses leftover sourdough starter but with no bulk fermentation.

I like to fill them with home-canned pinto beans, steak, lacto-fermented salsa, and candied jalapeños. For easy lunches, we enjoy egg salad wraps made with Instant Pot boiled eggs.

For an option made with freshly ground flour, try my fresh-milled tortillas.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy: Sourdough discard tortillas are easy to make. There’s no intense kneading, bulk fermenting, windowpane test, or stretch and folds.

Sourdough: Don’t throw away the discard from your regular feedings! Using discard is a great way to prevent food waste. Check out my sourdough discard roundup for more discard recipe ideas.

Freezer-Friendly: These sourdough discard tortillas freeze like a dream. I like to double or triple up the batch and freeze the extras. (Learn how to freeze and batch prep sourdough in my Batch Baking Sourdough ebook!)

Simple Ingredients: One of my favorite things about sourdough is how simple the ingredients are. These tortillas come together with basic pantry staples.

Key Ingredients

Flour: Regular all-purpose flour makes soft tortillas. But you can add in a little whole wheat for extra nutrition. If you are using fresh-milled flour, check out my fresh-milled flour conversion guide.

Sourdough Starter: Use active or inactive starter. You can use an all-purpose starter, fresh-milled starter, einkorn starter, or any other type you have.

Oil: I used avocado oil, but any neutral oil will do.

Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.

How To Make Sourdough Discard Tortillas

Step 1: In a small bowl, whisk together the water and sourdough starter. Set aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

Step 3: Pour the avocado oil into the flour mixture. Use your hands to combine. It will have a clumpy/sandy consistency at this point.

Step 4: Pour the water-starter mixture into the dry ingredients.

Step 5: Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients until they come together, with no dry flour remaining.

Step 6: Keep the dough in the bowl and knead it with your hands for 1 minute.

If the dough is very sticky, add one tablespoon of flour at a time until you can handle it. I usually need one or two additional tablespoons.

The dough should be a little sticky, but it should not make a mess of your hands.

Step 7: Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 8: Lightly flour the counter and a large piece of parchment paper. Then, turn the dough out onto the floured counter and divide it into 16 equal pieces.

Step 9: Shape each portion into a ball and place it on the floured parchment paper. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 10: Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat.

Working with one dough ball at a time, dust the top of the dough with flour. Then, roll it out into thin circle about 6″ or so in diameter (it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle).

Try to roll the dough as thin as possible without tearing it.

Add flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Step 11: Transfer the rolled dough to the preheated skillet. Cook until bubbles form, about 1 minute.

Then, flip it over and cook for 30 seconds or until the tortilla is cooked through and has small charred marks.

Step 12: Repeat the rolling and cooking process with the remaining dough.

Tips for Success

• If I have burritos or wraps on the menu, I divide the dough into 8 pieces rather than 16, so we have larger tortillas.
• Your dough’s consistency depends on your starter’s hydration, the flour brand, and other factors. While kneading, add one tablespoon of flour at a time as needed.
• The dough needs to rest so the gluten can relax. Otherwise, the tortillas will be hard to roll out. Once divided, you can let the dough rest for up to two hours.
• Don’t worry about rolling perfectly shaped tortillas. Mine are rarely perfectly shaped. I think it gives them a rustic homemade aesthetic.
• If the dough shrinks back, let it rest a little longer before rolling.
• If you have to oil the pan to prevent sticking, that’s fine. But don’t get heavy-handed with the oil. The first time I made tortillas, I used too much oil and ended up with greasy, fried tortillas.

Storing & Reheating

• Room Temperature: Store cooled tortillas in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 2 days.
• Fridge: For longer storage (up to 1 week), store leftover sourdough tortillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Freezer: Stack the tortillas with parchment paper between each one, then store them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They'll keep for up to 3 months.
• Reheating: Warm tortillas in a dry skillet for 15-30 seconds per side, microwave them in a damp paper towel for 10-15 seconds, or wrap them in foil and heat in a 300° F oven for 5-10 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Tacos: Fill with seasoned beef, chicken, or steak and top with candied jalapeños and fermented salsa. For a seasonal variety, you can also use cranberry jalapeño salsa.

Burritos: Wrap up pressure-canned pinto beans, rice, cheese, and your favorite meat.

Quesadillas: Add shredded cheese and leftover chicken, then cook in a skillet until golden.

Chicken Shawarma Wraps: Fill with chicken shawarma, fresh vegetables, and Greek yogurt cucumber ranch.

Breakfast Wraps: Fill with fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy home-cured bacon, and cheese.

Lunch Wraps: Make egg salad with Instant Pot boiled eggs, or use sliced turkey and vegetables.

Sourdough Discard Tortillas FAQs

More Sourdough Discard Recipes

If you tried this Sourdough Discard Tortilla recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks, y'all!