Sourdough Discard Tortilla Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for sourdough starter? ›

All-purpose Flour

It strikes a perfect balance of softness and structure, making it an ideal choice for various recipes. Due to its wide availability and affordability, all-purpose flour is often my top recommendation for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter.

Make sure your masa is not dry.

Remember that we are trying to make steam here. If your masa is dry, there won't be any humidity to form the steam with, plus dryness also affects the final product. You don't want a dry tortilla because it will have dry edges and it will be hard and kind of toasty.

Storing it in the fridge

It's possible to keep the sourdough discard fresher for up to 1 week by storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.

The reward is a homemade tortilla that's fluffy, pliable, and elastic, perfect for making the best burritos you've ever had. The most important part of making a great tortilla is to not overwork the dough and to make sure it is hydrated enough. If the dough is overworked, then it will be difficult to roll out.

Adding whole grain flour: Whole grain flour, particularly whole rye flour (pumpernickel), tends to promote more sour flavor in bread for two reasons. First, the type of sugars available in whole rye (or whole wheat) flour encourage a shift toward acetic acid production.

The best flour blend for creating a new sourdough starter is 50% whole-meal flour (whole wheat or whole rye) and 50% bread flour or all-purpose flour. I recommend a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and bread flour.

The best supermarket flour tortillas are soft but not limp, and chewy but not gummy. We want a tortilla that's confidently wheaty, with no distracting chemical flavors. It should be thin enough to see light through, just slightly stretchy when tugged, and flaky when pulled apart.

Notes. Back lard is preferable for its very mild pork flavor, although more neutral tasting leaf lard or vegetable shortening can be substituted for great results. The tortillas are best eaten fresh and while still warm.

Adding too much flour to knead or to roll out the tortillas will also create hard and dry tortillas.

How long can sourdough discard be stored? Best practice is to use the discard within 3-4 weeks, but if left longer it is okay. It just becomes more broken down and sour over time.

Can I use month old sourdough discard? ›

You can store mature sourdough discard in the refrigerator indefinitely. As long as there is no mold, it is good to use. It may develop a grayish liquid on top called “hooch” which can be poured off before use or stirred in. If you stir it in, the flavor will become more sour.

You can store sourdough discard in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It's fine to leave it on the counter for up 24 hours, however if you aren't planning to use it straight away it's always better to store it in the fridge.

TORTILLA BLENDTM Sodium Bicarbonate can specifically target the attributes of height and volume, uniform cell structure, bready texture, toast point color and reduced translucency. Sodium Bicarbonate: Timing of the leavening reaction is key to obtaining the best tortilla texture, height and opacity.

I tested a few different variations and found that just a little bit of baking powder yielded the best texture albeit a very minor difference compared to the version without baking powder. So, if you don't have baking powder then you can omit it altogether. The tortillas will be just as good!

Some tortilla makers cover their dough and rest it overnight in the fridge, making it even easier to work with. There are a few reasons why this is so critical. It allows the dough to thoroughly and evenly hydrate, creating a consistent mix that cooks the same way every time.

If you have an established sourdough starter you can use any flour of your choosing! Honestly, I've even used bleached flour on the rare occasion if I'm in a pinch and don't have unbleached flour in our pantry.

You can make sourdough with all-purpose or “plain” flour, but you will get better results with higher protein flours like “bread flour” or “strong flour” which typically have about 12.5% protein. All-purpose flours have about 11% (or lower) protein.

Grano tenero flours are generally used in Italy to make both bread and pastries.

If making a 100% whole grain sourdough bread is your goal, prepare your sourdough starter by feeding it with whole grain einkorn or yecora rojo flours. I fed my starter einkorn flour for the first two recipes, and for the third recipe, I used a mix of all my ripe starters (60g rye starter, 40g all purpose starter).