Pourable Sourdough Tortillas – No Knead Discard Recipe

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These pourable sourdough tortillas are the best sourdough tortillas I’ve ever made.  They are so simple and easy to make and no kneading or rolling out is required.  I’ve made traditional sourdough flour tortillas many times, but I never liked taking the time to roll them out.  Then I stumbled across a pourable tortilla recipe, converted it to sourdough and fell in love!  These sourdough tortillas freeze well, but they are so fast and easy to make that I usually just make them fresh.  The key is to keep quite a bit of sourdough starter in your refrigerator so you can easily make these homemade tortillas without any prep at any time.  These are the best tortillas for taco night, or even a quick enchilada dish to feed the family.

My family loves anything in tortillas, even kale.  If I put kale or any kind of salad or microgreens in a tortilla with cheese and ranch dressing, my kids are happy.  If I have tortillas around I always have a quick and easy meal idea. For years I have kept store-bought tortillas on hand to depend on especially during the summer.  But in the last year, I’ve made a commitment to make all of our food that is made with flour from scratch.  I’ve always made our own bread, and granola, but now I’ve started making all of our own pasta, tortillas, english muffins, crackers, bagels and more.  And these pourable sourdough tortillas have been a game changer for me.  They are a time saver and make less of a mess because they don’t have to be rolled out on the counter.

​Ingredient List

These sourdough tortillas can be made with just three simple ingredients – sourdough starter or discard, oil and salt.  I’ve made them with active starter if I don’t have discard, and it still works, but they are easier to pour onto the pan if you use discard because it’s thinner.  You can use any kind of melted fat like butter, beef tallow, coconut oil or even regular oil.  

You can use any kind of sourdough discard in these tortillas.  My starter is usually just fed with regular all purpose flour. So that is what I use to make the tortillas, but if you have a whole wheat or einkorn starter, that will work as well.  If made with whole wheat starter, you would have whole wheat tortillas.

What is sourdough discard?  

Sourdough starter discard is fermented flour and water that has to be removed or discarded from your sourdough starter before you can feed your starter more flour and water.  It should never actually be thrown out (or discarded) though, because it can be used in hundreds of different recipes.  I always try to keep a fair amount of sourdough discard in a jar in my refrigerator. That way anytime I want to make these sourdough discard tortillas or any other discard recipe, I can do so quickly.  

What are the health benefits of sourdough?

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion.  Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well.  When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest.  A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.   

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health.

For more healthy and easy sourdough recipes, click here.

Why I Love These Homemade Sourdough Tortillas

• They are fast and easy to make and I don’t have to prepare anything ahead of time as long as I have sourdough discard in my refrigerator.  
• No need for a rolling pin or tortilla press as the liquid dough is just poured directly onto the pan.
• They can easily be made into any size tortilla that you’d like.
• These sourdough tortillas freeze well especially if you put a sheet of parchment paper between each tortilla before freezing.  I prefer to make fresh tortillas each time we eat them because they are so fast and easy to make.
• They can be used for both sweet and savory dishes like enchiladas or apple burritos.
• These tortillas have all the benefits of long-fermented sourdough because they are made with discard that has already been through the full sourdough fermentation process.

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Tips For Making Homemade Sourdough Discard Tortillas

• These sourdough tortillas cook best in a cast iron skillet.  I like to use a big cast iron skillet or get several heating on my stove at the same time to make cooking them faster.
• Keep lots of sourdough discard in your refrigerator for these and other discard recipes like sourdough discard pizzas or sourdough pizza pockets.  I usually feed my sourdough starter a lot of flour and water on purpose so that I will have lots of discard on hand.
• Play around with the flavorings of these tortillas.  You could easily add some freeze dried spinach powder for spinach tortillas, or some garlic and different herbs for a delightful flavored tortilla.
• Be sure to preheat your skillets before pouring on the batter so they don’t stick.  I also like to grease them with a little bit of butter, beef tallow or coconut oil.
• Sometimes the first tortilla doesn’t turn out the best and that is just because the pan will be more non-stick after the first tortilla is done cooking.  Kind of like when you cook crepes, the first one doesn’t always turn out.  

Favorite Filling Ideas

• Browned hamburger and/or refried beans, cheese, salsa, lettuce and sour cream
• Scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast burritos
• Kale, lettuce, salad mix or microgreens with ranch dressing and cheese
• Apple pie filling can be placed in these, rolled up and put into a baking dish and drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze for a dessert enchilada
• Canned chicken, cheese, salsa and spices can be put into these tortillas and rolled up and put into a baking dish.  Brush with olive oil and bake for yummy chicken taquitos
• Mexican flavored beef roast, canned venison or browned hamburger can be put into these tortillas with cheese and salsa and made into enchiladas.
• Fish, pico de Gallo, sour cream sauce and shredded cabbage make amazing fish tacos.
• Meat, cheese and veggies can easily be made into sandwich wraps

The sky really is the limit with tortillas!

Tools You May Need

Mixing Bowl

Measuring Cups And Spoons

Whisk

Large Cast Iron Skillet (non stick will also work)

How To Make Pourable Sourdough Tortillas

Preheat your cast iron skillets on medium low.

In a medium bowl, combine sourdough discard, oil and salt.  Mix well.

Grease warm skillets with a small amount of butter or oil.

Pour some of the mixture onto your skillet.  How much you use depends on how large or small you want your tortilla. 

Spread out using a spatula or by tilting your pan.

Cook the batter on the first side for 2-3 minutes. After it starts to bubble up flip the tortilla over and finish cooking it on the second side.

Remove from skillet and place on a platter until ready to serve.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel to help keep them warm and soft.

If making ahead of time, the cooked tortillas could be warmed back up in a skillet briefly before serving.

To freeze, place a small piece of parchment paper between each tortilla and place into a freezer bag.  Stays good in the freezer for 1-3 months. 

​Be sure to watch the YouTube video below showing how we made these homemade flour tortillas. Learn how we serve them with some basic ingredients from our homestead pantry to make a nourishing and healthy meal.