How long does it take to make Pan flatbread?

Tortillas: a dough of flour, a little fat and warm water, rested covered, divided into balls and rolled into thin rounds; cook in a hot dry pan about a minute on one side and about half a minute on the other, and stack them covered with a towel.

1 hr 34 minTotal

14 minActive time

1 hr 20 minSetting

Step by Step

#	What to do	How long
1	Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl	1 min
2	Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes	10 min
3	Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place	1 hr
4	Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each ball into a circle 5–6 mm thick	—
5	Heat a heavy (cast iron is ideal) pan on high heat, without oil	3 min
6	Cook each bread 2–3 minutes per side	20 min

How to Tell It's Done

until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands
until the dough doubles in size
until blackish spots appear

Tips

Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
Dough that springs back needs rest: cover the balls for 10 minutes and the gluten relaxes.
The pan must be scorching hot before the first bread goes in: that way it puffs up and gets charred spots instead of slowly drying out.

Common Mistakes

For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.

The full recipe: Pan flatbread →