Try using lard or shortening instead of oil, like this:

https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/flour-tortillas-de-harina/

Yeah I’ve never seen tortillas made with oil. That’s too much liquid. You need shortening or lard.

Alternately, try making corn tortillas. Much easier and tastier.

Need a better fat for this application. Also you didn’t specify hot water, which is essential according to every abuelita I’ve talked to about it.

Sounds like they might be drying out, maybe while they’re waiting to be cooked. You can keep them under a moist towel while waiting if that’s the issue. They might also be cooking too long. I don’t have a great sense of what doneness looks like for tortillas, but I imagine knowledge mostly comes from experience.

Post pictures when you get a good batch!

Water, oil, salt, flour is basically the recipe for crackers.

You need to add leavening and use lard or vegetable shortening.

For 12 corn tortillas:

2 cups masa harina, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/4 cup warm water

Mix, and let hydrate for 5 minutes. Divide into 12 balls, and roll out or press. Keep those not being worked on covered to keep from drying out. Cook in a skillet over medium high.

For 10 flour tortillas:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/3 cup shortening or lard, 1 cup warm water

Mix flour and salt, then cut in fat until pebbly. Mix in water slowly until dough holds together (you probably won’t need all of the water!). Divide into 10 balls, cover to keep from drying out, and let rest for at least 30 minutes. Flour a surface and rolling pin, and roll out into tortillas. Cook in a skillet over medium high.

Most recently, I used this flour tortilla recipe and was happy with the results. I found having a video helpful as another form of feedback to see if I was following the recipe correctly.

I use hominy corn. Put the dry corn in water for 24 hours then cook in water and add salt. Once soft put through a food mincer. With the minced corn make balls of about 30 grams and flatten until you have a tortilla

Edit: forgot to mention that once you have all the balls in a tortilla shape you need to cook them in a nonstick pan

Can you share the recipe you are using?

I make tortillas almost every week and use flour, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil and warm water. The thing with tortillas though is that you have to go by feel. I hand knead the dough and have to know when to add more oil, water, or flour based on the consistency of the dough. It’s something you learn with trial and error.

There’s also an old wives tale that says your tortillas will never turn out properly if you are in a bad mood when you make them!

This is my goto recipe. I use the butter variant and they’re fluffy, chewy and perfect every single time. I used to use a press, but didn’t care for how small the tortillas ended up so I mostly smash the dough balls with a large pan or something similarly silly.

At least for corn tortillas, placing them in a tortilla keeper (steaming basket) after you cook them makes a world of difference when it comes to having pliable tortillas - you can just use a pot/saucepan with a lid.

Baking powder in flour tortillas is common, helps them come out more like a light fluffy tortilla and less like a flat flour brick

You don’t need shortening or lard ( though lard is certainly more traditional), oil should be fine. You do probably want some baking powder in there, but if you are ending up with a cracker its likely the method and not ingredients that are the problem.