Torta frita

Name: Torta frita
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 500 g all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1¼ tsp salt; 50 g lard; 260 ml water; 1 l neutral vegetable oil; 2 tbsp sugar (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Simple discs of lard-enriched dough with a hole in the centre, fried until puffed and golden. In Uruguay they are the traditional treat on rainy days, eaten with mate.

Torta frita is an Uruguayan bread, ready in about 1 hour and made with all-purpose flour and lard. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 20 min
Total: 1 h
Serves: 6
Level: Beginner
Calories: 482

Ingredients

6 servings (12 tortas fritas)

500 g All-purpose flour (opens in a new tab)Contains wheat, gluten
1 tsp (4.5 g) Baking powder (opens in a new tab)
1¼ tsp (7.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
50 g Lard (opens in a new tab)Melted; grasa vacuna (beef dripping) is also used.Swap: Butter; Neutral vegetable oil (For a version without animal fat.)
260 ml Water (opens in a new tab)Warm.
1 l Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)For frying (lard is traditional); about 70 g is absorbed.
2 tbsp (25 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab) (optional)For sprinkling.

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Mix the flour, baking powder (opens in a new tab) and salt. Add the melted lard (opens in a new tab) and warm water and knead to a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
2
Step 2
Divide into 12 balls and stretch or roll each into a thin disc about 12 cm across. Make a small hole in the middle with a finger.
- 10 min
- Rolling pin (opens in a new tab)
The hole stops the disc ballooning and helps it cook evenly.
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels
3
Step 3
Fry one or two at a time in oil at 180 °C until puffed and golden, about 1 minute per side. Drain and sprinkle with sugar (opens in a new tab), if you like.
- 20 min
- 180°C
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Use a deep pan and never leave hot oil unattended.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Uruguay · Commonly attributedA rural Río de la Plata tradition shared with Argentina and southern Brazil.Also popular in ArgentinaMore food from Uruguay
Dish: Snack · Breakfast · Breads & flatbreads · Sweets & confectionery
Cooking method: Deep-fried
Taste: savoury, mild
Diet: Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with: All-purpose flour · Lard · Baking powder
Techniques: Deep-frying · Kneading

Allergens

Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

482 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 149 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 7%
Carbohydrate 54%
Fat 39%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	482 kcal	324 kcal
Protein	8.6 g	5.8 g
Carbohydrate	63.8 g	42.9 g
Net carbohydrate	61.5 g	41.4 g
Sugars	0.2 g	0.2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	2.3 g	1.5 g
Fat	20.8 g	14 g
Saturated fat	4.3 g	2.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	8 mg	5 mg
Sodium	566 mg	381 mg
Salt equivalent	1.4 g	1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 89 mg
Calcium: 61 mg
Iron: 4 mg
Magnesium: 19 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0.2 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 243 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: sugar.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

Eat warm with mate, dulce de leche or a slice of cheese.

Storage

Best on the day; keep in a paper bag.

Variations

Tortas fritas dulces (Uruguay): Rolled in sugar or spread with dulce de leche.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Homemade dulce de lecheSauce

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

All-purpose flour500 g

Used in step 1

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 20 min
Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.
Rest · about 20 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 20 min
Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.
Start to finish: about 1 h. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

The dough

The dough in baker's percentages. Flour = 100%.
Ingredient	Role	Weight	Baker’s %
All-purpose flour	Flour	500 g	100%
Water	Water	260 g	52%
Lard	Fat	50 g	10%
Salt	Salt	8 g	1.5%
Baking powder	Raising agent	4 g	0.9%

Total flour: 500 g
Hydration: 52%
With milk, eggs…: 52%
Wholegrain: 0%

Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.

Stiff dough (under 55% hydration) — firm, easy to roll; typical of bagels, pretzels and many flatbreads.
Salt 1.5% — normal for bread.
Fat 10% — a rich, tender dough.

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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