Our quest for the perfect tortilla recipe came after a long string of disappointments at the grocery stores searching for a decent tasting tortilla that didn't have a million weird ingredients. The ones that we found that had a passable ingredients list were often not bendy enough, tasted like cardboard, and cost A LOT OF MONEY. So the search began.
We tried a few different recipes floating around on the internet, until I stumbled upon this lovely post at Hello from the Natos. For the first time we found a whole wheat tortilla dough that had just a few quality ingredients, didn't involve shortening or lard, came together quickly and easily, was nice and flexible after cooked, and --most importantly-- tasted delicious. After making this recipe many many many times, we've found that it is extremely versatile, and we've adapted it for other things like samosas and pie crust.
We have also made a few changes to the ingredients which vary depending on our purpose for making tortillas. If we are going for more of a flat bread with a bit of a bite for a wrap sandwich, we make the recipe entirely from whole wheat flour. If we are making burritos or tacos we make the recipe with 1/3 all purpose flour and 2/3 whole wheat flour so that our tortillas will be a little more flexible and be capable of holding just a little more filling.
One of our favorite ways of using tortillas is to make tempeh wraps for lunch, which is what we did today (but that will have to wait for another day and another post).
These tortillas are best eaten immediately, otherwise you will find that they lose flexibility. However, you can easily make the dough well in advance and store it in the freezer or the refrigerator until you are ready to use it (just be sure to let the dough fully rest until it reaches room temperature again before you attempt to roll it out).
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder (Aluminum Free)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Scalding Hot Water
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Form a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the olive oil. Mix the olive oil in with the flour until the mixture becomes crumbly and the oil is well distributed.
Slowly add the scalding water a tablespoon or two at a time to the flour and oil mix. You can use a rubber spatula or a spoon, but I like to use my hands. It is very important that the water be as hot as physically possible, otherwise your tortillas will not have the right texture or flexibility when they are cooked. If you are using your hands to mix, be careful not to burn yourself. When I use my hands, I first pour a little water and then throw some of the flour on top before I reach in with my hands. This seems to help offer some protection for my skin by cooling it a little.
Mix the water in gradually until you reach a smooth dough consistency. Depending on your location and humidity, you may find that you may need a little more or a little less water than 1/2 cup. If you accidentally add too much water, just sprinkle in a little more flour and knead the dough until you reach the right consistency.
The dough should be oily and wet, but not sticky. Once the dough comes together, form it into a ball and cover it in the bowl to rest. The dough should rest a minimum of 30 minutes before you try to use it.
After the dough has rested for at least 30 minutes, take it out of the bowl and place it on an oiled board. Grease your rolling pin with oil just as you greased your cutting board so that the dough does not stick.You do not want to use bench flour. This recipe can make as many tortillas as you like, so portion the dough as you like (we portioned the dough for 6 in this photo, but number 6 is missing). We have found that this recipe is best for making 6 standard size tortillas for burritos or wraps, or 8 smaller size tortillas that are good for tacos.
Begin to heat a large skillet or griddle on the stove. We have found that cast iron works the best for making these, but you can also use a non-stick pan. Once your skillet is evenly heated, turn the heat down to medium or medium high, depending on your burner strength and the type of pan you decide to use. We like to add a tiny bit of oil to our griddle because it's relatively new, but if you have an ancient crusty cast iron skillet you probably won't need to do this step.
Roll out the dough, making sure that you maintain an even thickness. Roll until you reach a thickness of about 1/16".
Carefully place the tortilla on the skillet. Flip the tortilla when you begin to see bubbles rise to the surface.
When the bottom begins to look golden, transfer the tortilla to a plate and cover with a damp tea towel or paper towel to help retain the moisture and heat.
Viola! You now have homemade tortillas. Eat them immediately, or store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. If you refrigerate, just reheat the tortilla in a pan. These also apparently freeze very well, so you could potentially make tons of tortillas and use them whenever you want (but we like to eat them fresh most of the time).
I guess I should wrap up this post now </joke>. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
We tried a few different recipes floating around on the internet, until I stumbled upon this lovely post at Hello from the Natos. For the first time we found a whole wheat tortilla dough that had just a few quality ingredients, didn't involve shortening or lard, came together quickly and easily, was nice and flexible after cooked, and --most importantly-- tasted delicious. After making this recipe many many many times, we've found that it is extremely versatile, and we've adapted it for other things like samosas and pie crust.
We have also made a few changes to the ingredients which vary depending on our purpose for making tortillas. If we are going for more of a flat bread with a bit of a bite for a wrap sandwich, we make the recipe entirely from whole wheat flour. If we are making burritos or tacos we make the recipe with 1/3 all purpose flour and 2/3 whole wheat flour so that our tortillas will be a little more flexible and be capable of holding just a little more filling.
One of our favorite ways of using tortillas is to make tempeh wraps for lunch, which is what we did today (but that will have to wait for another day and another post).
These tortillas are best eaten immediately, otherwise you will find that they lose flexibility. However, you can easily make the dough well in advance and store it in the freezer or the refrigerator until you are ready to use it (just be sure to let the dough fully rest until it reaches room temperature again before you attempt to roll it out).
Homemade tortillas may seem like a lot of work, but once you taste them you will never want to go back to eating store bought tortillas ever again.
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Makes 6-8 standard size tortillas
1/2 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder (Aluminum Free)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Scalding Hot Water
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Form a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the olive oil. Mix the olive oil in with the flour until the mixture becomes crumbly and the oil is well distributed.
Slowly add the scalding water a tablespoon or two at a time to the flour and oil mix. You can use a rubber spatula or a spoon, but I like to use my hands. It is very important that the water be as hot as physically possible, otherwise your tortillas will not have the right texture or flexibility when they are cooked. If you are using your hands to mix, be careful not to burn yourself. When I use my hands, I first pour a little water and then throw some of the flour on top before I reach in with my hands. This seems to help offer some protection for my skin by cooling it a little.
The dough should be oily and wet, but not sticky. Once the dough comes together, form it into a ball and cover it in the bowl to rest. The dough should rest a minimum of 30 minutes before you try to use it.
After the dough has rested for at least 30 minutes, take it out of the bowl and place it on an oiled board. Grease your rolling pin with oil just as you greased your cutting board so that the dough does not stick.You do not want to use bench flour. This recipe can make as many tortillas as you like, so portion the dough as you like (we portioned the dough for 6 in this photo, but number 6 is missing). We have found that this recipe is best for making 6 standard size tortillas for burritos or wraps, or 8 smaller size tortillas that are good for tacos.
Begin to heat a large skillet or griddle on the stove. We have found that cast iron works the best for making these, but you can also use a non-stick pan. Once your skillet is evenly heated, turn the heat down to medium or medium high, depending on your burner strength and the type of pan you decide to use. We like to add a tiny bit of oil to our griddle because it's relatively new, but if you have an ancient crusty cast iron skillet you probably won't need to do this step.
Roll out the dough, making sure that you maintain an even thickness. Roll until you reach a thickness of about 1/16".
Carefully place the tortilla on the skillet. Flip the tortilla when you begin to see bubbles rise to the surface.
When the bottom begins to look golden, transfer the tortilla to a plate and cover with a damp tea towel or paper towel to help retain the moisture and heat.
Viola! You now have homemade tortillas. Eat them immediately, or store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week. If you refrigerate, just reheat the tortilla in a pan. These also apparently freeze very well, so you could potentially make tons of tortillas and use them whenever you want (but we like to eat them fresh most of the time).
I guess I should wrap up this post now </joke>. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
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