One of our favorite meals around here is my homemade version of Chipotle burritos. Spicy chicken, brown rice, black beans, salsa, cheese, and guacamole wrapped up in a tortilla make a delicious healthy meal. I had been buying whole wheat tortillas for this meal but several months ago stopped because of the long, not so healthy ingredient list. Store bought tortillas are full of preservatives and a bunch of other ingredients I don’t want to eat (check out the ingredient label sometime; you will be surprised home much junk they can stuff into a tortilla). Rather than give up tortillas I am now making my own. Very easy to make, they are soft, have great texture, hold up to the rigors of burritos and tacos, and have so much more flavor than the little disks you buy in the store. However, to give you fair warning so that you are not misled, while they are easy, they do take a little time commitment. From start to finish you are looking at about an hour to make them just because you have to roll out and cook each tortilla individually. What I do is I set aside some time and make a batch or two, set out enough for supper, and then freeze the rest. They freeze great and can be available when you need them. The time factor doesn’t bother me because I know with a bit of effort I can have delicious, healthy tortillas, and that is way worth it to me. Give them a try! You will not be able to go back to buying them when you taste how good these are!
Recipe ever so slightly adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen
Recipe makes 10-12 tortillas.
Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt (I use crushed gray sea salt)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
Step One:
Combine all of the flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Step Two:
Add in olive oil. Using your fingers or a fork mix the olive oil into the flour, making sure it get distributed through the flour. Add in the warm water and mix with a fork until a dough ball forms. The dough should be pliable; not sticky but also not super stiff. If the dough is too stiff or there is flour that is not getting mixed in, add a teaspoon or two more of water. Turn the dough onto the counter and gently knead 5-10 times just so that everything gets incorporated. Put it back in the bowl, cover the dough, and let it rest for about 30 minutes on the counter (if you are short on time or are in a hurry, you could skip this step as I honestly have not noticed much of a different in letting it rest or not. It can also rest for longer if you get sidetracked doing something else.)
Step Three:
Heat a large skillet (I love to use my cast iron skillet because it distributes heat more evenly and nothing sticks to it. If you do not have cast iron, rub your pan lightly with olive oil at the beginning to create a non-stick surface) over medium high heat. Divide the dough into 10-12 balls. Flatten each ball with your hand and then roll out into a circle (you do not need to flour your surface). Roll them out very thin, about 6-7 inches in diameter. I have yet to master the perfectly round tortilla but the slightly misshapen tortillas are delish whatever the shape. My method is to roll one direction and then the next, peel it off the counter, turn it, and roll some more.
I find that if I continue to roll without picking it up, it tends to stick a bit and stretch out more when I go to put it in the pan. Experiment and do what works for you.
Step Four:
After you have rolled out one tortilla, place in the hot pan and cook until it starts to bubble on top (about 1-2 minutes).
Flip the tortilla over and cook on the other side until lightly browned. (I roll out my next tortilla while one is cooking.) Remove the tortilla from the pan and place between a folded dish towel. The towel keeps the steam in thus keeping them from drying out and keeps them soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Use these soft yummy tortillas in burritos, taco, wraps or whatever else that calls for a flour tortilla. Enjoy!
This post is linked to The Greenbacks Gal, The Morris Tribe, Homestead Helps, Homemaker By Choice, and My Crowded Kitchen.
9:04 am on April 4th, 2012
Do you have to put layers of wax paper between them when you freeze them or do they do again all piled on each other?
9:44 am on April 4th, 2012
This is great! Tortillas have been on my list of things to try, but I just haven’t taken the leap yet. My favorite quick summer meal is a quesadilla stuffed with garden peppers, so I’ll definitely be giving this a try!
10:07 am on April 4th, 2012
Danyelle, they do fine all piled together. I have had no problems with them sticking together and ripping.
11:59 am on April 4th, 2012
Maria, a quesadilla with garden peppers sounds delicious!
8:03 am on April 5th, 2012
We love homemade tortillas here! I am thinking that I should get a tortilla press though, because rolling them out is kind of a pain. But, they do taste so much better! Thanks for the recipe!
8:14 am on April 5th, 2012
Heather, a tortilla press would make these more streamlined (and they would probably turn out much rounder
). Thanks for stopping by!
11:40 am on April 6th, 2012
I love homemade tortillas and I make one similar. I use all whole wheat and they seem to turn out pretty good. I really should make a batch. Thanks for this!