Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

I try really hard to eat fresh, whole foods as much as possible. And if I do purchase packaged foods, I like them to be made with only recognizable ingredients. For example, pasta isn’t difficult to buy prepackaged because it’s easy to find organic pasta made with only 100% whole wheat flour and water. But I love carbs and I don’t stop at pasta. Sandwiches, pizza, bagels, and burritos are also very important to me. So what’s a girl to do? The answer is simple. I just have to make my own doughs. I make homemade pizza crust and bagels on the reg. But my newest endeavor is homemade whole wheat tortillas. I mean, have you ever read the ingredient list on store-bought tortilla packages? There are like a million ingredients in those things, some of which I can’t even pronounce. That’s why I stay away from wraps and burritos when eating out or cooking for myself. But enough is enough. I just love burritos and soft tacos and quesadillas too much to leave them out of my diet.

The good news is that perfectly soft and pliable whole wheat tortillas are really easy to make. A few simple ingredients, some elbow grease, and one or two minutes in a pan is all there is to it. My first attempt turned out well, but not quite as airy as I would’ve liked the texture to be. I searched online again and found a recipe on food.com that changed it up a bit and I found that this version hit all the marks for me. The tortillas are flat (obviously), but less dense than the first ones. They are a bit more pillowy and light, if that makes sense. My only adjustment was adding a little more salt (shocker…not). The most time-consuming part of this recipe is kneading for about 10 minutes and then rolling out each tortilla size ball of dough. Other than that, it’s easy-peasy. I’ll be using this recipe frequently, and will probably buy a tortilla press to make the process quicker and less of a workout.

Tortillas can be used in so many ways, making this a very convenient and essential addition to my repertoire. There are the obvious uses aka traditional Mexican dishes. But they also make a perfect blank canvas for getting those creative juices flowing. Try making a tortilla pizza, cream cheese and herb pinwheels, or fun fusion tacos, like my Balsamic Veggie and Goat Cheese Taco recipe. I’m sure I’ll write plenty more posts using these fiber-rich, perfectly soft wraps for some more inspiration.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas
Yield: 10 taco size tortillas   Start to Finish: 1 hour

Ingredients

2 cups 100% Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/3-3/4 cup Warm Water

To Make

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add olive oil to dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add 1/3 cup warm water. Keeping adding water, mixing in a tablespoon at a time, until a shaggy dough forms that feels like it’s just starting to come together. Remove the mixture from the bowl and begin kneading. It may seem like all the flour won’t incorporate, but after a couple minutes of kneading it should come together. If it comes together too quickly and feel ms sticky, just throw a hefty sprinkle of flour on it and keep kneading until the stickiness is gone. At this point the dough needs to rest for 15-30 minutes in a bowl covered with a damp towel.

Now divide the dough into 8-12 balls, depending on what size tortillas you want. Roll out each ball using a rolling pin or a cylindrical glass (I don’t have a rolling pin for some reason). You want the disc to be very thin. Basically roll the balls out as much as you possibly can, flip them over, and roll a little more. While rolling out one, keep the other covered to avoid drying them out.

Hear a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Lightly brush the skillet with canola oil and gently place a dough disc into the skillet. Cook until bubbles begin to form, any where from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Flip and repeat. With each new batch, re-oil the skillet.

After each tortilla is done, wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Eat immediately or refrigerate/freeze for later use.

The tortillas will keep for a few days in the fridge. Bring to room temperature or heat gently before serving. Keep wrapped when possible.