Whole Wheat Tortillas

These soft, pliable whole wheat tortillas are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients and cook up beautifully in a hot skillet. Perfect for tacos, wraps, and quesadillas. Can be made with butter or oil and easily adapted to suit your needs.

Course Side

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Diabetic

Keyword healthy tortillas, whole grain flour, whole grain tortillas, whole wheat flour, whole wheat tortillas

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 16

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 140kcal

Author Erin Dooner

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat or 50/50 whole wheat and all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons room temp unsalted butter or oil
3/4 cup warm water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, salt and baking powder until the salt has been fully incorporated into the flour.
2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Add the butter or oil to the flour and begin combining the butter with the flour using your hands or a fork. I highly recommend using your hands because you can assure the butter gets fully mixed into the flour and there are no large butter pieces left in the mixture. Continue pressing the butter into the flour with the fork, or squeezing the butter with your finger tips, until the flour has become a sandy texture.
3 tablespoons room temp unsalted butter or oil
Next, add the warm water to the flour base and continue mixing with your hands. Continue mixing until the dough has come together and formed a doughball. Once the dough has formed a doughball, begin kneading the dough for about 5 minutes. You can knead in the large bowl or on a piece of parchment paper.
3/4 cup warm water
Return the doughball to the bowl if you kneaded on a piece of parchment paper, and cover the kneaded doughball in the large bowl and cover with a clean, dampened linen, or a plastic wrap sprayed with oil. Cover for about 20 minutes and let them sit at room temperature.
After 20 minutes, pretheat a skillet to medium heat. Do not grease the pan.
While the pan is warming, cut the dough ball into 8 equal parts. I found that using a bench scraper was the best way to do this, however you can use a knife if you do not have a bench scraper. Place all of the small dough balls into the bowl and leave one on a clean piece of parchment paper. Keep the remaining dough balls covered to prevent any from drying out.
Using your palm, press the small doughball to make a flat circle. Then, take a rolling pin and roll up and down a few times. Stop, turn the tortilla dough over and rotate it 90° so the widest part is going left to right.
Now, using the rolling pin, roll up and down a few times again. Stop, flip, rotate, roll, again.
Repeat this until you have an even circle that is thin enough to almost see the countertop or the light through the dough. We flip and rotate the dough to help encourage the gluten to stretch and not contract.
Gently lift the tortilla and place it in the fully heated skillet. The skillet does not need to be oiled or greased. Allow the tortilla to sit for about 60 seconds. You should be able to slide the tortilla around with a spatula while it is heating. You do not need to do this, but it is a great way to check for even and proper cooking.
After 60 seconds, flip the tortilla over and allow it to continue to cook for an additional 30-60 seconds or until the tortilla dough is no longer raw.
Remove the tortilla and keep it warm between clean, dampened kitchen linens, or a tortilla warmed that is lined with a dampened linen.
Repeat the process again until all 8 tortillas have been cooked.
Use immediately, or store in a resealable bag for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week. To freeze, place parchment paper between each tortilla and freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
To reheat, heat a dry skillet (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat. If your tortillas have been in the fridge for a few days, they might feel stiff. Lightly flick a few drops of water onto the surface before reheating in a pan. This "re-hydrates" the bran and makes them taste fresh-off-the-press again! Place the tortilla in the pan for about 15–20 seconds per side. Immediately place the warm tortilla into a tortilla warmer or wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. The trapped steam is what actually makes it "bendy" again. If you're reheating a whole stack at once, the microwave is actually superior for keeping them soft. Place the stack of tortillas on a plate. Cover them with a slightly damp paper towel. Microwave in 20-second bursts until they are warm and steaming. The damp towel prevents the whole wheat fibers from losing their moisture to the air.

Notes

The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.

Nutrition