Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Ever since we went to San Diego last November, I have been craving the fresh, warm, paper-thin tortillas they had served with our breakfast at The Green Flash.

These weren’t exactly them, but a healthier alternative which fit the bill.  They were moist, not too flour-y, pliable, and mostly: fresh, warm, and paper-thin.

In the whole dinner-scheem of things, they didn’t take too long to make.  I used a combination of Wheat Flour and All Purpose Flour; the inital recipe called for two cups of White Whole Wheat Flour of which, I didn’t have on hand.  Even with the labor and the substitution of ingredients, it was still quicker than running to the grocery store - my nemesis.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

1 C Wheat Flour

1 C All Purpose Flour

1/2 t Salt (but I will use more next time)

3 T Olive Oil

2/3 C Warm Water

Combine flours and salt in medium mixing bowl or food processor.  Mix in oil and then warm water (with the machine running, if using a processor).  Let sit, covered, for 20  minutes.

The real directions say to turn the dough out onto a “lightly floured surface,” but when I have made tortillas in the past they were really dry because of the excessive flour. 

So, I turned them out onto a non-floured surface.  I found there was just enough oil in the mixture to keep it from gluing itself to the countertop.

Cut dough into eight equal pieces.  (Cut in half.  Then cut the halves in half.  then cut those halves in half again and there you have eight almost equal pieces).

Pat each piece of dough into a four-inch disk.  Place on the countertop and roll out using a rolling-pin.  Because I didn’t use any flour on the countertop, I continuously had to flip the dough over.  I flipped and rolled each piece five or six times, or until it was about 1mm thick.

Place rolled-out dough onto griddle, and cook on medium high heat (I had mine set at 350°) for no longer than 30 seconds per side.  If you leave it cook for too long, it will turn out like thin crispy flatbread.

Once it goes onto the cook top - you’ll have to work quickly to get out the wrinkles, as they cook pretty fast.  This is where smaller tortillas might be easier to work with.

To Flip, I just grabbed the edge of the tortilla with  my fingers.  You could use tongs or a large spatula too.  To keep the tortillas warm, place flat on a plate and cover with a towel. 

To keep them, place them in a large ziplock bag and lay flat in the fridge.  They reheat nicely in the microwave.

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