Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Make Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas with just 4 ingredients and 30 seconds in the food processor (or 3 minutes kneading by hand). They are so much tastier than store-bought tortillas! The tortilla dough comes together in just minutes with this recipe and making them is a snap: portion the dough, roll it out and cook in a dry skillet for a 30 seconds on each side. That’s it! Use homemade tortillas for tacos (Carne Asada Tacos), burritos (like my favorite Carne Asada Burrito), quesadillas, enchiladas (Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with Green Enchilada Sauce), burrito bowls or even tortilla pizzas for a quick and fun dinner. They freeze beautifully, so double the recipe to make a big batch!

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Before these, my attempts at homemade tortillas were marginal at best. But a post by Kate at Cookie and Kate inspired me to try again. She posted a simple and clever way to make oven baked tortilla pizzas in a cast iron skillet. She suggested buying whole wheat tortillas with just a few ingredients – skipping those that have a ridiculously long list. Great advice!

I’m always looking for ways to replace labeled food with homemade versions. It’s fun to look around your refrigerator and pantry and think, “Could I make that?” Sometimes you try and it’s not really worth the effort. For me, that’s sourdough bread. I had fun making sourdough starter and crusty loaves, but I’m just as happy to buy them from our local baker. Other foods though, like Aioli, Avocado Oil Mayonnaise, Homemade Marshmallows, and Lavosh Crackers are totally worth the effort. And now I can add one more to the list: whole wheat tortillas. And friends, if you’re interested in making your own tortillas, this is the recipe. It comes together in just a few minutes and the dough is delicious and utterly cooperative.

Once you’ve made the tortillas, maybe you’d like to make pizza? We made the classic Pizza Margherita – tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. Fantastic and on the table before you think it’s possible. The only note I’d make is to preheat your cast iron pan before you add the tortilla and toppings. Click here for Kate’s post.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

5 from 4 votes

By: Marissa Stevens

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 6 minutes mins

Total: 21 minutes mins

Course: Breads and Quick Breads, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 222

Servings: 6 Tortillas

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This recipe makes 6 10-inch tortillas, but you can easily double or even triple the recipe. 

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 2 cups white whole wheat flour 240 g, such as King Arthur brand
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup bacon fat or non-hydrogenated shortening (such as Spectrum)
• ▢ 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions 

• Add flour and salt toto the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add bacon fat or shortening and pulse until you have a coarse meal (6 or 7 pulses). Add warm water and process for 30 seconds, until the dough gathers into a ball. (If the dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) You want a moist but not sticky dough.
• Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (The gluten will relax and make the tortillas easier to roll out.)
• Now cook the tortillas, one by one. You’ll slip into a groove as you go – roll, cook, roll while you keep an eye on the one in the pan, repeat.
• Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a little ball between your palms. Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour. Press one ball into a disc and place on the work surface, keep the other balls covered with plastic wrap. Roll into a 10″ circle with a rolling pin, flipping the tortilla occasionally to keep it from sticking. Now move your work surface near your stove-top, if possible.
• Place a clean plate near your stove-top for stacking your cooked tortillas. Preheat a dry, cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add your first tortilla and cook for 20 to 30 seconds, until the top side starts to puff and bubble. Then flip and cook for 20 to 30 seconds more, taking care not to let it burn. Adjust your heat as needed. If your tortillas seem too stiff then the flour/oil/water ratio is a bit off. Don’t worry, just add a teaspoon of oil before you add each tortilla to make it more pliable.
• While the tortilla is cooking, roll out the next one. Make this a team effort if there is another willing party in the house – one person cooks, one person rolls. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked. Use and store as you would store bought tortillas. Makes 6 10-inch tortillas

Notes

You can also make this dough by hand by whisking the salt into the flour and cutting in the bacon fat or shortening. Then stirring in warm water and kneading the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth. Let the dough rest and follow remaining recipe instuctions.

Nutrition

Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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