At this house we love tortillas. When we made the switch to a plant-based diet a few years back I started reading the label of everything I put in my shopping cart so I could learn what didn't have animal products included. But I also couldn't help but learn how many weird chemicals, preservatives and coloring was added to some of my favorite foods. Tortillas surprisingly topped that list.
Yeah, it make sense that 'cheese' from a spray can probably isn't all that wholesome and just as suspected its loaded with weird ingredients, none of which are on a pantry shelf in my cupboard. But I figured tortillas would be rather straightforward considering how few ingredients it takes to make homemade ones. Flour. Baking powder. Salt. A little oil...
Boy was I wrong. I spent about 15 minutes in my grocery store that first day trying to find a tortilla that have ingredient list that was multiple inches long on the package label. I flipped over every package and found none that only contained ingredients I could pronounce and recognized as food. I found none that listed the ingredients that I knew to go into making tortillas at home. None. Not one. In fact the 'healthier' labeled tortillas (wheat, fat free, etc) actually had longer lists!
In a nutshell, this little tortilla experiment disturbed me deeply. I left with no tortillas that day and pouted until I could make my way to a natural grocery store (Whole Foods, Natural Grocer, Sprouts, etc) so that maybe they would have a tortilla that fit my needs.
Even at the health food stores I have had mixed results. Yes, they have a better supply of gluten free options, but many still have lots of colors, flavors and preservatives. I wasn't impressed. I finally found what I was looking for at Natural Grocer when I came across a brand of tortillas that were refrigerated (since they don't have preservatives). They had exactly what I was looking for. Organic unbleached flour, baking powder, oil, salt. Finally!
The problem for me was that this store is not near my house and the tortillas were pricey for a package of only 8. Additionally, the amount of oil used was quite high and I knew I just needed to make them at home. So I did a lot of research and testing. Many recipes have a lot of oil or shortening and we do our best to not consume any added oils. So I tried to cut the oil completely and I get very dry and almost crumbly tortillas since the fat is what keeps the tortilla pliable. Bummer.
For this reason, I have hesitated to post this recipe because I would rather have developed an oil-free option. Honestly, I'm just not sure how to do that yet, but I realized that if you're like me, sometimes you just need or want a tortilla, and rather than get the mile-long ingredient list processed grocery store kind, please make this recipe! Its organic, low fat and contains only real ingredients. You can use all white flour or half white, half whole wheat. They are simple to make and just like any homemade tortilla, the taste is about 100 times better than store bought.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do and please leave me a comment if you have found an oil free version that doesn't crack wide open and dump your burrito filling in your lap.
Low Fat Flour Tortillas
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Ingredients (about 12 tortillas)
- 2 cups unbleached white flour (or 1 c. white flour + 1 c. whole wheat)
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. Herbamere or salt
- 2 tsp. oil
- 3/4 c. warm water
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt with a fork.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup combine the oil and warm water.
Very gradually add the wet mixture to to the dry mixture, stopping to fully incorporate with a fork before adding more liquid each time.
Once all of the liquid has been added, turn the dough (which will be a little sticky) out onto a floured surface and knead about 5 minutes, until a smooth non-sticky dough forms.
Place the dough back into the large mixing bowl and place a damp cloth over the dough ball.
Allow the dough to rest 20 minutes.
{In the meantime, have a cup of tea or make a simple batch of salsa. You will be thankful to have fresh salsa on hand once the tortillas are made and filled with something yummy!}
After the dough has rested for 20 minutes pinch off golf ball sized pieces of dough and roll them into even sized balls. Place them on a flat surface and cover with a damp cloth again and allow the balls to rest another 10 minutes.
Heat a comal or cast iron skillet or griddle to medium high heat. No oil is needed.
After the balls have rested 10 minutes, place one ball on a flat floured surface and flatten slightly with your fingers.
Using a floured rolling pin roll out the dough into a very thin tortilla. I like to roll, and then turn the tortilla 90 degrees. It should slide around the floured surface easily, and turning it often assures a nice even round tortilla. Don't worry if your tortillas aren't round at first. You get better at it with practice and even trapezoid shaped tortillas get gobbled up.
Pick up the rolled out tortillas and place it on the hot comal. Watch closely for small bubbles to begin to appear. After about 30 seconds, flip the tortilla to its second side and cook an additional 30 seconds or until golden brown spots begin to form.
Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer or between fresh towels.
Roll out the next ball and repeat until all balls have been rolled and cooked.
I cant wait to try this.