Whole Wheat Tortillas

 

Have you ever tried homemade flour tortillas?  No?  You should make some.  Today.  This is why:

1. They taste amazing.  You know how you sometimes buy white flour tortillas because you love the taste and whole wheat flour tortillas because you think you should? And those amazing made-in-restaurant tortillas you eat on rare occasions--forget ever bringing home a batch of those for your burritos, quesadillas and enchiladas throughout the week.  With homemade tortillas--problem solved.

2. They're fun to make.  I confess--the kitchen might get a little (a lot) messy.  But sometimes it's just great to really get your hands in there and make a mess with your food.

3. They're cheap.  Don't believe me?  You have a coupon?  You shop in the ethnic aisle?  Here's comparing for you:  I usually pay about $5 for 24 burrito size flour tortillas.  This batch cost me $0.94.  

Convinced?  Good. Let's get started.

Start with your flour.  I usually do half whole-wheat, half all-purpose because I have picky eaters.

 

Add in the rest of your dry ingredients, and give it a stir.  Drop in the shortening and mix it in with your hands.  Really, truly, use your hands.  It will get sort of crumbly and piled like this:

 

Dump in the water and mix it up well.

If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll divide the dough into relatively equal-sized balls for ease of rolling.  I started out doing that this time, then ended up just pulling off a chunk of dough.  Do what works for you. For an 8-10" tortilla, you need about a golf ball sized ball.

Dust your work surface with flour.  I recommend a large cutting board if you have one, because it's portable.  Roll out very thin.  Pie crust thin.  Thinner than tortilla thin, because it will rise slightly (thicken) as it bakes.  

The picture below is to show my whole "process," not so much the rolling.  In the far background, you see the griddle.  It's a regular stove-top griddle, ungreased, set over low to medium heat.  That's where the tortillas are baking.  In the middle are the finished tortillas, in the foreground obviously the rolling process.  The point of all this is:  when I first started making homemade tortillas, I would mix things up on the counter, roll them out on the table, and run between the kitchen and dining room between baking and rolling (did I mention they cook for about 10 seconds on each side?). Don't do that.  Set it up close, even if you have to put a cutting board across your sink.

Gently peel up your rolled-out tortilla and place it on a hot, ungreased griddle.  Flip when the top begins to bubble, after 10 to 20 seconds.

Cook the second side for only about 3 to 5 seconds.  Remember you want them to be pliable, and it's likely you'll be cooking them again.  Your most cooked side will only be lightly browned.

Eat one right off the griddle.  Serve the rest however you like.  Keep them in a gallon-sized freezer bag in the fridge (or freezer) until ready to use.

• Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
• adapted from allrecipes.com
• 
  
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons shortening
• 3 cups water

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the shortening with your fingers until crumbly. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
2. Preheat a large skillet or griddle over low-medium heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly; flip and continue cooking until slightly dried (as in, not doughy). Stack tortillas on a paper towel to prevent sogginess.