These are quite tasty! They may not look as pretty and perfect as store bought, but they are nice, soft, pliable, and nutritious and at a fraction of the cost! 
3 cups wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry, also known as soft spring wheat grain, but would probably use hard white wheat next time. Due to its high gluten content, it would make it easier to roll out and prevent any risk of crumbly results, but you could also try spelt or kamut)
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup oil
If you would like to take advantage of the benefits of soaking, start with step 1, otherwise start with step 2.
1. Soaking Step: Combine all flour, water, oil and 1 Tbsp of acid medium (whey, kefir, etc). Soak 12-24 hours. Proceed to step 3.
2. Measure liquid ingredients into a mixing bowl.
3. Add baking powder and salt, kneading in the flour until the dough is workable but not too stiff. You will probably need to add some more flour. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Shape into 8 – 10 balls and let stand 10 more minutes. Roll to form a 10 inch circle or use a tortilla press. The thicker the better, I found, otherwise it starts to fall apart!
4. Bake on a lightly greased griddle till done (not browned). Toast for about 20-30 sec. per side.
Enjoy!
For more kitchen tips & recipes, visit Tammy’s Recipes.
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Wow, you totally read my mind – I was just googling recipes for these yesterday! Thanks!
I’ve been looking around for a good tortilla recipe, that includes soaking.
They are so expensive at the store.
Thanks for posting!
I made some tortillas 2 weeks ago and was surprised at how much money I could save by making them on my own. They are quite tasty, too (even though my recipe differs from yours a little). I made my own refried beans as well. Not difficult at all.
What kind of acid did you use? Did it alter the flavor? I have been making my own tortillas for quite some time, but I have never tried soaking them. I’m a little concerned about how the family will feel about the new recipe.
I have used either whey or kefir. I think they taste yummy! If you are concerned about changing recipes, just start soaking your current one – flour, liquids, 1-2 Tbsp of acid medium (replacing 1 Tbsp per cup of liquids for the acid).
Should I assume that is milk kefir? I make water/juice kefir. Do you know if it works the same?
Yes, I use milk kefir, but water kefir would probably work just as well. It’s all about the culturing affect!
hmm what’s water kefir?
Find out more about water kefir here.
I have been making these almost every week for the last month or two. My family loves them and they are so easy to make. Last night I made up a batch and used them for black bean quesadillas. They were really good. I sent some home with the lady I babysit for. She wants me to start making them for her to buy! I am hoping to try adding spinach and tomato/ basil to them soon. I have the quesadilla recipe on my blog.
Great recipe. I toasted mine in an ungreased stainless steel pan.
Mine turned out almost pita like or kinda like naan bread. great recipe! Thanks for sharing
These are wonderful! Thanks for this great recipe that we will be using over and over again.
I am excited to try this whole wheat tortilla recipe, as my husband is hispanic and we eat a lot of tortillas! Anyone out there have a great whole wheat pie crust recipe? I am wanting to also soak the flour before making?!?! Would prefer it without sugar, but whatever. I have found many, but am unsure what is best, so if any suggestions…great! thanks
I need to know if tortillas are better with the minerals in the water or out? Do you use filtred water or Reverse Osmosis>
I use filtered water on most all of my baking and cooking. I just use the filtration system from my refrigerator.
This recipe sounds great! Especially since we go through a lot of tortillas and they are costly. Is there an alternative to using kefir or whey for soaking? (lack of availabilty)
You can use lemon juice – that would probably be the best alternative!
Perfect! We have lemons
Would I just swap the same amount of lemon juice for kefir in this and other soaking recipes?
Yesterday I wanted to make whole wheat tortillas for lunch, but I didn’t have a recipe, so I googled it. Google came up with site after site, and I felt overwhelmed — how on earth was I going to know (quickly) which recipes were actually healthy and which weren’t? And then I saw the seventh result, followed by a familiar blog address…which led me here. Thanks for another great, healthy recipe, Lindsay! You saved our lunch!
What kind of oil do you use for this recipe? Thanks!
I normally use melted coconut oil, but have used olive oil as well. Both work just fine.
Do you use liquid or powdered lecithin in your baked goods? Thanks!
I use powdered lecithin as it is far cheaper and easier to work with. Liquid lecithin is incredibly sticky and makes a mess.
This sounds great! How long do your tortillas last in the fridge after you have made them? Thanks
Has anyone tried a gluten-free version of this with brown rice flour, etc??? I’d be interested to hear results!!
I haven’t tried this recipe, but have good results using Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free flour on my own recipies, in place of wheat flour.
I just made these for lunch. My kids and husband all liked them. (In my home this is the ultimate test!) Thanks for this easy and tasty recipe!
Soooooo GOOD! Thanks! I omitted the baking powder with great results.
Lindsay, Can I just say I LOVE YOUR BLOG! We are so on the same page with mommyhood and nourishing lifestyles! ‘Cept you are one step ahead of me, and thus very inspiring! Thanks for all the wonderful info you share. I don’t know how you have the time to blog such quality stuff!
I have been making homemade tortillas for over a year – probably saved $100’s by now, and I soak them, too. BUT – I use a tortilla press like this one…
http://www.gandhiappliances.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16_107&products_id=5821&zenid=b2c7fa5543ea200c19bb765ea9cee448
I can make 3 dozen perfectly round, thin, whole wheat tortillas in 15 min. You would love it! You can search my blog for ‘tortillas’ for pics and instructions, and yummy recipes I’ve done with them.
Thanks again – your blog is awesome!
I’ve made this recipe three times now with both spelt and whole wheat flour. Both make delicious tortillas. They’re fun to make and easy and WAY better than purchased. I do grind my own flour and find that makes the flavor a lot better as well. Thanks Lindsay!
I love your blog! I’d really like to try these tortillas. Have you tried freezing them?
Yes, I always make a double batch and freeze half of it and it works great!
I’m sorry for not asking more specifically…. Do you freeze the dough or the final product? Thanks so much! I hope you’re adjusting well to two little ones. Our only child, a daughter, is 10 months and while we welcome more children, I can’t imagine adding another. The Lord will give me that grace when I need it!
I freeze the final product. I roll them out, fry them, cool them, and then put them in a ziploc in the freezer. As to having two littles, the first six weeks was definitely tough I will say, but now it has returned to normal life. It takes a little time to adjust, but God’s grace is sufficient! It is a blast having two!
We made these last week & they were GREAT! We had been searching for ww tortillas that tasted goo & had no soybean oil. I used hard ww so that I could roll them out thinner. I recommended this recipe on my blog- thanks!
Does soaking give the grains good bacteria like yogurt has? ANyone tried these with veggies: basil, spinach? I always want to buy those, but they are so expensive!!
These are delicious! I used this recipe the first time I tried to make tortillas. I was amazed at how simple and tasty they were. I have since tried two other recipes, but neither of them can compete with this one. I made your recipe for a family get-together that we hosted (it was a sort of taco buffet), and they got rave reviews. Everyone loved the thickness and the hearty whole grain taste. One of my cousins even commented, “I can’t usually taste tortillas. They’re just something bland that’s there to hold all the taco ingredients together. But I can actually taste these!”
Wondering why the salt can not be included in the soaking? I had a hard time kneading the salt evenly through the dough as it was already firm. Any thoughts?
The salt is a leavening ingredient and will destroy the function of the soaking process (breaking down the phytates). If you have too much trouble distributing it evenly, leave it out and see what happens!
Thanks. I will leave it out next time!!! They didn’t taste bad, just some were saltier then others
Flour question. I used King Arthur whole wheat flour and the tortillas were totally brown (and thus my kids said they didn’t like them). Can I do a mixture of white/whole wheat? or does that totally defeat the process. Also, I have used Gold Medal whole wheat flour when making soaked buttermilk pancakes and it was much less noticeable they were wheat. Any thoughts?
It is completely up to you! This recipe is completely compatible for white flour or half and half as desired, you just loose some of the nutrition. I would recommend using half and half and slowly adjusting till it is all ww. Your kids might prefer this easier transition.
I haven’t really been able to fully grasp the soaking concept (and I don’t have any of those acid mediums in my kitchen presently), so I’ll have to skip that this time. I would like to add some cracked wheat and/or flax seeds …how much would you recommend?
I probably wouldn’t add more than 1 Tbsp. You can also use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as soaking agents.
Thanks, Lindsay! I have apple cider vinegar! Yay, I can get it going tonight for tomorrow! Thanks for the advice/info!
I love, love, LOVE your site!
Can the tortillas be frozen for later use without diminishing quality and taste? And where can I find lecithin? I’ve never seen it anywhere before but that article you posted has me convinced I need to buy some!
Yes! I have only found that they tend not to be as flexible and pliable after freezing. They are just as good in flavor but then to crumble more easily. You can buy lecithin through Azure Standard (if you have access to that co=op) or through Mountain Rose Herbs.
We made these yesterday as part of our homeschool. I was definitely wishing I had a tortilla press
but that was the only hard part. I did end up browning them a bit to get them cooked through but they were very pliable and withstood rolling so I was really happy with that! they were good! (I used whole white wheat – hard white berries flour)
I’ve tried making tortillas using melted coconut oi for the oil. The tortillas were good right out of the pan, but as they cooled they stiffened until they were like cardboard! My son was happy to put butter and cinimon sugar on them, but they were too stiff to roll up. I assumed that it had to do with the coconut oil, but maybe not. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions. I’m afraid to use olive oil because I don’t really like the flavor of it.
Hmm…I have experienced some stiffening after cooling but not to that extreme. They definitely are best right out of the pan, as they don’t roll up as well the next time. I am not sure if the coconut oil is the problem. I highly doubt it, but you could try half olive oil and half coconut oil or just use butter. I think butter would be the best choice, knowing how well it helps to maintain a moist texture in other baked goods.
Ive used coconut oil twice and I didnt have that problem. unless its super cold in your house?
I made these today, and they were DELICIOUS! I used half whole wheat/half white, but I think I would like to try them with spelt next time (love spelt!). I also used olive oil. I’ve made tortillas before, but these were just so superior to others I have made.
I made these with spelt instead of the wheat flour (because that’s what I had on hand). They came out pretty thick but they tasted great and were very filling, and best of all… my company loved them!
What would happen if I added baking powder during the soaking process?
It will void the benefit of soaking, inhibiting the breaking down of the phytates process.
I love your blog! I was browsing for a certain page on water kefir & came across your site. Making flour tortillas myself is eomething I’ve wanted to try for a long time… and what a great benefit that your recipe includes soaking! Right now I have oatmeal soaking for tomorrow morning, a pot of stock simmering, some water kefir brewing, fat waiting for the pot to be free for a third wash for soap-making, and mung beans in a mason jar about 1/2 sprouted. : ) I’m on the east coast in Philadelphia area… and it’s lovely to connect with other Christian women who have these unusual ways of doing life in common. Blessings, Debbie