Passionate Homemaking

Loving simple and natural living on a budget

Whole Grain Tortillas

from the kitchen Add comments

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
2 Tbs. Lecithin (optional) – Read more about the health benefits of lecithin here.
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. salt, and lecithin (if desired), 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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43 Responses to “Whole Grain Tortillas”

  1. lori says:

    Wow, you totally read my mind – I was just googling recipes for these yesterday! Thanks!

  2. Candace says:

    I’ve been looking around for a good tortilla recipe, that includes soaking.
    They are so expensive at the store.
    Thanks for posting!

  3. Steph Garvey says:

    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.

  4. Kathy says:

    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. :)

  5. Lorrie says:

    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.

  6. Lanette says:

    Great recipe. I toasted mine in an ungreased stainless steel pan.

  7. Mine turned out almost pita like or kinda like naan bread. great recipe! Thanks for sharing

  8. Gretchen says:

    These are wonderful! Thanks for this great recipe that we will be using over and over again.

  9. karen says:

    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

  10. Elaine says:

    I need to know if tortillas are better with the minerals in the water or out? Do you use filtred water or Reverse Osmosis>

  11. kate says:

    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)

  12. Jamie says:

    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! :)

  13. Margo says:

    What kind of oil do you use for this recipe? Thanks!

  14. Susanna says:

    Do you use liquid or powdered lecithin in your baked goods? Thanks!

  15. Caitlin says:

    This sounds great! How long do your tortillas last in the fridge after you have made them? Thanks

  16. melissa boersma says:

    Has anyone tried a gluten-free version of this with brown rice flour, etc??? I’d be interested to hear results!!

  17. 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!

  18. Jennifer S says:

    Soooooo GOOD! Thanks! I omitted the baking powder with great results.

  19. Trina says:

    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!

  20. Sherree says:

    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!

  21. Jessica says:

    I love your blog! I’d really like to try these tortillas. Have you tried freezing them?

    • Lindsay says:

      Yes, I always make a double batch and freeze half of it and it works great!

      • Jessica says:

        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!

        • Lindsay says:

          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!

  22. Heather says:

    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! :)

  23. Diana S. says:

    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!!

  24. Rachael says:

    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!”

  25. Jennifer says:

    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?

    • Lindsay says:

      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!

      • Jennifer says:

        Thanks. I will leave it out next time!!! They didn’t taste bad, just some were saltier then others :)

  26. Jennifer says:

    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?

    • Lindsay says:

      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.

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