Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

That job interview? It went really well. Like, really well. Just waiting for the official call, but I think it's safe to say that I have a job secured for at least the next year. No celebration until then though. I don't want to jinx it!

While I was in Lexington, I went to Macado's to have dinner with my friend before watching Transformers 3. (What did you think of that, by the way? I enjoyed it, but apparently, critics really hated it. I don't get them.) I got a wrap filled with cucumbers, bell peppers, mushrooms, lettuce, and red pepper mayo. It's so good. I need to recreate that some day. When I got back home, I wanted to eat more wraps. But I didn't have tortillas and I forgot to buy it when I was at the store! Hmm, maybe my craving wasn't that strong.

Anyway, I gave this recipe a try. I've actually been meaning to make these for a while, but kept putting it off because I didn't want to face the end results. Homemade tortillas and I haven't really gotten along so well, but this one actually works for me.



The dough is seriously sticky and runny so I put in a whole lot more flour. I'll try to lay off it next time to see if it's any different, but these still tasted fine. I got four out of this recipe (the last one was in the skillet when I took this picture), but I think I could get more. I might try to divide the dough into 5 or 6 pieces and roll them even thinner than I did these. They turned out thicker than I would have liked. For bigger tortillas, I think I'd stick with four. I had to limit the diameter as I don't have a skillet bigger than 7 inches.



Refried black beans, salsa, and mozzarella. So filling. I love this kind of food.

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas [Makes 4]
From Food Doodles

- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 to 2 tsp oil
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp warm water

1. In a small bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Make a small well in the middle and add the water and oil. Using a spoon, or even your hands, gently mix the liquid with the dry ingredients until a small ball of dough forms. Knead it a few minutes adding a little bit of flour as needed. Place a drop of oil in the bowl and turn the dough over in it until the entire surface is coated with a small amount of oil. Leave in the bowl for 20-30 minutes. This will give the gluten time to develop, which will hold it together when rolling them out, and it will give the whole grain flour time to absorb some of the water so the dough wont be quite as sticky.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and cut into four. Sprinkle the pieces with a little flour, then roll each into a ball. The dough should still be fairly sticky and wet, don’t add too much flour, just enough to keep it from sticking too badly. Let rest for 5 to 7 minutes then roll out with a rolling pin, using plenty of flour to prevent sticking. If the rolling becomes difficult, set the piece you’re working on aside and start on another. I usually roll each piece out as large as I can in a couple minutes, then move on to the next one. Then when I’ve rolled all of them out I start at the first one again and continue rolling as that gives the gluten time to relax a little and makes rolling them thinner much easier. Make sure to dust each one generously with flour before setting aside as it may stick to the counter after sitting for a few minutes.
3. Once they’re all rolled out to about 1/8″ thick or about 6″ to 8″ in diameter (depending on how thick you want them – don’t forget they will get slightly thicker when cooked due to the baking powder), heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. I like to use a cast iron skillet but any pan will work. Once the pan is hot (you can test with a drop of two of water – it should dance around and disappear within a couple seconds) add a tortilla to the dry pan. Within a few seconds small bubbles should begin to form if the pan is hot enough. Let it cook just until golden spots begin to form on the underside. After 30 to 40 seconds, check frequently to make sure the tortilla doesn’t burn. Once done on one side, flip over and cook just until the other side is cooked, or until small golden spots begin to form on that side as well. Remove from the pan and store in between two towels while cooking the rest of the tortillas to keep it soft as it cools. Cook the rest and serve warm, or cool completely before storing in a airtight bag.