I’ve become a great fan of whole wheat tortillas. They make a great sandwich wrap and a nicely crisp, thin pizza crust, plus, if you have some garlic butter, you can make a nicely crisp cracker with loads of flavor.

I do want to make my own, however, but so far, the only recipes I’ve seen have been pretty basic flour/baking powder/oil concoctions. Good for practicing, but probably not as yummy as they could be.

Does anyone have a favorite recipe they’d be willing to share?

Whole wheat or whole grain (of some sort) would be my preference.

My sister sent me this recipe some time ago and I loved it so much I make these tortillas all the time. The recipe is very simple but the tortillas are delicious and very soft and flexible. I keep them in the fridge in a zip bag and they last for several days. The recipe says it makes 10-12 tortillas, but I make 8. I think the recipe comes from a King Arthur Book. I hope you like the recipe as much as I do!

Whole-Wheat Flour Tortillas
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS vegetable oil
2/3 cup warm water

Combine the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl or a food processor and mix together. Add the oil and mix the flour thoroughly. Mix in the warm water (with the machine running, if you’re using a food processor). Because the protein content and absorption of different flours can vary, you may need to use more or less water. You’ll want a dough that’s a bit softer than ones you make with white flour; the whole wheat will absorb some of the liquid as it sits. Once you’ve mixed the dough, let it sit, covered, for 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it a couple of times, and pat it into an even disk. Cut the dough into 10-12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls and let them rest for 20 minutes. If you have a tortilla press, use it to flatten each ball. If you’re rolling te tortillas by hand, take one of the balls and flatten it into a small disk. USing a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, roll the tortilla into a very thin, flat round about 6 to 8 inches in diameter.

Heat a heavy, ungreased griddle, over medium-high heat. Toss a tortilla onto the griddle and let it heat on one side for about 1 minute, then use tongs to lift and flip the tortilla to bake it on the other side. Bake the tortilla until each side begins to brown in spots, about 1 minute to a side. While the first tortilla is baking, roll the second one. Transfer the baked tortilla to a plate and toss on the next tortilla. Repeat until all the tortillas are rolled and baked. You may stack the tortillas and cover them with a towel to keep them soft and warm until you’re ready to use them.

Thanks for the recipe, I appreciate it!

I tried another (similar) recipe the other day, and wow, was THAT a flop. I do wonder what I might have done wrong? Maybe I just didn’t roll them out thinly enough? (that recipe had some baking powder in it)

I do think there’s a trick/technique to actually cooking the tortillas that I’m not yet adept enough to manage reliably. That’s got to be part of the problem.

I roll them very thin. And I also prefer the result when I cook them on low heat (I should have noticed this is not what the original recipe says, sorry about that). Since they are so thin they cook very quickly anyway and stay soft. I´ll make them any time so I will try to take a picture for you so you can get a better idea on how thin they are. I imagine that the recipe using baking powder blisters…this recipe blisters a bit, but not too much. I also like to roll them using a silicone baking sheet (not silpat). One of its sides is intended for rolling so one doesn´t need much flour for rolling, which I suppose helps getting a softer tortilla. Maybe if you compare this recipe to the one you already tried you can see if hydration is different. I have always thought it makes a different in this recipe.