Whole wheat flour tortillas ~

 Oh, the things I do now to pass the time. I do amuse mahveryownself.

Love, love, love homemade tortillas.  So did Former Hubby.  As a matter of fact, I still smile when I recall the first time I made tortillas.  He took that first bite, his face lit up...smiling big and happy at me...saying, "These are sooo much better than store bought!!  We now have to have these all the time!"   (There is that "we" again.) He was too cute, because it meant he wanted me to make them...but requests used to make me grumpy.  I didn't make homemade every time we had tortillas on the menu, and he did pout a little when I didn't make them.  That was cute, too.  Sometimes.  :)

Fast forward more than a decade - here I am adjusting the favorite recipe for the myself and the kidlets.  The original comes from Mesa Mexicana cookbook - oooh, how I loved that early FoodNetwork show, Two Hot Tamales.  I've not made or tasted (at various homes by others) a better recipe as listed in their book.   

This is changed by the nature of steering away from white flour.  Whole wheat pastry flour enters.  Crisco be gone.  Welcome palmfruit shortening.

Whole wheat flour tortillas ~~
Linked to the blog Wild Yeast

2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. tapioca flour or corn starch
3.5 oz. shortening
1 tsp. salt
6 - 8 oz. warm water - start with the six ounces

•  Mix the flours with salt in a food processor.
• Add the shortening and pulse to a slightly coarse meal.  Remove to a bowl.
• Pour in the water, mix with hands until it comes together.  This is messy and fun!  Tactile ~ :)  Okay, you can use a wooden spoon to gather it.
• Dump onto a floured board (counter) and knead until smooth.  It should be soft and pliable.
• Divide into 8-12 pieces depending on the size you desire.  Roll each into a ball.  
• Place on a baking sheet and cover with a tea towel.  Let rest 15 minutes and up to an hour.
• Cut 7-11 squares of parchment or wax paper...these will be the liners for the raw rolled out tortillas.
• Roll out each one, using flour as necessary.  Stack on a plate using the cut papers.
• Heat a pan on medium heat.  Have ready a clean plate with a clean kitchen towel folded in half.  This will be the home for the warm tortillas stacked and cooked.
• Cook the tortillas one at a time, until puffy and slightly brown.  30-45 seconds each side.  Longer if your pan is not hot enough.  Too hot and it will burn quickly.
• Insert the first tortilla in the towel, add as you go along.
• Did I mention how much better these are?  And they are fun to make, too.

 Notes - - 

I do use regular white flour for dusting the board to knead and roll.  I divide into 12 pieces and roll these much thinner than I do the white flour version.

For the most part, this took the 3/4 c. warm water because of the cornstarch and less flour than the original recipe.  This will also depend on what whole wheat flour you choose to use.


I added the cornstarch to not have an overly whole wheat taste in the end result.  These are just soooo good.  All three kids loved these just as much as they remember the white flour version.  Good stuff.  :)

Bad picture, delicious tortillas

 Eskimo kisses ~~
xoxo