Our whole family loves tortillas for wraps, quesadillas, enchiladas, etc. I've been buying 100% whole wheat ones from the store and not only are they pricey, but very dry and tear way too easily when rolling or folding.
Of course I had to just try making some of my own! I found a few different recipes online and took a little from each one and cam up with this recipe that turned out fantastic! Soft and didn't tear upon rolling them up for a sandwich wrap!
The flour in this recipe is soaked. There are many benefits to soaking your grains before baking/cooking with them. Soaking grains is recommended in the book I am currently "studying", Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It states that "grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds are rich in enzyme inhibitors. Unless deactivated, these enzyme inhibitors can put great strain on the digestive system. Sprouting or soaking in warm acidic water, sour leavening, culturing and fermenting--which are all processes of traditional societies--deactivate enzyme inhibitors, thus making the nutrients in grains, nuts, and seeds more readily available."
I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book. It is more than a cookbook, it is a primary tool in my kitchen!
Ok, back to the recipe! I doubled this recipe and it made me 24 soft tortillas. My electric griddle pan was wonderful for these as I was able to have 3-4 cooking at the same time while rolling out more at the table. A big time saver if you have one! If not you can just use a regular unoiled pan.
The night before:1 Tbls gently melted coconut oil (or butter)
2 Tbls whey (or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
Pour both ingredients into a liquid measuring cup and top off to the 3/4 cup mark with water. Filtered is best...I personally just use our well water and have not ever had a problem. I wouldn't recommend using treated city water.
In a large bowl add 2 cups of whole wheat flour or spelt.
Stir in liquid into the flour until just mixed. Use your hands to squeeze the dough together until it's evenly moist. It will be a stiff ball of dough. Place in a bowl with a damp towel to cover. Let sit overnight 12-24 hours.
The next day:Add 1/2 tsp of sea salt and knead until it's evenly throughout the dough. (about 2 minutes) Allow to sit covered with a towel for about 30 minutes to make rolling easier.
Divide dough with a steak knife into 4 pieces, then divide those into 3 pieces...hence, end up with 12 balls of dough. If you want larger tortillas, just cut less pieces at larger sizes.
Turn on your griddle on medium heat (about 300*-325*) or heat pan on stove top.
Flour your surface and your rolling pin, and roll out to desired thickness. Thinner the better! I found it easiest to roll out one at a time and place on my griddle pan, then while that one is cooking I rolled out my next one until I got a good rhythm down. When your tortilla starts to bubble up it's time to flip! They only take approximately 1 minute on each side.
Cool and store in ziploc bags in the refrigerator or freeze for later use!
There you go, fresh, healthy, no preservative, no additive tortillas!
