Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Homemade...Whole Wheat & Flax Tortillas

A few months ago it dawned on me that I had never made a tortilla from scratch. There has never really been a need to, seeing as I can walk to the local Hispanic grocer and get freshly made flour tortillas still warm in the bag. But I wanted something healthier than white flour. I came across this recipe and it has quickly become a family favorite.

Whole Wheat & Flax Tortillas


A few things I have modified:

1) The recipe calls for three tablespoons of canola oil, but you can easily substitute your favorite oil – such as olive or even coconut – and could probably get by with only 2T.

2) The recipe also calls for 3T of flax meal (ground flax seeds), but I don’t even bother grinding them. I just throw them in whole. Addendum: After receiving a comment about this, it probably is in fact best to buy them ground. See comments for more info. - Thanks CoMo Homestead!

3) The recipe calls for 3T (1 of each) of your choice of seasonings. My favorite combination is 1T of garlic powder, 1T of nutritional yeast (adds a slight almost cheesy flavor), 1 T of sesame seeds, and I add an additional tablespoon of chopped sunflower seeds. I also put in a light dusting of chile powder.

4) I find that I usually need to add a tablespoon or two of warm water at the end to get the right consistency.

5) I don’t bother kneading it like the directions advise. I just mix the ingredients with a fork until well blended and just form it into a ball – and cover it with a towel – NOT saran wrap!

For me the recipe makes about 10-12 8” to 9” tortillas. You can easily make more or less depending on the size you want. While I have yet to try this, the recipe states you can freeze them as well. I would recommend making a double batch and doing just that, as it does take a bit of time to make these. However, the time spent is well worth it as these wheat tortillas are quite hearty and rich in nutrients – store bought white flour tortillas, even freshly made, just can’t compete.

Here's a pictorial of the steps involved in making the tortillas:



And here’s a completed tortilla filled with lettuce, a mixture of black and pinto beans, cheese, green peppers, homemade guacamole, and sour cream. Delicious!

And another tortilla, a breakfast version, filled with cream cheese, spinach, black beans, scrambled eggs (sadly not our own - still none!), roasted potatoes, onion, mozzarella cheese, homemade salsa, and sour cream. Very filling - a great way to start the morning. - Carrie

4 comments:

  1. Awesome recipe! I would definitely like to try this.

    The recipe most likely calls for milled flax because whole flax seeds are mostly undigestable. They come out in the same form that they went in, and you don't get most of the benefits from them. Milled flax is more digestable and you can get the omega-3s from it.

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  2. What PIgs Don't KnowJuly 7, 2010 at 1:01 PM

    Annette,
    I'm so glad you mentioned this. Being fairly new to flax seed, I really never thought (nor have read) about what its most digestible form would be. Makes sense. Thanks for the tip. I will purchase milled next time for sure. - Carrie

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  3. Use a small coffee grinder for your flax seeds and that way you should get the max impact from grinding flax as well as other seeds and spices you might want or need to grind.

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  4. First time reading, much appreciate it

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