Friday, March 9, 2012

I don't buy....Tortillas

 We enjoy Mexican food and tortillas was something that I used to buy and have on hand pretty much all of the time. All white flour tortillas where the cheapest to buy and so that is what I would get. As I started adjusting our diet to contain more and more whole grains I decided to try making my own tortillas using some whole wheat flour along with white flour. Though it took me a bit of practice to get good at making them without burning them (I tend to get distracted easily) I found that homemade tortillas taste so much better than the ones that you buy!

  Over the years I have kept upping the amounts of whole wheat flour that I use and just lately (since we have no white flour in our house) I have been using 100% whole wheat and we like them. Yeah! I recommend making the change gradually so that you can get used to the different taste.

   Here is the recipe that I use. I usually make 3 or 4 times the recipe as I like to have extras to save for another meal or so.
Fresh Tortillas

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup canola or olive oil or softened tallow

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup warm water


Mix dry ingredients together. Then add the oil and mix like you would a pie crust. Add the warm water and mix. Dough will be sticky add more flour while kneading until dough feels soft and light and looses its stickiness. Using a handful of dough at a time, roll out on a floured surface. Roll out several then heat dry pan (iron skillet is good) to medium (or a little above medium) heat before setting tortilla in pan. When the it starts getting a lot of air bumps flip to the other side. It will have a few brown spots. Watch them carefully as they cook quickly. This recipe makes 8 (10 inch) tortillas. They are quite yummy.
This is what they look like when you need to flip them.
 I hope you enjoy them! Making tortillas would never be my first step in saving money as the savings are not that huge and they do take some time to make. However to me the reason for making them is more than just saving money. The other reasons that I make them instead of buy them is because I make them healthier than store bought, I think they taste better and I just in general prefer to make things myself rather than purchasing something premade. I have enjoyed changing our habits little by little towards living more naturally and in the process we have saved a lot of money and we live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Do any of you make your own tortillas?

I am linking this to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Don't miss my current giveaway for 100 postcards (your design) that goes through tonight.

8 comments:

  1. I have tried several times to make tortillas. I am not sure if I am not getting them thin enough but they don't roll like store bought. They break apart. Any suggestions?

    I don't know if you have ever looked at Onegoodthingbyjillee.com but you should. She has recipes for just about everything and it is fun to look through. I have several marked to make.

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  2. I've never made them but I am sure they taste absolutely fabulous.

    Yesterday I made ham and scalloped potatoes using my creamy homemade zucchini soup (I make it in the summer when zucs are plentiful and freeze it in old peanut butter jars). that I often use in place of canned soups- does that count?

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  3. I have never made them because we very seldom use them but I wouldn't mind trying it. Thanks for the recipe.

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  4. Zimm's Zoo,
    To keep the tortillas flexible you actually don't want to roll them super thin. The biggest key is cooking them fast enough (on a high enough heat and making sure to flip them before them burn). If they cook to long on a lower heat then the dry out and tend to crack. Also putting a damp dish towel over them while you are making them or reheating them helps them to stay bendable. I hope those tips will help!

    Melissa,
    I am very curious about your zucchini soup. That sounds like something that I should try!

    Becky,
    You are welcome- I hope you like them if you make them.

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  5. This is something I would really like to try. I buy lots of tortillas. Thanks for the recipe and tips!

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  6. Abbi, I find that being sure to knead my whole wheat dough very well and then letting it rest covered by a damp towell for about 15 minutes helps my tortillas not crack so much. It also makes them easier to roll out. Mom

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  7. Hi Abbi! I recently started making our tortillas from scratch as well. My friend adapted a recipe and tried it first, then shared it with me. We use virgin coconut oil because it tolerates higher temperatures than unrefined olive or canola (I guess refined olive and canola oils take higher heats, but we try to avoid the processed oils). I have read that cooking virgin olive and canola oils actually damages the oils and renders them fairly devoid of nutrients and even potentially harmful. I'm not sure if this was accurate, but I did quite a bit of research and it really seemed to be. I don't know - something you might want to look into.

    Anyway, you'd think the tortillas would taste strange or coconutty, but they're actually REALLY good! They're the best tortillas I've ever had. I usually measure the coconut oil and then add it to the water as I heat it on the stove - that melts it and makes it easier to mix into the dry mix.

    Here's the recipe if anyone wants it. I haven't tried mixing wheat flour in yet because I like to soak whole grains to lower the content of the nutrient inhibitors in them first, and I wasn't sure how that would work with the tortilla recipe... I'll probably try it eventually though.


    Homemade Flour Tortillas
    3 ½ cups all purpose flour
    7 TBS coconut oil
    1 tsp salt
    ½ tsp of baking powder
    1 cup of hot water

    Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl
    Heat water and coconut oil and add to dry mix
    Knead with hands until dough forms a big ball
    Let dough rest in a covered bowl for 15 minutes
    Form dough into small balls, roll out into a tortilla, and cook (same as yours)

    The higher oil content in this recipe really helps the tortillas stay moist and flexible.

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  8. I made a double batch of these twice this week. I don't use any baking powder though and I use some kefir and let it sit for awhile after kneading the dough good. The tortillas are nice and soft and have good air bubbles when cooking.
    Mara looks lovely in braces. I didn't realize you had decided to get them for her already. THese warm days have been lovely for outside play!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I really enjoy it when you join in the conversation.

If you have a question please feel free to ask and I will attempt to answer it (if I can!) as I have time.

Abbi