These healthy homemade tortillas are the perfect base for your next Taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo creation. Easy, healthy and delicious!
After giving up processed food for Lent, I realized that my love of tacos was in danger! I knew I needed to cut out store-bought tortillas in order to be truly disciplined. This discipline has extended beyond Lent and we now enjoy these healthy homemade tortillas regularly.
Evidence for Cutting Processed Foods
Although I don’t eat a lot of processed food, I was intrigued when my husband shared some cutting-edge medical research information with me. The knowledge he shared inspired to me to find further ways to limit the processed foods and ingredients we eat. I think we all intuitively know that eating whole foods is best for our health, but evidence-based research is the ticket to showing everyone the true benefits.
Healthy Homemade Tortillas
So, I began my quest to make healthy homemade tortillas for a taco night I hosted for friends. I made several batches using 100% all-purpose flour at the beginning of this experiment to get the hang of the process.
But, I don’t typically buy white flour tortillas at the store, so I was determined to figure out a way to make healthy homemade wheat tortillas. My goal was to create a whole wheat, dairy-free tortilla that was the most similar in texture to a basic flour tortilla.
I have tested and re-tested this tortilla recipe, as well as compared it side-by-side with the traditional flour tortilla preparation. I found the combination of white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour to be my favorite healthy homemade tortilla.
Method and Flour Comparisons
I do want to share the differences between preparing whole wheat and traditional white flour tortillas, which is why I am including pictures of both types in this post. If you have never made homemade tortillas before, both methods will feel foreign to you, so these tips are helpful. Always mix your dry ingredients together first!
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
If you have only made flour tortillas using all-purpose flour, this whole wheat version may initially feel like you are headed down the wrong track. After mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, I found the 50% whole wheat mixture to be more crumbly than the 100% all-purpose mixture.
The crumbly texture is due to the higher density of wheat flour. Next, knead the dough until a smooth round ball is formed. I recommend tossing a little more olive oil on your hands with the wheat mixture to help when kneading the dough.
Rest, Separate, Rest
After the dough rests under a damp towel for 30 minutes, it is time to form the dough balls. The easiest method is to half the dough, then half again into fourths, and then again into eight balls of dough. At this point, I then eye-ball which pieces look larger and pinch off dough from each to form another two balls for a total of ten even pieces.
The wheat dough is also a little less pliable than the 100% white flour mixture when forming the dough balls, however still easy to manipulate. After forming ten even balls of dough, the dough should rest for another ten minutes.
Roll the Dough
It is now time to roll the dough for your tortillas. I start by flattening each piece using the heel of my hand and then rolling out using a rolling pin.
Once you have rolled a few, heat a cast-iron skillet to very high heat on the stove.
Cook Tortillas
Get ready…the next part happens fast! Cook each tortilla one at a time in the dry, hot skillet. Once the dough begins to bubble up, turn the tortilla over to cook on the other side for approximately 20-30 more seconds.
I use the back of my tongs to flatten any dough bubbles during this phase of cooking. Transfer the tortilla to a warm plate or tortilla warmer. Repeat this step until all are cooked.
I hope you will try to make your own tortillas soon! Cinco de Mayo would be a great time to give this recipe a try. Whether you prefer all-wheat, half wheat, or all white flour tortillas, try homemade…I promise you will not look back.
If you’re looking for a great taco recipe for these healthy homemade tortillas, try my Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Pickled Onions and Creamy Chipotle Sauce. I would love your feedback; please comment below.
Please also tag @restandrelish on social media with your healthy homemade tortilla creations!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus extra flour for kneading and rolling
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup water room temperature
Instructions
- Mix together dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Add oil and water and mix to form a soft dough.
- Place dough on floured surface and knead dough for approximately two minutes or until a smooth round ball of dough is formed.
- Place dough back in bowl and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, place dough on flat surface and separate in half, then in fourths, then in eighths to form eight smaller dough balls. Pinch dough from each of eight balls to form two more balls of dough resulting in ten even dough balls. Allow dough to rest for another ten minutes on a plate.
- Form each dough ball into an approximately 8-inch tortilla as follows: Use heel of hand to flatten dough in center. Roll dough into thin tortilla shape using a rolling pin. If you prefer a perfect circle, you may use a large cookie cutter to form even tortillas once rolled.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Once the skillet is very hot, add tortilla to pan and cook on this side until bubbles rise in dough. Flip the tortilla and cook on the opposite side for another 20 seconds while pressing dough bubbles down with the back of tongs. Transfer the tortillas to a warm plate or tortilla warmer. Repeat this step until all tortillas are cooked.
Angie says
Ty you for your recipe i am 5r years old and have a disease that causes inflammation inside my body caused by some foods that irritate my insides and im working on some recipes to help me to eliminate inflammation it causes fir my body to look over weight in which im not but i am very disappointed and frustrated by this please help me find those foods to help me with this problem for a better me and tomorrow.ty