Loaves n Dishes: HANDMADE SPELT FLOUR TORTILLAS

I don’t really have food sensitivities, I can eat pretty much anything I want and not be bothered; although last week when I ate an entire Blizzard from the DQ, I felt a pretty bad emotionally; the small size looked too tiny, so I got the next size up thinking that I wouldn’t eat the entire thing…and of course I did! The guilt, the shame, the remorse!

Any hoo, I was saying that I don’t really have food sensitivities, but when I eat bread from the super market shelf or store bought flour tortillas I get a stomach ache. The GFers are thinking that it’s the gluten, but I can eat fresh bread and pasta and lots of other wonderful gluteny products and feel just fine; so I’ve deduced that it must be the preservatives. Bread isn’t meant to sit in the cupboard for a month and not get any mold on it (yes, I’ve kept bread in my cupboard for over a month), and flour tortillas shouldn’t last for 6 weeks or longer in the fridge… it’s just not natural!

I hadn’t had a burrito in years because I it wasn’t worth an aching stomach, but I came to the conclusion that a life without burritos is not a life that I want to live!

In order for life to be worth living, I was gonna have to make flour tortillas myself. The thing is that handmade tortillas are far superior in texture and flavor to anything the super market has on their shelves. Flour tortillas do take some time, only because the dough needs to rest, but actually making of the tortillas is easy peasy.

These tortillas are made a little healthier by adding spelt flour and using coconut oil instead of lard. In many cases, healthy means less tasty, but I don’t go for that, it has to be tasty and healthy!

Once you’ve had these Handmade Spelt Flour Tortillas you won’t be able to eat store bought again!

Here’s what you do.

In a large bowl mix together some all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking soda and salt.

All-purpose flour helps to make the tortilla tender, if only spelt flour is used, the tortilla won't be as soft to bite into.

Nope, that's not lard, nor is it shortening!

This recipe uses coconut oil to make the tortillas soft and pliable and good for you!

Use a pastry cutter, or two knives to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients, until it has a mealy appearance.

Add some hot tap water, starting with just 1/2 a cup.

Give it a stir, the dough should just come away from the sides of the bowl, and will be shaggy in appearance; if the dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time.

Turn the dough out on to a surface which has been dusted with plenty of flour.

Knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it's nice and smooth.

Put the dough back into the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap...my bowl came with a lid, so that's what I use.

Allow the dough to rest for an hour.

Please excuse my towel, it is clean, I stained it when I used it to remove the skins from some hazelnuts...Any hoo... Once the dough has rested cut it into equal portions and roll into balls.

For 6 inch tortillas which are good for tacos, make 9 balls; for 12 inch tortillas which are good for burritos or wraps, make 6 balls.

I'm making burritos, so I've got 6 portions.

Allow the balls of dough to rest for about 20 minutes.

Put a heavy bottomed skillet or a griddle on to get good and hot, set the heat between medium and medium-high. If making 12 inch tortillas, your skillet needs to be at least 12 inches big.

I cannot roll a piece of dough into a circle to save the life of me; so I begin by placing a ball of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, then I center a pie plate over the ball and press down on the plate using even pressure.

Press until ya can't press no more!

I like my corn tortillas to be on the thicker side, but flour tortillas need to be really thin, so they'll need to be rolled out some more with a rolling pin.

My first tortilla I rolled to 10 inches, but the remaining tortillas I made 12 inches.

Because of the fat and all the resting, the tortillas can be rolled out really thin; I can see the variations in my granite counter tops because the dough is so thin.

Gently lay the tortilla in the heated skillet (or griddle).

Turn the tortilla over in about 30 seconds, the spots where the bubbles are will be light golden brown (this is a little darker than I like because I paused to take a photo); when the bubbles on the underside are also golden brown remove the tortilla from the pan.

Keep the tortillas warm while repeating the process with the remaining dough.

Now go ahead and fill the tortillas with whatever your little ol’ heart desires!

HANDMADE SPELT FLOUR TORTILLAS

Makes 9- 6 inch tortillas (for tacos), or 6- 12 inch tortillas (for burritos or wraps)

1 cup All-purpose flour

1 cup Spelt flour

1 tsp. Baking powder

¾ tsp. Salt

1/3 cup Coconut oil

½- ¾ cup Hot tap water

1. In a large bowl stir together the all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking powder and salt. Add the coconut oil and cut the oil into the flour, using a pastry blender or two knives, until it’s about the texture of uncooked oats. Stir in the water beginning with only ½ cup, the dough should be slightly wet and shaggy but will pull away from the sides of the bowl, if it’s still dry add more water a tablespoon at a time.

2. Turn the dough out onto a surface which has been generously dusted with flour. Knead the dough for a couple of minutes until the dough is smooth. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for about an hour.

3. Once the dough has rested cut the dough into equal portions, 9 portions to make 6 inch tortillas, or 6 portions to make 12 inch tortillas, cover with a towel and allow the dough to rest for another 20 minutes.

4. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet (12 inch skillet if making 12 inch tortillas) or a griddle; the heat will be between medium and medium-high.

5. To roll out the tortillas, place one ball of dough between two sheets of plastic, center a plate bottom-side down (a pie plate works well because it doesn't have a ridge on the bottom), on the ball and press down with equal pressure to get the dough as flat as possible. Remove the dough from the plastic, place it on a lightly floured surface (I used my counter top), and use a rolling pin to roll the dough as thin as possible, you should be able to see the counter top through the dough.

6. Gently place the tortilla in the heated pan and cook on each side for about 30 seconds, just until the spots where the dough has bubbled up are light golden brown. Remove from the pan and wrap in a towel or foil to keep the tortillas warm while repeating the process with the remaining dough. Use the tortillas immediately or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep them for about a week.

You may also like: