The BEST Whole Wheat Tortillas Ever

I've made lots of whole wheat tortillas and have often found the results to be too "wheaty", too thick, and just not right. I'm a tortilla connoisseur. When we lived in Nampa, Idaho (a town with a high Mexican population), I found a little bakery called "Rita's." If you are ever in Nampa, please go eat the lingua tacos (yup, this is tongue; just trust me) from their walk-up window. Then go inside their little shop. Buy their flour tortillas . Also buy their little cinnamon sugar coated cookies. Both are made with white flour but its a treat that you won't find anywheare else, so I think you should splurge. Anyway, I digress...... tortillas......Because of Rita's, I must have my tortillas thin and cooked just right. THIS recipe is the one:

Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups boiling water

Directions
Put flour, salt, and baking powder into a good mixer and mix, using the paddle blade. Pour boiling water over this and mix thorougly. Switch to dough hook and knead for 2 minutes. This helps the gluten in the flour develop and absorb the water. Shape into 24 balls right on your counter and lay plastic wrap over the top. You can freeze them at this point if you want. Let them rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours (this would be considered "soaking" as I've described in an earlier post about getting more from your whole grains, but without an acid solution).

Heat a cast-iron griddle or non-stick pan to medium high heat. Roll out on an unfloured, ungreased countertop (if you need flour, just use a tiny bit). I'm not super picky about shape. Mine are often square-ish. Roll as thinly as you can and stretch the dough when you pick it up to place it on your hot griddle.

Cook on both sides.

Slip the hot tortilla into a zip-lock bag and zip it up. Keep doing this. The trapped steam keeps the tortillas soft.

If you want to freeze these, let the bag cool and then place it in the freezer.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 67.7
Total Fat: 0.4 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 102.3 mg
Total Carbs: 14.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 2.7 g

4 Recipes with "soaked" whole grain flour

Don't make the mistake I did and say "that's weird." Make all 4 of these and then start thinking about your own recipes and how easy it would be to just start them the night before. For the first two, I followed recipes that already included the grain soaking thing. The next two were me experimenting with recipes I already had and loved, and they WORKED!! The first two came from this blog:

http://megdickey.wordpress.com/

RECIPE #1 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT BREAD


the night before:
Combine 3 cups whole wheat flour with 1 cup warm water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Knead til smooth. Place in bowl, cover tightly.
(The original recipe said: "I set my bread machine on the dough cycle and let it run til the rising session, then unplug and leave overnight")

the next morning/day:
add 2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil, or melted coconut oil)
1-2 tablespoons sweetener honey or sucanat
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
(the original recipe did not say to add more liquid but I added 3 Tbsp warm water with the yeast)

Mix thoroughly, and knead til smooth. Let rise in an oiled bowl til doubled (about an hour in a warm oven..preheat to 170, then TURN OFF). Punch down, shape into a loaf, place in pan and let rise til doubled (about 45 minutes ). Bake at 350º for about 40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 200 degrees. (The original recipe said, "I use the whole wheat setting on my bread machine, and just pull it out after the first rising and bake in the oven.")

It also makes fantastic rolls!

RECIPE #2 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

the night before:
2 1/2 c. of whole wheat pastry flour
8 tablespoons butter
+/- 1 c. buttermilk (although they are EXTRA good if you use cream, although you will need to add 1 T whey or lemon juice as well)

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or a knife and fork, until the mixture resembles small crumbs (or do this in your food processor). Add the buttermilk – I’ve found I need to add less depending on the humidity in my home, but it’s always right around 1 cup. Combine until no dry flour is left. Cover tightly and leave on countertop overnight.

see how it doesn't look like "soaking?" It is just a resting dough.

The next morning/day, preheat oven to 375˚
Add:
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
(the original recipe did not call for extra liquid but I added 2 Tbsp milk)

The mixture should be slightly sticky, but not wet. You should be able to form the dough with your hands into 2 in. balls. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 8-10 biscuits.

here they are before baking. I just rolled and flattened them a bit.

and we ate them with honey-sweetened strawberries and real cream whipped with honey and vanilla

RECIPE #3 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT GARLIC PIZZA CRUST

the night before:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vinegar

knead this together and cover. Leave on counter overnight.

when you are about 90 minutes away from wanting pizza, add:
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

knead this and place in an oven that has been preheated to 170 and TURNED OFF. Allow to rise for about an hour then divide into two balls and press or roll onto two 12 inch round pizza pans or stones. Top with sauce, cheese, or whatever and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Stay tuned for my chicken parmesan with chunky tomato sauce; that sauce is yummy for pizza.

RECIPE #4 BUTTERMILK CORNMEAL PANCAKES

This recipe came from Epicurious.com but I changed it up.

the night before:
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 tbsp melted butter
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

stir these ingredients and cover. Leave on counter overnight.

in the morning:
3 eggs
2 1/2 tbsp honey or sucanat
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

add these ingredients to the soaked grains. Add water or milk to thin as needed. Cook as usual for pancakes. Serve with real maple syrup and/or fruit.

How to get more nutrition out of your whole grains

6 years ago, when I started this whole natural food thing, I read about soaking whole grains to make them easier to digest. I think I tried one recipe. It seemed "too weird" so I stopped doing that. I've revisited it and you know what? It isn't really weird at all. Take any recipe that contains whole grain flour and liquid (so any pancake, muffin, biscuit, bread, cake, etc) and allow the flour to sit in that liquid for 7-24 hours before you finish the recipe. Seriously, that easy. Why did I think that was weird?

Why do this, you ask?? Because whole grains contain phytic acid, which actually blocks the absorbtion of nutrients. If we soak it, ferment it, or sprout it, the phytic acid gets neutralized and the nutrients are more available. In addition, this helps break down the grain a bit and makes it easier to digest (particularly the gluten, which some people have trouble with). This also makes for a lighter, fluffier product than other whole-grain recipes usually produce.

Soaking is easy, as I stated above (and you don't soak and drain it like soaking a stained shirt, you just let it sit and then continue baking). Fermenting is easy too. You can just add a little lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk, or yogurt to the liquid and fermentation occurs. Sprouting is still "too weird" to me. I'll get back to you on that when I get gutsy enough to learn how.

Something else I learned 6 years ago, but forgot, is that freshly ground flour loses 40% of its nutrients within 24 hours of grinding (unless sealed or refrigerated) and 80% is lost in 3 days. So using freshly ground grains, or refrigerating store-bought ones preverves the nutrients.

Ezekiel Flour

I mentioned this in a much earlier post, but I've been doing some more experimenting, so I'll share more now. Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, was told to make a flour out of a combination of beans and grains and to make a cake with it. He lived on this cake, along with water, for nearly a year before other foods were again available to him. Here's a recipe that includes all the grains and beans mentioned in the bible verse, Ezekiel 4:9:

2 1/2 cups hard red wheat berries
1 1/2 cups spelt berries
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup lentils
3/4 cups mixed beans

mix all of this together and then run it through a grain mill.

Spelt is very similar to wheat but more expensive. I use all wheat, and I use hard white instead of hard red. Barley and millet are gluten-free grains. You can substitute other gluten-free grains like brown rice, quinoa, or amaranth if you prefer. As for the beans and lentils, use whatever dry beans you have. I have a bucket of pinto beans so I often use just those.

You can replace the flour in any recipe with Ezekiel flour to make it more nutritious. It will change the texture and flavor. In yeast breads, I've replaced 1/4 of the flour with desireable results. I've made pancakes with Ezekiel flour only, and they are a favorite around here. I told the kids the story about Ezekiel and they latched right onto it. They make for a very filling meal.

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

click on image to enlarge

I have a giant loaf pan that holds both loaves. You'll probably make 2 smaller ones. This is how mine looks. See the tiny holes on top? They are from my instant read thermometer. And the white bubbles are BUTTER. Click on image to enlarge

Lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhancer which gives bread a fine, light texture. Gluten, a natural protein derived from wheat, provides elasticity and strength, added texture, helps retain moisture, prevents crumbling, and extends the shelf life of the bread.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground hard white wheat preferred)
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 Tbsp. yeast
2.5 cups hot tap water
1 T salt
1/3 C melted butter
1/3 cup honey (can use part molasses for depth of flavor)
1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice (or a crushed vitamin C tablet)
2 1/2 more cups whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients with dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, honey, and juice (or vitamin C) and beat for one minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Preheat oven for one minute to lowest temp setting and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter and divide. Shape into loaves into 2 standard-sized sprayed bread pans. Let rise in the warmed oven until dough rises above the top of the pans. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes, unitl the internal temperature is 200 degrees. Unwrap the end of a stick of butter and rub this all over the loaf to make the crust softer.

Servings Per Recipe: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 99.7
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.3 mg
Total Carbs: 20.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
Protein: 5.5 g

To make a 2 loaf recipe of this bread every other day for 1 year, you will need 275 lbs of wheat ground into flour, 32 sticks of butter, 46 lbs of honey, 8 lbs of yeast, 61 cups gluten, 2 2/3 quarts of lemon juice or 52 vitamin C tablets, and 7 lbs of salt.

I have been known to substitute up to 2 cups of the flour in this recipe with "Ezekiel flour" which I'll elaborate on in another post.

Baking mix for Whole Wheat Pancakes, Biscuits, or Muffins

5 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp Honey
2 sticks butter

Pulse in food processor until completely combined. I make 2 batches in a row and put them in a one gallon ice cream bucket (left over from a weak moment or a child's birthday party).



To make pancakes: 1 cup mix, 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, cook on hot skillet sprayed with olive oil spray. 1/6 of this recipe is 128 calories, 6 grams of fat, 15 carbs, 2 fiber, 4 protein, 171 sodium.

To make Muffins: 1 cup mix, 2 Tbsp Honey, 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk. Bake at 400 for 17 minutes. 1/6 of this recipe is 144 calories. 7 grams of fat, 20 carbs, 2 fiber, 4 protein, and 159 sodium.

To make Biscuits: 1 cup mix, 1/4 cup milk. Stir, knead 10 times, flatten out and cut as desired. Bake at 450 for 8 minutes. 1/4 of this recipe is 166 calories, 8.4 grams of fat, 20 carbs, 3 fiber, 4 protein, and 223 sodium.

This recipe follows ALL the rules, as long as you don't eat too many, or slather them with too much butter or naughty stuff, of course.