Whole Wheat Tortillas

 Difficulty rating: 3 chefs hats (out of 5)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour*
• 3/4 cup luke warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS oil of your choice 

Directions:
Knead ingredients together.  Tortilla dough should be incredibly soft (feels like an ear lobe) so that it can roll out more easily, and that may mean that you will need to add more water to your dough.  

Knead for 5-10 minutes or until smooth, wrap in plastic, and let the gluten rest for a half an hour.  

After the resting period, weigh out 3 ounce chunks of dough and shape them into rounds.  Cover with plastic.  Make sure you have plenty of extra flour for dusting your rolling surface, as it requires a lot so that you can get a nice thin round without it sticking.  Roll out your dough into a funky looking circle (they never turn out perfectly round, which is part of the beauty of handmade tortillas).  

Get a large cast iron skillet on the stove and set it on medium high and heat until very hot before you put on your tortilla dough.  Put your rolled out tortilla onto the hot skillet, and make sure you watch it as it cooks incredibly quick, and can burn easily.  The cooking dough will bubble, which is normal.  Flip it when it begins to bubble.  The flour will also smoke as it is cooking, so make sure you have some good ventilation.  

After the tortilla has cooked, transfer it quickly to some tea towels, and make sure they are wrapped on both sides and put them in a paper bag.  This holds in the heat and moisture that lets them stay soft without turning them into a tortilla cracker. If you have a bowl with a lid, you can also achieve this same thing.  

These keep well after they are cooled in a plastic bag in the fridge or you can freeze them for later use.  


Inspired by Britton Doolittle of Deep Roots Farm in Mason, WI