Grandma Lolita’s Recipe
Dora Stone, from Dora’s Table and Mi Mero Mole shares her grandmother Lolita’s recipe for Coahuila style handmade whole wheat flour tortillas.
Dora is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and she creates vegan recipes with a Mexican touch which appeal to the heart and stomach.
You can also find Dora on her Instagram and Twitter. Enjoy her recipe and be sure to visit her blog!
The Real Tortilla Deal
These are not your flimsy, tasteless, gummy grocery store whole wheat flour tortillas. They are a completely different animal altogether. They are hearty, hand-rolled, tender pockets of wheat, perfect for sopping up stews and lots of salsa.
I don’t want to be cliché, and name my grandmother to evoke all sorts of feelings, but I have no other choice. This is my abuelita Lolita’s recipe.
She would make them for us every time we would visit. Skillfully rolling out each tortilla and placing them on the comal one after the other. Then she would take a warm tortilla, slather it with the “good” butter and sprinkle some salt on them, and give it to us with a nice bottle of Coca-Cola to wash it down.
I can’t even describe how much of a special treat this was for us!
Coahuila Style Flour Tortillas
These tortillas are typical of the states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. They are not really meant for burritos, but you can use them to make all sorts of delicious tacos. You might be under the impression that flour tortillas are not authentic Mexican food, but this is so not true.
Northern Mexico, especially the border states use flour tortillas for everyday meals, almost as much or maybe more than corn. It is thought that corn was harder to cultivate in the northern states, but wheat grew abundantly. Thus, flour tortillas were born.
I am from one of those border states, Coahuila, from a small city called Acuña, which borders the Rio Grande and the city of Del Rio, TX. I grew up eating flour tortillas, and my grandma’s are definitely the best.
How to Make Whole Wheat Tortillas: Step-By-Step Guide
The secret to really tender flour tortillas is how long you let the dough rest. Let it rest for at least an hour and up to 24. Try to roll them out as thin as possible, and be careful not to overcook them or they will become dry and hard. Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour all-purpose
- ¼ cup wheat germ
- ¾ cup wheat bran
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup water warm
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and mix well. Add vegetable shortening and use your fingers to rub the shortening into the flour mixture until completely incorporated.
- Pour water in and mix with a fork until. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more water.
- Scoop mixture out into a cutting board and knead until smooth (about 3-4 minutes). The dough should be soft and stretchy, but not as soft as bread dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 hour. (The longer the dough rests the softer your tortillas will be.)
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls. Heat a cast-iron skillet or comal to medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle flour on your work surface, flatten the ball of dough with your hand. Using a rolling pin, begin to roll back and forth across the ball, rotating it slightly each time, and sprinkling more flour as necessary, until the dough has stretched out to make a large thin circle. Try to roll it as thin as you possibly can.
- Lay the tortilla on the comal and flip after 30 to 40 seconds The tortilla should bubble up almost immediately. Cook 30 more seconds on the other side and remove from pan. Be careful not to overcook the tortillas or they will become crisp. Remove tortillas from pan and place in a tortilla warmer or kitchen towel.
- Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.
Notes
- For really tender tortillas let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator.
Timaree says
Is the wheat germ and bran toasted or not? I know it says not really for burritos but I think I will try it anyhow. Or just have bean tacos lol.
Bethery says
You use wheat bran and germ. Wouldn’t it work using half whole wheat flour? I guess that wouldn’t be your abuelita’s recipe, then.
Melissa says
I made these for my brothers family. The recipe is legit! I used olive oil instead of shortening and also let the dough rest over night. Thanks they turned out great .
Sierra says
What other fat would work for this? Vegetable shortening is full of trans fats, and I would rather use a more natural oil/fat.
Anna says
I made these and I liked the flavor, I do need practice though. Is there a way that I would be able to modify so that the tortilla is big and strong enough to hold a lot of ingredients. I’m trying to make a copycat version of a Chipotle burrito where I can stuff it to the max with rice, barbacoa, salsa, guac. Thanks.
Steve says
Whole Wheat Tortillas, should these not be made with whole meal flour instead or plain?
Carmela Ramos says
I made these tonight after letting the dough rest about 7 hours. I didn’t have any wheat germ, or bran so substituted milled flax seed. Guess what? They were still delicious. I also only cut dough into 8. As I’m used to making larger tortillas to stuff. They are a little delicate but worked well with a plate under my tacos.