Whole Wheat Tortillas

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 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 all together. 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!

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Whole Wheat Tortillas

Prep 10 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 20 mins

Author Dora Stone

Yield 12 tortillas

Grandma Lolita's recipe for Coahuila style whole wheat tortillas provided by Dora Stone of Dora's Table and Mi Mero Mole. A true homestyle recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups flour, all-purpose
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup water, warm

Instructions

1. 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 to rub the shortening into the flour mixture until completely incorporated.
2. Pour water in and mix with a fork until. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more water.
3. 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.
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 hour. (The longer the dough rests the softer your tortillas will be.)
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls. Heat a cast iron skillet or comal to medium-high heat.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Repeat this process with the rest of the dough.

Notes

For really tender tortillas let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator.

Courses Tortilla

Cuisine Mexican

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 123
% Daily Value
Total Fat 6 g		9%
Sodium 200 mg		8%
Total Carbohydrates 15 g		5%
	Sugars 1 g
Protein 3 g		6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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