Sprouted Wheat Tortillas

I've been making homemade tortillas for my family for years. However, it's only been in the last year that I discovered sprouted flours. I'm always searching for ways to improve my health and help my family improve their health also. In my search I learned of sprouted flours and that sprouted grains were what was eaten before the invention of the combine harvester during the Industrial Revolution. The combine harvester allowed farmers to harvest grains before they were sprouted, thus allowing them to plant more and harvest more in shorter periods of time. This whole process increased profits, but decreased the nutritional content of grains.

Having gained the knowledge of what was missing in the flours that I was using, I began searching for sprouted flours and have made sprouted whole wheat and sprouted spelt flours part of the main stay in my kitchen. I've found that the sprouted whole wheat makes a deliciously  soft tortilla that my whole family enjoys.

So, when it was time to think about dinner tonight, I told my daughter that we had a variety of things leftover in the fridge so, it was gonna be a leftover night. Like children do, my daughter hollered that she wanted wraps. Well, we had left over chicken and carne asada. We had cheese, cabbage, salsa and cilantro. And, of course, I had sprouted whole wheat flour. So, her wishes were granted and I set to making some tortillas to wrap the leftovers in for wraps.

Now, you may be thinking, but, tortillas are so cheap at the store and I like the ones from my favorite Mexican restaurant. So, why not just stop by there and grab some? Well, like I mentioned above, I'm using sprouted flour, which you will not find at the Mexican restaurant. Then, I get to control the ingredients that I use, managing what I put into my body. And lastly, it's so easy and relatively quick to make tortillas, so I can have them whenever I want and don't have to leave the house!

Now it's time for good stuff! How can you too make delectable homemade sprouted tortillas?!?

Homemade Sprouted Whole Wheat Tortillas

2 cups sprouted whole wheat flour

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp fine sea salt

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

3/4 c warm water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Blend. Add the oil and mix it in with a fork until blended. Make a well in the middle of your flour mixture and add the warm water. Using your fork, blend until a ball of dough forms. If not all of the flour bits blend in, don't worry, just clean off your fork and put your hands to work! Knead the dough ball a couple of times.  

Depending on the size of tortilla you want to make and how thin or thick you like them will determine how many you can make from this batch. I usually make a happy dozen out of the batch and each dough ball is approximately 1.2 oz. I like my tortillas thin and roll them out to about 6 inches in diameter. So, with this information, pull off equal amounts of dough and roll them into balls. Keep the dough balls covered with a towel or plastic wrap while you are rolling out your tortillas.

Now you are ready to begin rolling out the dough balls. Grab one and flatten it a little and then with your thumb, press an indention in the middle. This will help to distribute the dough so that it is not thick in the middle and thin on the edges. Roll out each ball giving it a quarter turn after each roll. This will help to keep your tortillas close to round. (I haven't actually perfected the round shape, but my family doesn't care so long as they can put something inside and roll it up!)

 At this point, you can roll out all of your tortillas, or cook one and roll another one out and multitask. I usually multitask, rolling and cooking at the same time. By doing this, I'm able to make a dozen tortillas in less than 15 minutes.

Using a skillet (preferably cast iron or non-stick), heat it up on medium high heat to get it really hot. Toss in your tortilla, no need to oil the pan, if it's hot enough, it'll start cooking right away. These cook fast, so keep a watchful eye on them so they don't burn! When you begin to see bubbles form, like when cooking pancakes, it's time to flip. You can grab it carefully and flip over or use a spatula or gently with tongs. The other side only needs to cook for about 15 -20 seconds. 

Once done, pull and place in a tortilla warmer basket or I like to use a lint-free towel on a plate and wrap to keep warm. If you actually have any leftover, you can just roll the towel up and store in a plastic bag. They will stay pliable storing this way.

To reheat, the best way is to drop it in your hot skillet for a few seconds flipping once. Don't leave it too long or your tortilla will become crispy!

I hope I've inspired you to try your hand at homemade tortillas and to try out sprouted flours. I love sprouted flours and the ability to create homemade foods that are more nutritious than store bought and that also taste great!