I was looking through all of my messy, poorly organized recipe books a few days ago and found some old gems that I first wrote ages ago, like this one. I realized that I don’t have very many homemade staple recipes on the blog. There are some, like raw chocolate and different kinds of plant milks, but considering how many of these things I make from scratch, I haven’t been sharing enough here.
Since we moved to Germany, I’ve been making things like tortillas and other things that are either really expensive or just not very good here (so pretty much any central/south American foods). If you’ve never made tortillas at home before, they’re dead easy and much tastier than store-bought. So after a little more testing to make sure this recipe was good enough to share, here it is!
You might think you don’t have enough time to make these easy spelt tortillas, but you probably do. The trick is to toss whatever you’re filling them with in the oven while you make them so that you end up with dinner on the table in the same amount of time anyway. I often make refried beans with the tortillas and then just have a burrito with raw veggies, or roast up some cauliflower for vegan cauliflower tacos.
It ends up taking about 15 minutes total, but that’s with some practice quickly rolling and frying, so it might take a little longer the first couple of times you make them. The trick is to roll them out as thin as you can, and use enough flour so they don’t stick to the counter. If you tear one just squish it back together and roll it again and don’t worry if they’re not perfect.
The tortillas might be a little crunchy when they first come out of the pan if they’re a touch overcooked, but they soften up quickly and are definitely roll- and fold-able. They’re made with all whole grain spelt flour, but you can use half light and half whole spelt if you prefer, or even all light. This is a really simple five ingredient recipe and I’m sure it could be adapted to make flatbreads if you roll the dough out a little thicker, but I haven’t tried that yet. You can try adding different spices to change up the flavours, too.
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via facebook, pinterest, and bloglovin.
Whole Grain Spelt Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- Coconut oil for cooking
Instructions
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl and mix to combine. Stir in the water and olive oil, then stir or knead with your hands until the dough forms into a ball.
- Place a large, flat bottomed pan over medium heat. Generously flour a flat surface (a counter) and take a piece of dough that’s about the size of a golf ball, or two tablespoons. Flatten it with your hands and then roll it with a floured rolling pin, going in every direction to try to make it round, as thin as you can. Use as much flour as you need to keep it from sticking.
- Add a little bit of coconut oil to the hot pan and use a silicon brush to make sure the pan is coated with oil. Place your rolled out tortilla into the pan and let it cook for 20-30 seconds, then flip it (you can quickly coat the pan with oil again between flipping if you’re a stickler) and cook the other side for another 20-30. Don’t overcook them.
- Repeat the process for the remaining tortillas, placing the finished ones on a plate covered with a tea towel as you go. They’ll soften as they sit while you finish cooking the remaining dough but might seem a little crisp at first.
- Leftovers don't store very well, so if you have a lot of extras, try cutting them into pieces and baking them at 200°C (400°F) for about ten minutes to make chips the next day.
Notes
LL says
Could one substitute lard for the fats in this recipe? Thank you!
Alexandra Daum says
I’ve never tried it and have never cooked with lard, so I can’t really comment on this – you’d just have to try it!
Sara says
Do you have a tortilla recipe that works for storing in the fridge to use for lunch wraps? Thanks!
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Sara! I don’t, but it’s definitely something to think about. I imagine it’d need a higher oil content and maybe some kind of starch to help keep it softer when cold – I’ll do some testing!
Kub says
Great recipe it’s quick to prepare I’ve made pizzas with the dough and tortilla chips the dough gets real thin if you keep rolling it out I used white spelt and sprouted spelt flour they work good together thanks for sharing. Peace&Love
Holly says
Thank you for this spelt flour tortilla recipe. I’ve made them a few times now with and without a tortilla press and I love them. Thank you
Debra Carlan says
These were so easy to make and tasted lovely.They didn’t quite look as good as yours but hopefully practice will make perfect.
Thank you for this recipe
Alexandra says
Lovely to hear that, thanks Debra!
Silvia Stanbrook says
Thank you for this great recipe. I tried spelt flour tortillas before but they always came out tough….not this one. It´s really great! Soft pliable tortillas. I´ve made them tonight and my family just loves them. Here in Germany its difficult to find ingredients for mexican food……We have not been eating any wheat products for 3 years now and our health is so much better . This is a keeper! Love from Germany….
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
It is SO hard to find good ingredients for Mexican food in Germany! I’m so happy you like the recipe, Silvia : )
Tomi Ellis says
It's the first time I've made anything from your blog and, after making these tortillas, I know it's not going to be the last. Really simple, tasty and quick!
she loves biscotti says
I have pinned this one to try. This recipe looks like a keeper. I love the fact you are using spelt flour. Fantastic post, thanks for sharing ♥
The Food Blog says
I've been wanting to make my own tortillas, it's on my list, because, have you seen the ingredient list on the commercial ones? Yuck. And the organic ones are so expensive. These look easy and yummy!
Emerald says
Has anyone tried freezing these??
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper says
Such a great recipe! I love spelt and it's always hard to find healthier tortillas that actually fold! Good job, I look forward to giving this a try in the near future!
UrbnSpice - A Taste of Heart & Home says
I look forward to trying your spelt Tortilla recipe, Alexandra. My daughter can tolerate spelt flour easily, so it is very timely for me. Thank you! They look delicious and healthy.
Dana Sandonato says
These are gorgeous, Alex! Making homemade tortillas has been sitting in the back of my mind for a while now, but I keep shrugging it off for fear that it would be time consuming. But this post has inspired me to get to it, much like Cassie did with getting me to make my own bread (which I do weekly, now). So, next up, tortillas! These look delish.
Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says
Yummed and pinned it too! Would love to make homemade tortillas! They look beautiful and do not seem so hard to make, so I'm definitely going to attempt. In Italy, too, all the ethnic food is not as good or as popular as it is here in Canada or America. So, making your own sounds pretty good to me 🙂 .
Elaine @ Flavour and Savour says
PInning this one, and I will definitely be trying it. I've found that spelt agrees with me, so this will be a really useful recipe. Thanks!
M-Pie says
What a great alternative to the wheat tortilla! Plus the glycemic index must be way lower! I definitely will try it out!
Alexandra Daum says
I'm so happy to hear that, Cathey! It is fun, isn't it?
Cathey Mitchell says
You're right, it really is super fast to make these. For anyone hesitating, just try it! Once you get the hang of it, it's actually a lot of fun x)