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READY IN ABOUT 1¾ hrs

Mexican Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Read Reviews (285)

"This recipe, I learned from watching my Mom in Mexico, however, nobody (not even my Mom) knows how much of every ingredient you are supposed to use, so I experimented with different amounts of ingredients and came up with this one, which is pretty good and not so loaded with fat. This is great to do with kids on the weekend, and something you can enjoy anytime!" — Claudia

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Measuring All-Purpose Flour

Types of Salt

Original recipe makes 18 tortillas Change Servings

1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup shortening

2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

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Directions

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, and salt. Rub in the shortening by hand until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with a fork until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.
Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place them on a tray, and cover with a cloth. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.
Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook. Repeat until all of the balls have been cooked. Tortillas can be refrigerated or frozen.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 1 min
READY IN 1 hr 36 mins

Footnotes

For white Mexican Flour Tortillas, use the same amounts of flour, but using white flour only. Another variation is to use 3/4, 1 cup, or 1 1/4 of vegetable shortening or lard. All these amounts work; I have tried them, but I like to keep things light. I must say the best tasting recipe is the one with all white flour, and 1 1/4 cup lard...of course!

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 29, 2004

This recipe makes great tortillas. Knowing to rest the dough makes all the difference--the tortillas roll paper thin! I used Olive Oil in place of shortening and it worked fine--no hydrogenated fat that way. I also cut the salt to one tablespoon and it was still very salty. I'd say two teaspoons would be sufficient.

—WILSONWIFE

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 25, 2004

This is a good starting point, but definitely need to add more shortining. Also the second time I made them I added less salt and once formed into balls I covered them with wet paper towels for about 40 minutes, this seemed to work well.

—MZ654

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352 Ratings

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Feb 08, 2004

Great! I'll never buy tortillas again. Very easy recipe. The only tips I have is to watch the cooking time - too long and it gets crispy (softer is better), so make sure it's high heat and fast. Also, makes great healthy tortilla chips when cut into wedges and toasted in the oven around 225.

—Sam

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Jan 16, 2007

Thank-you, thank-you! My family cooks and measures the same way "a little of that... a pinch of that," etc. Made it extremely difficult for me to perfect my family's tortilla recipe. I was very happy so see your measurements for the ingredients, I had been experimenting for a few months. The only thing I would add is ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Don’t forget to follow the instructions. Mix the shorting with the dry ingredients well and make sure the mixture is consistent before adding the water. I recommend adding ½ of the water first and knead it a little bit, then add the remaining water and knead again. I tried this recipe twice, the first time I was lazy and put all the ingredients in at the same time and paid for it when my tortillas came out hard. The second time with a little patience-- they were perfect. For those of you who have to try this more than once, it’s normal-- flour tortillas are tricky. You might want to start by making 6 (1/3 of the recipe). In step three she uses the word “fry”, but it doesn’t mean use oil, she means cook it by putting on a frying pan (best if it’s a non-stick pan) or a skillet. Good luck!

—jhm

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Dec 29, 2007

These came out to perfection! I used these in Quesadillas... and it gave them the perfect homemade Mexican touch. I was very impressed. Just a couple of things I wanted to mention. First of all, the directions are a bit confusing. It sounds like you are supposed to let it cook for 10 seconds (at which point you should see a bubble form) and then you should immediately flip it, letting it cook for 30 seconds... and then flip one more time, letting it cook for yet another 30 seconds. This is incorrect. Here is what you do. Place the tortilla on the griddle and let it sit until you see a bubble form (this can be up to a minute). As soon as you see the bubble, flip it, and let it sit for another 30 seconds. Immediately after you drop the tortilla on the griddle you should already begin rolling out your next one. You should be finished rolling it out by the time both sides of the first one are cooked. One more thing... the surface needs to be more than "lightly floured". If you are not careful, the tortilla will get stuck to your surface, and you will have to begin all over again. Make sure both sides of the tortilla are well floured, and you won't have any problems. All in all, great recipe!

—Nikki

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Feb 10, 2004

I followed this recipe word for word and it was so dry and crumbley, regardless of how much more water I added. I couldn't roll it out and had to throw it away. I tried again however and used 1 1/4 cup veggie oil instead of 1/2 cup shortening. It turned out AWESOME! I will never ever by store brand again.

—ANYA7

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Mar 29, 2007

These tortillas are great! The advice to let the tortillas sit for at least an hour is definitely key to rolling them out correctly. I use all whole-wheat flour and olive oil, and they turn out terrific. My family loves them!

—nomadicmommy

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Dec 10, 2003

This is UNBELIEVABLE! I love this! I too used Olive Oil and used less salt. Although the recipe says it yields 18--mine yielded 25! This is a keeper and SOOOOO EEEEEasy! Quit buying them--make them! ;) Delicious!

—IMHUNGRYNOW

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Nutrition

Calories
179 kcal
9%

Carbohydrates
27.3 g
9%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
6.3 g
10%

Fiber
3.5 g
14%

Protein
4.7 g
9%

Sodium
260 mg
10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Mexican Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Serving Size: 1/18 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 18
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 179
** Calories from Fat: 57

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 6.3g 10 %
** Saturated Fat 1.5g 8 %
** Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 260mg 10 %
** Potassium 119mg 3 %
** Total Carbohydrates 27.3g 9 %
** Dietary Fiber 3.5g 14 %
** Protein 4.7g 9 %
** Sugars 0.1g
** Vitamin A < 1 %
** Vitamin C 0 %
** Calcium 1 %
** Iron 15 %
** Thiamin 20 %
** Niacin 27 %
** Vitamin B6 6 %
** Magnesium 14 %
** Folate 17 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.