Whole Grain Gluten-Free Tortillas

by ALEXA

When I put the camera down, I took a big bite of this little here turkey wrap and was quite pleased! Though not quite as pliable as your classic white flour tortilla, we’re quite close.

“Eat what you shoot” takes on a whole new meaning to a food blogger. When you’ve come up with what looks like a winning recipe, the last thing you—or the pounding fists at the table—want to do is WAIT. Wait for the food arranging, the propping, the lighting, the “snap.”

So it was with these tortillas.

When I put the camera down, I took a big bite of this little here turkey wrap and was quite pleased! Though not quite as pliable as your classic white flour tortilla, we’re quite close. I’d love for you to test drive these Whole Grain Gluten-Free Tortillas and give me your thoughts.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Tortillas & Wraps

Gluten-Free | Casein-Free | Citrus-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Fish-Free | Peanut-Free | Rice-Free | Shellfish-Free | Soy-Free | Tree Nut-Free | Wheat-Free | Sesame-Free | Sweetener-Free | Yeast-free | GFCF | Vegetarian | Vegan

Makes:  Approximately 4-6 six-inch tortillas
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  1-2 minutes per tortilla

Ingredients:

1-1/2 tablespoons white CHIA SEED
6 tablespoons WATER
3 tablespoons Spectrum Organic SHORTENING
2 tablespoons BUCKWHEAT GROATS
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose GLUTEN FREE FLOUR or substitute with this mix
1/4 cup TAPIOCA FLOUR
1/2 scant teaspoon SEA SALT
1/2 teaspoon BAKING POWDER (make your own aluminum & corn-free)
1/4 teaspoon XANTHAN or GUAR GUM (optional), see Notes

Directions:

Grind chia seed to a meal using a coffee grinder. In medium bowl swirl chia meal with water and set aside for 2-3 minutes. Add shortening to chia mixture and beat with hand mixer until creamy. Grind buckwheat groats in coffee grinder to a coarse meal. Add buckwheat meal to chia mixture along with remaining ingredients. Mix with hand mixer until dough forms. Pinch off and form golf ball (or slightly larger) sized mounds. Place between two layers of unbleached parchment. Flatten/roll out to desired thickness using a rolling pin, tortilla press or a very heavy cast iron pan (just give it a good smash). The thinner, the more pliable the tortilla will be.

Peel parchment off of one side of tortilla. Place that side down onto a heated griddle (I use cast iron over medium-low heat). Peel the other piece of parchment off. Cook about one minute on each side—any longer and it will be too crisp to roll. Serve hot or slightly cooled with taco fixin’s, sandwich fixin’s or crisp it up and use as a base for pizza.

Notes:

1. For those avoiding xanthan and guar gum, gums may omitted. The addition of these gums serves to make them more pliable than just using chia alone.

2. Refrain from tasting the dough. The garbanzo flour in Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour mix will turn you off. Once cooked, however, you can’t even taste it.

About some of the ingredients.

Palm Oil: For those wondering about Organic Spectrum Shortening—the stuff may look like grandma’s hydrogenated Crisco®, but it’s profile is nothing like it. Spectrum Shortening is simply non-hydrogenated organic palm oil. It is 50% saturated and has a more favorable fatty acid composition than palm kernel oil and coconut oil, which are more than 85% saturated. That’s not to say that palm kernel oil and coconut oil are bad for you, it’s just that if you are looking for a higher fatty acid compostion, palm oil has it. To be consumed in moderation, palm oil is one of the fats our nutritionist suggested we use along with coconut, olive and the other healthy oils. Who’d thunk, there’s white stuff in a tub that’s not, well, all that bad for you? For more information on palm oil, here is a nice write-up. Organic Spectrum Shortening is sold at Whole Foods, most natural grocers and may be mail ordered from Amazon.

Buckwheat Groats: The ground buckwheat groats in this recipe lend the tortillas a “whole grain” texture and taste. Technically, buckwheat is a seed of a relative to the rhubarb plant. It has absolutely no relation to wheat. I purchase buckwheat groats from Azure Standard. They are also available in bulk at Whole Foods and most natural grocers.

Other Gluten-Free Tortilla Recipes to Try

Tortilla Wraps over at The Spunky Coconut
Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas over at Living Without
Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas over at Gluten Free Diva

___________________________________________________________

Julie K. Silver, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Health.Gather.com

More Good Stuff

22 comments

Ricki August 16, 2011 - 11:01 am

They look amazing! I'm drooling, and it's only 7:00 AM. 😉 And you know I can't resist a challenge. . . gotta give these a try! (And I'll be sure to report back). Another great recipe (and stunning photo)!

Reply
Shirley @ gfe August 16, 2011 - 11:42 am

I can't eat several of the ingredients in this recipe (there's always at least one of us, right? 😉 ), but that looks really good, Lexie!

xo,
Shirley

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Moriah August 16, 2011 - 1:16 pm

Ditto to what Ricki said. 🙂

And I was thinking about diabetes and a pre-diabetic condition…. Stress messes with your hormones and insulin in a hormone. Stress/worry/anxiety typically raises one's blood sugar levels…and we've seen that happen w/our son even if it's a good anxiety, like the excitement a child has upon waking up on their b-day or Christmas morning. There's many supplemental products to help, especially if you've also heard the term 'insulin resistant.' And one that's been helpful to me is Gymnema Sylvestre. I'm not a doctor in anyway – just a mom of a diabetic child and one who's border-line Type 1 diabetic herself due to Lyme messing w/my system. Hope this helps.

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Lexie August 16, 2011 - 6:46 pm

Ricki, let me know if you try them?!

Shirley, I am sorry … is it the bean flour in Bob's? the buckwheat? I try to please everyone … but you know, that's an impossible feat : ) xo

Moriah, thanks for that additional info on diabetes. Sure appreciated your email!!

xoLexie

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alli August 16, 2011 - 7:07 pm

Hi Lexie!
Can we sucessfully use store bought GF buckwheat flour for this recipe instead of buying buckwheat groats and grinding it into flour…?

If yes, can you tell me how much store bought Buckwheat flour I'd need to measure out and use and add to the recipe..?

I have a big bag of organic GF buckwheat flour that I'd love to put to good use. 🙂

Thanks! Alli

Reply
Lexie August 16, 2011 - 7:25 pm

Yikes, Alli. I don't know. You could try it. I would just omit it and use Bob's. I added the ground groats to this recipe for whole grain texture. Let me know how they turn out 🙂

xoLexie

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Ally August 16, 2011 - 9:23 pm

Have you tried using Psyllium Husk yet?

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Lexie August 16, 2011 - 9:55 pm

Ally, for added fiber or glue? Please expand 🙂

xoLexie

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seeks August 17, 2011 - 12:15 am

Thanks for this! I am really excited to try them; I've been wishing for me-safe(r) wraps for quite some time.

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Kim(Cook It Allergy Free) August 17, 2011 - 5:13 pm

Okay. You have officially convinced me. I will finally make my own tortillas. Your recipe sounds and looks amazing! I will promise to report back once I test drive them!!! I am sure they will rock!
xo
k

Reply
carol August 24, 2011 - 3:50 am

What can I sub for the bean flour? That looks soooo yummy and my little one misses wraps.

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Lexie August 24, 2011 - 1:48 pm

Hi there Carol,

About the bean flour. Can you do The Spunky Coconut's recipe: http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2011/02/tortilla-wraps-egg-free-grain-free.html

These ingredients and proportions are so finicky. I would need to go back and rework the recipe. But you might try a small batch with your favorite "legal" GF flour blend. We just use Bob's because it has added protein an is not all starch : ) I wish I could meet everyone's needs … alas … : )

xoLexie

Reply
Tessa Domestic Diva February 28, 2012 - 1:30 pm

I posted a comment awhile back, but I did something, as i don;t see it here! I had tried 4 gf flour tortillas recipes, and your was the very first I loved and have made again and again since. I even have a friend hooked on them. I usually can't stand bobs AP, but in this savory tortilla, I LOVE it! Thank for a tortilla recipe to love!

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Lexie February 29, 2012 - 1:08 am

Tessa … I could swear that I saw your comment somewhere … was it on facebook? Anyway, thanks for persisting and leaving another one. I am so glad these are a hit with you and your friend. Time and time again I am surprised by the Bob's GF blend. Some baked goods hide the bean real well. Others not so much. So it's great for some things and not ideal for others. In these little puppies it works quite well. The reason I use it is that it is so readily available in major grocery and health food stores … and even from Costco (some stores). My goal is to make life easy for parents and caregivers who are busy yet have the task to feed a sensitive tummy. 🙂 xo Lexie

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Andrea S May 18, 2012 - 10:53 pm

I just made these, they are delicious! It took everything I had not to eat them one at a time as soon as they came out of the pan. I slathered hummus on the first one and yum, yum, yum! I ran out of parchment paper so I used one sheet of wax paper and a non-stick rolling pin. Once I got more confident with the dough I actually got some round ones. :O) One was shaped like a heart, I thought that was kind of cute. I did discover that if I messed up the rolling out that the dough was quite forgiving and I could re-smush and start again. Thanks for a fun recipe!

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Lexie May 19, 2012 - 3:14 am

Andrea, glad you had a ball making these. Thanks for sharing. It means so much when people like you take the time. Much appreciated!!! xoLexie

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Daisy July 25, 2012 - 4:59 pm

Thank you so much for a quick and easy tortilla wrap recipe! I made them for the first time and they turned out great! The dough is easy to work with and "cooks" quickly. Being gluten-free, I really miss sandwiches and wraps. This is the first wrap recipe I've liked! Again, thank you : )

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Lexie July 26, 2012 - 3:46 am

Daisy, you are so welcome! Thank you for taking a sec to let us know. xoLexie

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Sarah August 20, 2012 - 3:58 am

I've been dying to try a good gluten free tortilla recipe…these look perfect!

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Jennie November 9, 2012 - 1:48 am

OK, I just made these and they were great! I subbed the shortening with coconut oil and instead of the xanthum, I added 1/4 tsp psyllium husk (great stuff). I also used 3/4 cup Maninis GF flour (organic and gmo free, also rice free…which is nice because of all the news on arsenic). To replace the 2 tbs buckwheat groats, I just added about 3/4 Tbs of add'l flour. I made small ones, which didn't bend but were really good. I also rolled out the dough for larger tortillas and they made a wonderful wrap. My 3 yo daughter is on her second right now. Thanks for the healthy, easy recipe!

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Lexie November 9, 2012 - 7:45 pm

Jennie … hooray! I love a satisfied 3 year old. So glad you like them and thanks for sharing your modifications … you never know who it may help. xoLexie

Reply
Marie January 29, 2013 - 6:48 am

Think these would freeze well? I'm loving this blog, and all of the feedback in the comments is so helpful to newbies!

Reply

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