Between school starting a couple of weeks ago and the Live Simply podcast launching in September (which is just a few days away), life has been full and busy. An intentional, loving-life kind of busy.
As I mentioned last week (during our Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup chat), during these busier seasons of life, I’m reminded of the need to rely on easy-to-make meals. I realize that homemade tortillas may not come across as an easy recipe. I get that. But, you guys, tortillas are so easy to make, and they are a fun meal component to prepare in advance and use throughout the week or freeze for future meals.
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First, before we talk about making tortillas, let me just say that so many of you have asked for more einkorn recipes. You all are loving the master einkorn muffin recipe, the einkorn scones, and the einkorn waffles. Einkorn is my favorite flour to use in the kitchen. Almond flour is probably a close second, followed by spelt and oat flour.
Here’s a recap of what exactly einkorn is…
Einkorn is known as the oldest variety of wheat making it an “ancient” grain. The ancient grain is believed to have originated in the Tigris-Euphrates region and is possibly the main grain referenced in the earliest accounts of the Bible. To put it simply, einkorn is the wheat men were eating in the earliest days before modern day wheat varieties. While modern wheat has undergone hybridization, einkorn still holds true to its original properties. Einkorn is slowly gaining popularity, but is still grown in only a few regions in Europe.
The sweet, ancient grain has a lighter texture and taste than modern day wheat, and contains a more favorable gluten ratio. People with minor gluten sensitives may be able to consume einkorn without the issues associated with whole wheat due the lack of D-genome, however, einkorn is not gluten-free.
Today’s tortilla recipe is made, as you probably guessed, with einkorn flour.
All-purpose einkorn flour is used in this particular recipe to produce that classic tortilla look and feel. You could probably also use whole grain einkorn flour; however, when using this flour you would need to reduce the amount of flour used in the recipe. If you try making the tortillas with whole grain einkorn, I would love to hear about your experience in the comment section below.
Now, as I mentioned, making your own tortillas doesn’t sound very easy or fast. But, it really is easy to make your own tortillas, and it’s a fun family activity. Plus, if you’re looking to save money, homemade tortillas, even when made with einkorn flour, are incredibly affordable and budget-friendly.
To make the tortillas, just mix together the simple ingredients, let the dough rest for a few minutes, roll the dough into balls, and then flatten the balls before cooking for a few minutes. That’s it! Easy, peasy, affordable, and time-friendly.
Making tortillas may not be the most ideal meal component to make on a busy weeknight, after a day of work, school, and soccer practice. I suggest making a batch of einkorn tortillas on the weekend, enjoying tacos for dinner, and then reusing the extra tortillas later in the week. Maybe this will look like an extra taco or fajita night (no one has ever complained about an extra night of tacos or fajitas), packed in the lunchbox as a build your own taco meal (if you own my Simplified Lunch Kit, you know that I’m a big fan or build your own meals), or repurposed to make personal-size pizzas (recipe is coming next week).
I’ve also found that einkorn tortillas freeze well, so you may choose to skip the extra taco night and stash the extra tortillas away in the freezer for another week.
Now, let’s talk about what to expect when making homemade flour tortillas.
Homemade (real ingredient) tortillas aren’t like most of the highly-processed tortillas we grew up purchasing from the store. The homemade version is slightly thicker, fresher, and has a more desirable flavor (hello, butter!). They are also, generally, smaller than many store-bought tortillas, although this will depend on the tortilla press you use.
You may use a rolling pin instead of a tortilla press, but you can definitely expect to enjoy more of a homemade look and feel to your tortillas. There’s nothing wrong with that.
If you want more of a store-bought tortilla feel and look, I highly recommend picking up a press if you’re going to make tortillas on a regular basis. A press is small, so it doesn’t take up much space and you can use the press to make both flour and corn tortillas.
Homemade Flour Tortillas With Einkorn Flour
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (360 grams)
- 3/4 cup cold water from the tap temperature is ideal
- 1/2 cup butter melted*
- 1 tsp salt
Special Equipment
- towel
- tortilla press
- parchment paper
- griddle or cast iron skillet
Instructions
- Pour the melted butter into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. The dough will be wet and shaggy.
- Cover the large bowl loosely with a tea towel. Let the bowl rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the griddle to medium heat.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times until smooth.
- Divide the dough into approximately 15-18 pieces. Each piece should be about the size of a golf ball.
- Line a 6-inch tortilla press with parchment paper.
- Press out each tortilla, carefully peel the tortilla from the parchment paper, and cook on a griddle (or cast iron skillet) for a few minutes on each side. The tortilla should have brown spots on each side once cooked.
- The tortillas roll better, with fewer cracks, once they cool down. I recommend waiting a few minutes (about 5-10 minutes) before serving. Store extra tortillas in the fridge (in an air-tight bag or container) or in the freezer.
The tortillas fall apart after cooking, any tips?
Hey Katherine, A couple of tips: 1/ Roll them out thinner- thicker tortillas will break easier. 2/Add more hydration. If the flour wasn’t weighed, it can be easy to add more flour than added. Adding a bit more hydration (liquid) can help. Homemade tortillas aren’t as pliable as commercial ones, but they should still hold taco filling without breaking.
I don’t care for store bought tortillas and I was hoping for something healthier for my family for fajita night. I came across these and Oh my goodness gracious, these are delicious! They are perhaps not quite as authentic tasting, but in my opinion it tastes way better – we love the buttery taste. This one is a keeper, thank you so much!!
Yay, Kate! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing for your experience.
Just made these tonight….sooooo easy!! I just got my einkorn flour and decided this would be my first recipe with it! It was so easy!! Thanks so much!!
Yay, Lea! So happy to hear that.
Just made these tonight with whole wheat einkorn and they were delish! I used 2 1/2 cups of freshly milled einkorn. So simple and easy- my new favorite tortilla recipe!
Yay, Barbara! I’m so glad you like the tortillas! Love that you used freshly milled einkorn flour-thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing! I’m looking for a fresh milled einkorn tortilla recipe so this helps so much!
Awesome, Katie! Let me know how it goes.
Now that I’ve made these I’m confused. I did what you said but they just fall apart. Zero gluten. Too wet. Adding flour, more kneading, thinner, thicker, nothing helps… Fresh milled einkorn
Hey Katie, If they’re too wet, you may need to let them sit a bit longer (the dough) to allow time for the flour to absorb the liquid. If that doesn’t help, add in a bit more flour.
I searched and searched and tried many sub-par tortilla recipes. Tried this one and it was a winner. Now it is our family’s go-to for tortillas. We love it!
Yay, Erin! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad you found success with this recipe.
Hi, I am from New Mexico. Tortillas are a staple item. I just wanted to share how we make them. You want to work in with your fingers the lard, into the flour. You need salt in the flour first. Butter would not be traditional at all, I’m sure the flavor profile is much different. Then you add warm water. SLightly warmer than your skin. And barely work the dough. Form balls and refrigerate. Up to overnight. Then when your ready to used just get a ball and knead it slightly and flatten and fry!
Thank you for sharing, Alisha!
Fry? Are these tortillas more like corn tortillas? I’m confused. I’m looking for a gluten free flour to make flour tortillas, cooked on a griddle.
Hey Deborah, This recipe isn’t gluten free. I think there’s some great recipes out there by googling “gluten free flour tortilla recipe.”
I made the whole grain einkorn tortilla, it was delicious, thanks for the recipe. I used 1 cup of organic whole grain einkorn flour and half of the other ingredients, it was easy and delicious.
Love that! So glad the whole wheat einkorn worked well.
Wonderful taste but mine didn’t roll up well and kept cracking. Suggestions?
i had the same problem
You need to put them in a towel right away to keep them soft. I use a tortilla holder with a towel.
Love this recipe! Making it for the fifth or sixth time tonight…
Where did you get your tea towels? Love them!
Hey Kaitlyn, So glad you’re enjoying them. The ones in the picture are from Pottery Barn. They’re my favorite–great quality!
This recipe was absolutely amazing! It was so quick to prepare, very easy, and SO delicious Thank you so much!
The only thing I would add is that I needed quite a bit more flour for dusting and molding into tortilla shapes, and also I was able to make these without a tortilla press and by shaping with my (floured) hands and stretching the dough, like little pizzas. My kids even ate them plain!
They were amazing thank you!
So glad you loved them, Jessica! And your kids, too! #score
I can’t have dairy because of intolerance….I saw that butter really gives it the flavor… I’m happy that i can finally enjoy real wheat again but as a woman who grew up in a very Mexican enriched culture…Makes me sad I can’t enjoy tortillas because a substitute may ruin the flavor. It’s kinda hard eating authentic Mexican food with my stomach issues:(
Hey Betsy, How about ghee? Ghee would give it amazing flavor. Or maybe try coconut oil–which won’t give us such a great buttery flavor, but it’s worth a try.
You could use leaf lard. They taste great!
It feels strange to say this aloud, but you might try pork lard. It is the traditional fat used in flour tortillas, and recent information indicates that it’s much healthier than previously believed. (Just make sure it hasn’t been hydrogenated).
https://babsbonebroth.com/2020/11/19/why-cooking-with-pork-lard-is-a-healthy-move/
Thanks, Kris. Totally agree. I love lard, buy it from a local butcher in our area. Definitely a great substitute in this recipe. I just don’t think a lot of people have access to good quality lard as easily as they do butter.
What would be a good substitute for einkorn flour as I am unable to source it in Australia?
With any suggested substitute, could you advise any changes to flour: water ratios for not only tortillas but your other recipes..
Thanks,
Maria
Hey Maria, I’m not sure about subs. Possibly all-purpose flour.
These were delicious, especially for tacos with our own garden tomatoes and lettuce! Will make the individual pizzas later this week! Thanks for this great recipe. 🙂
I’m so glad you loved the tortillas, Belinda! Enjoy the pizzas!
The butter is really what makes these! I can’t believe how beautifully they freeze, too.
The butter really does make these, Helen. I agree. So good!