Soaked Tortillas

When I began my real food journey, one of the things that troubled me most was how I would replace conventional, store-bought wheat products such as tortillas.  Sourdough bread and soaked waffles and pancakes were easy to make, but tortillas, which had been a staple in our diet, were still missing.  My family loves tacos, fajitas and enchiladas.  Fortunately, I found a wonderful recipe for soaked tortillas.  You can find it here, at Keeper Of The Home, on of my favorite blogs.

I recommend purchasing a tortilla press.  I used to roll out tortillas by hand and it took forever.  Great workout, though!

I always double (and usually quadruple) the original recipe, so I will post my doubled version below, along with some tips I've learned from my experience with making these soaked tortillas.  The number of tortillas this recipes yields will vary depending on the size and thickness of the tortillas that you make.

___________________Soaked Tortillas____________________

What You'll Need:

4 cups of flour (I use whole white wheat)
4 Tbs of whey (or apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, etc)
2 Tbs of melted butter
1/2 tsp of salt
1 cup of filtered water

STEPS:

1.  Combine the whey, melted butter, water and and flour.
2.  Use your hands to form it into a ball.  The dough will be stiff.
3.  Cover it and leave it on the counter for 12-24 hours.
4.  Knead in the salt.

5.  Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
6.  Break into small balls and roll or press into tortillas.
7.  Heat for for a couple of minutes per side on a medium heat griddle or frying pan.

Tips:

• The ball of dough is usually coated with a thick, crusty skin after the soaking period.  I peel/pick this hardened layer off and throw it away before kneading in the salt.
• If you use whole wheat flour (as opposed to whole white wheat) you'll need to add about two extra tablespoons of water to the recipe.
• If the liquid to flour ratio is right, the dough will be sticky but will not stick to surfaces.  I never flour the press or my work area before making the tortillas.  I did have to flour the surfaces the first few times I made them, though.  I think I added too much water because it didn't seem like enough.  The additional water made the dough too sticky and difficult to work with.
• These tortillas freeze really well and are great for travel.
• Store them in an airtight container to keep them soft.
• These tortillas make great flat breads for sandwiches and can be baked into crackers for soups, stews, chili, dips and spreads.