After making my first batch of tortillas the other day, I decided to try another recipe. I chose a recipe that uses vegetable oil (and very little of it) instead of lard because, lets face it, there isn’t always room for lard in our lives. At least not mine.
I ate one right off the skillet and I wasn’t too impressed. The texture was more like a flat bread than the almost pie-crust-like, flaky texture of lard tortillas. I figured that I wouldn’t make them again… but then the low fat tortillas and I had a moment.
Fast forward to 3:30am New Years day when I stumble into the house after wishing the entire city of New Orleans a happy New Year. I had one thing on my mind and one thing only: EGG AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS!! I didn’t pay attention to which tortillas I grabbed out of the fridge because, honestly, at that point it didn’t matter. Well, I grabbed the low fat batch and I was very pleased. They were good. Very good, for being low fat. And that wasn’t just my celebratory state speaking. I’ve eaten them nearly every day since! I probably WILL make these again after all!
So, for all of you who can’t afford to have lard in your diet, here is a good substitute. (but to be fair, you really can’t compare the two… lard tortillas and non-lard tortillas are just two different beasts).
Flour Tortillas v.2.0 (low fat)
Flour Tortillas v.2.0 (low fat)
Servings 12Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour ($0.16)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.15)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder ($0.05)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil ($0.03)
- 3/4 cup warm water ($0.00)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir until evenly combined.
- Combine the warm water and vegetable oil then begin adding to the flour mixture a little at a time. Stir and add water/oil until the dough comes together into one piece. You may need more or less water depending on the moisture content of your flour (I ended up added an extra 2 Tbsp).
- Knead the dough for about a minute. Shape into a ball and let rest, covered with a damp towel for about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Let rest for another 10 minutes.
- Roll each piece of dough out into a 6 inch circle about the thickness of a piece of poster board. Stack the tortillas, dusted with flour, until they are all rolled out.
- Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. One at a time, cook the tortillas in the hot skillet until blistered and slightly golden on each side. Stack the tortillas on a plate covered with a dry towel to keep them soft and warm until all of the tortillas have cooked.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!The tortillas will stay good in the refrigerator (in an air tight container) for about a week.
Step By Step Photos
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
Combine the oil with the warm water and then begin adding to the flour mixture. Stir in water until it forms one piece of dough (no dry bits left in the bowl). You may need more or less than 3/4 cups of water depending on the moisture content of your flour.
Knead the dough for about a minute then shape it into a ball. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces (for 6 inch tortillas).
Shape each piece into a ball and then let rest for another 10 minutes.
Roll each tortilla into a 6 inch circle. Dust each tortilla with flour and stack them until they are all rolled out.
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook each tortilla in the hot, dry skillet until they are blistered and slightly golden on each side. Stack them on a plate, covered with a dry towel until all of the tortillas have finished cooking.
Keep the tortillas in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Serena – Unfortunately I’ve not cooked with any gluten free flours, so I don’t have any good suggestions for you :( Hopefully someone else will see your question and have an answer for you!
Do you have any suggestions for which type of gluten free flour to use?
I used coconut oil and they came out great. But I read the measurements wrong and used 2 tablespoons instead of 2 teaspoons but it was fine.
Angel – I’m not sure because I haven’t done any baking with coconut oil. They are both solid fats, though, so I would be inclined to think it would work.
Do you think I could use coconut oil in the place of lard?
JillRenae – Honestly, I’ve never tried that! If you give it a shot, please let us all know how it works out!
Can you refrigerate the dough before you roll them out and cook them and use the dough within a couple days?
Elle – these low fat tortillas won’t taste exactly like regular tortillas because they don’t have the yummy lard that regular tortillas have :P I don’t know what commercial low fat tortillas use in place of lard to make them taste the same, but its probably something that isn’t available to consumers.
I’ve tried this recipe twice, and for whatever reason I just can’t get it to taste like a tortilla.. it tastes good but it just doesn’t have the right texture…
I just made these, and I can’t believe how easy it was! Sayonara, store bought tortillas, hellooo cheap and healthy alternative.
Anon – They should freeze okay. You’ll probably want to lay some parchment or wax paper between each, though.
can you freeze this recipe well?
Well, you don’t *have* to, but the texture is better and thay’ll hold together better with half AP flour.
Can you use whole wheat flour for the entire recipe instead or do you HAVE to use all purpose flour as well? Will it make a difference?
Anon – you can freeze them after they’ve been cooked. But, make sure to wrap them very well and keep them air-tight because they will dry out.