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    You are here: Home | Recipes | Breads

    Whole Wheat Tortilla Recipe

    Dec 7, 2022 by Faith VanderMolen

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Made using applesauce instead of some of the oil, these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are a delicious, yet lightened up version of your favorite wrap!

    Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas layered on a plate

    Jump To
    • How I Got Started Making My Own Whole Wheat Tortillas
    • Serving Size For This Recipe
    • Are Whole Wheat Tortillas Healthy?
    • Homemade Vs. Store-Bought Whole Wheat Tortillas
    • How To Make Wheat Tortillas
    • How To Eat These Whole Wheat Tortillas
    • 📖 Recipe

    How I Got Started Making My Own Whole Wheat Tortillas

    I've only made Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas once before. I was cocky and overly ambitious and thought I could make delicious, soft, pliable tortillas only using whole wheat flour, water and a pinch of salt. Let me tell you now that it did not work.

    At first they were edible, but after a day in the fridge they were almost as hard as tortilla chips...yes, pun intended. I didn't even let Brett try one, but wallowed in my shame by trying to eat them throughout the week. Yet no amount of zapping in the microwave with a damp towel could rejuvenate those sad, crusty tortillas. 

    Lesson learned.

    I knew the next time I made tortillas I would have to give in to using oil, but most of the recipes I found online called for larger amounts of oil than I wanted to use. I knew I could try to replace half of the oil with water, but I was nervous that I would end up with another batch of stiff tortillas and an empty stomach. So instead of substituting some of the oil for water I decided to try applesauce.

    Y'all. These turned out PERFECT! They're moist, foldable, bendable, healthy, hearty, lightened-up, delicious AND edible. I think my job here is done.

    Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas displayed on a plate

    Serving Size For This Recipe

    This recipe makes 12 medium sized tortillas which Brett and I almost ate in one week! We've eaten them with peanut butter and sliced bananas, roasted veggies and hummus, and black beans and salsa. 12 whole wheat tortillas is perfect for us.

    For Burritos

    If you want to use your whole wheat tortillas to make burritos (where you actually roll and fold up a larger amount of stuffing) then you can make 8 larger tortillas. 

    Are Whole Wheat Tortillas Healthy?

    Yes. These whole wheat tortillas are made with simple, whole food, plant-based ingredients. These tortillas have healthy fats from olive oil in them, but not too much oil that your hands are glistening with grease after you eat one.

    This recipe also uses whole wheat flour which means that these tortillas are made with whole grains. Whole grains are a better source of selenium, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, iron, and folate.

    A pliable Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla

    Homemade Vs. Store-Bought Whole Wheat Tortillas

    And I can't finish this post without comparing the ingredients list of these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas with those of the store-bought whole wheat tortillas. I've searched a number of popular stores in hopes of finding tortillas with only a few ingredients in them and they're not easy to come by. I did find some brown rice tortillas at Trader Joe's with a beautifully short list of ingredients, but they tore so easily that I decided not to buy them again. The ingredient list of these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are much more "stomach-able" compared to store bought whole wheat tortillas. Check out the difference:

    Ingredients In My Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla Recipe

    • Whole Wheat Flour
    • Olive Oil
    • Unsweetened Applesauce
    • Salt
    • Water

    Ingredients In An Average Store-Bought Whole Wheat Tortilla

    Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Shortening (Palm Oil), Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Corn Starch, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Calcium Propionate, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Citric Acid (To Preserve Freshness), Cellulose Gum, Dough Conditioners (Sodium Metabisulfite, Microcrystalline, Dicalcium Phosphate), Fumaric Acid

    Now that's a lot of ingredients! Many of which I'd rather not put in my body. I mentioned in a previous post the Be Food Smart website and I really think you should check it out! It's a great way to see whether certain ingredients are harmful to our bodies or okay to consume. 

    I hope you try out these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas! You're stomach will thank you!

    Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas (lightened up!)

    How To Make Wheat Tortillas

    See below for my step-by-step pictures of the process for making whole wheat tortilla... 

    Step 1: Combine the whole wheat flour, olive oil, applesauce and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is flaky, stopping occasionally to push down the flour that rides up the sides of the bowl.

    raw ingredient of Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

    Step 2: While the mixer is running, slowly add in the warm water and continue to let the mixer run until the dough becomes a smooth ball, about 3 minutes.

    kneading Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

    Step 3: Take the dough out of the mixer, roll it into a log 10-inch log, and divide the log into 12 equal sections.*

    dividing rolled Tortilla dough

    Step 4: Roll each section into a ball then slightly flatten it and place it on a baking tray to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.

    rolled and slightly flattened tortilla dough

    Step 5: On a lightly floured surface, take a section of dough and roll it out into a 8 to 10-inch circle tortilla. Don't use too much flour or else your tortillas will become too dry and the flour will burn on the pan.

    lightly floured surface, section of dough and rolled out into a 8 to 10-inch circle tortilla

    Step 6: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

    Spray your heated pan with cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, and transfer your rolled out tortilla to the pan. Let it cook for about 30 to 45 seconds before flipping and cooking the other side for another 30-45 seconds.

    rolled out tortilla in a pan

    Step 7: Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough until all 12 tortillas have been cooked. 

    Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

    Step 8: Enjoy warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week. Or freeze them for even longer!

    How To Eat These Whole Wheat Tortillas

    These whole wheat tortillas are especially comforting when heated up for a few seconds in the microwave, but they are also delicious eaten cold out of the fridge!

    📖 Recipe

    Homemade tortillas

    Whole Wheat Tortillas Recipe (Lightened Up!)

    Faith VanderMolen
    Made using applesauce instead of some of the oil, these Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas are a delicious, yet lightened up version of your favorite wrap!
    4.34 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Breads
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 12 tortillas
    Calories 127 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
    • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup warm water

    Instructions 

    • Combine the whole wheat flour, olive oil, applesauce and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Beat the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is flaky, stopping occasionally to push down the flour that rides up the sides of the bowl.
    • While the mixer is running, slowly add in the warm water and continue to let the mixer run until the dough becomes a smooth ball, about 3 minutes.
    • Take the dough out of the mixer, roll it into a log 10-inch log, and divide the log into 12 equal sections.* Roll each section into a ball then slightly flatten it and place it on a baking tray to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.
    • Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
    • On a lightly floured surface, take a section of dough and roll it out into a 8 to 10-inch circle tortilla. Don't use too much flour or else your tortillas will become too dry and the flour will burn on the pan.
    • Spray your heated pan with cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, and transfer your rolled out tortilla to the pan. Let it cook for about 30 to 45 seconds before flipping and cooking the other side for another 30-45 seconds.
      Repeat the process with the remaining pieces of dough until all 12 tortillas have been cooked.
      Eat warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week. Or freeze for even longer!

    Notes

    *If you want larger tortillas, divide the dough into fewer sections.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tortillaCalories: 127kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 243mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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    Comments

    1. Sarah says

      January 31, 2023 at 6:51 am

      1 cup is too much water…start with 1/4 cup and only add as much as you need to firm up the dough into a ball or you’ll end up adding a lot more flour.

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        February 12, 2023 at 12:47 am

        Thanks for sharing Sarah!

        Reply
    2. Scott says

      January 21, 2022 at 7:49 am

      I have been using this recipe for a few weeks now and it works great. I have since dropped the salt from the ingredients with no adverse effect. This week I added 1/4 cup of Chia seeds which works very well without effecting taste or texture. My ultimate goal is make a multi grain wrap. The best part is knowing all the ingredients that are used. The next best is knowing I was paying almost 5 dollars for eight multi grain wraps and I am now making about a dozen for under 2 dollars.

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        January 25, 2022 at 8:59 pm

        That's great to hear Scott! I'm so happy to hear this recipe is working out for you and that it's saving you money as well!

        Reply
    3. Milos Simic says

      June 03, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      Hey to all just to report, I've just tried this recipe, and I've used 100% applesauce...and tortillas are great! I was able to make burrito without drop of fat or oil!

      Reply
      • Faith VanderMolen says

        June 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm

        That's great to know Milos! I've been wanting to try that as well!

        Reply
    4. Rachel says

      June 06, 2015 at 5:21 am

      Could i replace the 1/4 oil with more applesauce? Have you ever tried it?

      Reply
      • Faith says

        June 06, 2015 at 5:57 am

        I haven't tried it yet Rachel, but I'd say go for it! If it works out let me know!!

        Reply
    5. Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com says

      January 07, 2015 at 1:47 pm

      Found this recipe from your WIAW post today and I was wondering how I could make these without a mixer like that... any thoughts? Thanks! These just look so darn good and good for you!

      Reply
      • Faith says

        January 07, 2015 at 3:50 pm

        Hey Heather! I wonder if you could use a hand mixer, pastry cutter or just use your hands to get the dough to the crumbly state?? I'm sure it'd turn out okay, but you may have to use some elbow grease:) I love these tortillas (my husband too) so I hope you find a way to make them! Thanks for saying hi!

        Reply
    6. Suzanne says

      October 21, 2014 at 3:22 pm

      This looks great - I used to make torts using similar ingredients - limited oil and more water - do not think I tried applesauce so I will try this. I have found it difficult to get them as thin as store bought ones - they came out thicker - delicious though! I have recently been buying TJ's handmade WW torts - still more ingredients than I want but better than some. I also find it hard to keep up with the demand as my kids eat LOTS of quesadillas when I make them (we are actually having that tonight and I have 4 packages of torts defrosting on the counter - they will eat them for dinner and leftovers for lunch box tomorrow).

      Reply
      • Faith says

        October 21, 2014 at 5:23 pm

        Thanks Suzanne! I always had a hard time rolling dough out thinly until I got silicone baking mats off amazon. They are amazing and allow me to roll out my dough (for these tortillas, crackers, etc.) so thinly! I bet if we had kids these wouldn't last long either. We have yet to make quesadillas, but I think those will be next!

        Reply
    7. Miss Polkadot says

      October 21, 2014 at 1:30 pm

      Homemade whole-wheat tortillas that will keep for a week? Yes, please. We can't even find any kind of whole-wheat tortillas in stores and don't ask about the ingredient lists of regular ones ... So you basically created my dream tortilla recipe. I'll admit the process of making them still intimidates me, though. I'm not even good at/too impatient for rolling out cookie dough so ... Also, I don't have a stand mixer. Do you think it'd work using a handheld one? Oh wow, I really want to eat tortillas now.

      Reply
      • Faith says

        October 21, 2014 at 5:21 pm

        Haha yessss! Glad I could help in the dream tortilla department:) Hmmm...I haven't tried with a hand held, but I think it's worth a try! Maybe you can use the mixer for the first step (when you are mixing the flour, oil and applesauce together) and then for just a little bit after add ingthe water. When it gets too doughy and thick you might have to switch to kneading by hand. Let me know if you try it out!!

        Reply
    8. Christa says

      October 21, 2014 at 7:00 am

      Thank you! This recipe looks wonderful! I'm so trying it this weekend!

      Reply
      • Faith says

        October 21, 2014 at 5:16 pm

        Thanks Christa!! Please let me know what you think!

        Reply
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