I was just shocked to find that the gluten free tortilla mix I had purchased online was overloaded with sodium. I decided to create my own gluten free tortilla recipe. Making fajita sized tortilla from the mix had 640 mg of sodium. Are they trying to kill us? The low carb tortillas I used to purchase had over 300 mg and I found that too high. Using sea salt makes it healthier, but for myself, sea salt still causes me to retain water. The mix I had purchased also contained lard. I know that many people advocate cooking with natural animal fat, but I prefer to watch my fat intake as well as calories. I was determined to create a recipe similar to the mixture I had purchased and do so successfully today! Many people online seem to have a problem finding a decent recipe, therefore, I am pretty darn proud of myself, as this was my first attempt and it was an experimental recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 1 cup corn or potato starch (whichever you enjoy)
- 1/4 cup white rice flour
- 1/4 cup flax seed meal
- 2-1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder (Rumford's Gluten-free Baking Powder contains 110 mg sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. Use less if needed.) (Featherweight makes one that is GF and Corn-free.)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder
- extra potato starch for rolling
- Approximately 7/8 cup water
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl add 2-1/2 cups of the above dry ingredient mixture.
- Add 1/4 cup olive oil; stir with a spoon until small pebbles form.
- Add about 3/4 cup water; stir and then add extra water as needed. (You want to ensure that your dough does not stick to your hands.)
- Onto a large smooth wooden chopping board or rolling mat, lay a sheet of plastic wrap.
- Pre-heat a non-stick frying or cast iron pan on medium-high to high. No need to grease the pan.
- Form a small ball from the dough and smash it into a patty onto the flat surface, ensuring you keep a round form.
- Lay another sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll the dough out as thin as you can.
- Remove the top layer of plastic wrap.
- If you desire even, rounded edges, place a saucer or salad plate, (depending upon what size tortilla you want to make), upside down on top of the rolled out dough. With a paring knife cut around the plate, cutting out an even circle.
- Place the raw tortilla in the pan, by slowly peeling it from the plastic wrap and cook on each side for about 30 seconds. The less you cook them, the softer they are.
- Remove from pan and serve. If you are making them for more than one person, turn an electric burner on the lowest temperature and place a piece of aluminum foil on top. Stack each tortilla in between a sheet of foil until ready to serve. Do not fold the ends of the foil around the tortilla because you need the steam to escape, or you will have soggy tortillas, if you wait too long.
- Store the left over dry mixture in a sealed container and just add a little oil and water for your next batch.The tortillas are best when cooked right before using. However, store any cooked tortillas in the refrigerator. Reheat by placing on a piece of foil atop an electric burner or in a preheated frying pan. For a softer, moister tortilla, reheat by steaming in a colander.
Tips
The left over dry ingredients will make about 7 tortillas 5-1/2" round, but I like to make a double batch of the flour and keep it on hand.
My son has several food allergies and he doesn’t care for corn tortillas, I am going to try these for him. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comment, Vickie!
These are very similar to the ones that Trader Joe’s sells. They are best when first cooked. If you do have some left over it’s best to nuke them in the microwave on a low temperature while covered with a dampened paper towel.
I’m looking forward to experimenting with potato starch as a sub for the cornstarch. In addition, I want to try using more rice flour and less cornstarch. If you try any of these, let me know how it turns out.
These look excellent! I love the recipe for the tortillas. I always have the Trader Joe’s brown rice tortillas in my freezer, but sometimes you just feel like homemade ones – and they’re really pretty easy to make. I love turning people onto the recipes I use (on my blog) for making homemade tortillas – they’re always shocked to see how easy it it. Thanks for posting!
Ellen
http://www.Iamglutenfree.blogspot.com
http://www.glutenfreediva.com
This is great-I just decided yesterday that I’m going to reduce my sodium intake and this will be a good start-thanks!