These gluten free whole grain flour tortillas have a wheaty taste and chew from added gluten free whole grains teff and sorghum, but are safely wheat-free.
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When your tortillas are soft and pliable, like these gluten free whole grain tortillas are, they can easily be folded into a burrito, then wrapped up hours before dinnertime. If I wrap it in a tortilla, I can call it dinner!
If you're making burritos, it doesn't really matter what you put in them, as long as it includes cheese. It does matter what sort of tortilla you use.
Have you ever tried what some gluten-free food companies try to pass off as gluten-free tortillas, made from only brown rice? Well, we know what happens when we try to fold them.
These tortillas aren't just your everyday tortillas. They make up super fast, and they have that wheat-y taste and chew because they're fortified with whole grain flours.
Sear them in a cast iron skillet. If the skillet is hot enough, they cook in a flash—and they won't stick. If you're having a lot of trouble handling the tortillas as you attempt to get them into the skillet to cook, they're not the right consistency.
The dough should be strong and on the dry side, but not so dry that it crumbles. You have to be delicate with them, but not so much that some of them don't make it all the way to the finish line.
Gluten free whole grain flour tortillas ingredients & substitution suggestions
Happily, these tortillas are naturally dairy-free and egg-free. Here is some other ingredient information, in case you're short of gluten free ingredients or you have additional food intolerances:
Teff & sorghum flours: This combination of teff and sweet white sorghum flours provides the heartiness that you expect from a whole grain baked good. I haven’t tried replacing them with anything, and I’m afraid I don’t think either can truly be replaced with success.
If you’re dying to try a replacement and you’re willing to experiment, you can try replacing the sweet white sorghum flour with oat flour and the teff flour with rice bran. But I can’t promise anything!
Olive oil: I really like using olive oil in these tortillas, but you can use any oil you like. I've also made these tortillas with Spectrum brand non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, like our classic gluten free tortillas, and it works great.
Gluten Free Whole Grain Flour Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend plus more as necessary and for sprinkling (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ¼ cup (34 g) sweet white sorghum flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) teff flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons (21 g) extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅞ cup (7 fluid ounces) water at room temperature (plus more as necessary)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the all-purpose flour, xanthan gum, sorghum flour, teff flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Create a well in the dry ingredients, add the oil and water and mix to combine.
- Press the dough together into a ball with your hands. It should be relatively stiff, but not so dry that it crumbles. If it’s too soft, add more all purpose flour by the tablespoon and work it into the dough. If it is too dry, add more water by the tablespoon.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each piece into a ball.
- Work with one piece of dough at a time, cover the rest and cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Place the piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top lightly with more flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a round a bit more than 1/8-inch thick (the thickness of a nickel – no thinner!).
- For neat edges, take the optional additional step of using the lid of a pot or a 6-inch round cake cutter to cut away a perfect-sized round. Gather the scraps and set them aside with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Carefully place the raw tortilla in the hot skillet.
- Allow to cook undisturbed until it begins to pull away from the pan around the edges (about 45 seconds in a hot pan).
- With a flat, wide spatula, flip the tortilla over and press it down with the spatula for about 15 seconds. This second side will not blacken or brown much.
- Remove the tortilla from the skillet and cover with a moist tea towel.
- Repeat with the remaining dough (using all the scraps, you should be able to get a total of 8 6-inch tortillas but the number will vary based upon how thinly you roll the dough), stacking the tortillas under the towel.
- Wrap the tortillas tightly in the towel until ready to use.
- They should stay pliable for a few hours wrapped in a moist towel. Refresh them in a hot, dry skillet before serving.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Stevie says
I really love baking, but have not had much success with my own ventures into gluten-free cooking so far. You’ve given me hope that my GF recipes will not always be rubbery/ugly/strange tasting. Also, I’ve really been missing flour tortillas since I’ve stopped eating wheat. (Not that long ago, at the suggestion of numerous people. Skin=clearer, energy=better!) I’ve got to try this out! Woohoo, thank you! Also, just so you know, your testing of the different flour mixes has been really helpful.
Nicole says
I’m so happy the flour test was helpful to you, Stevie! It was actually a real turning point for me, too, actually. Seeing how all those different flours behaved side by side gave me really valuable insight into what is next for me in gluten-free baking. And gluten-free food should never be rubbery/ugly/strange tasting! ;)
xoxo Nicole
Missy says
Oh Nicole, this is excellent! I always have Food for Life brown rice tortillas in the freezer, but I use them exclusively for quesadillas, which really dont matter all that much if they break. Now I will use your recipe..I know it will be good.
I have a flour blend that you may not have tried and I like it a lot. It is called Domata. Just wanted to call attention to it because it is one that seems to work well in recipes. I have tried the regular toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe with Domata and it was really good. Missy from SW Missouri
Nicole says
Hi, Missy from SW Missouri,
Be careful with Domata. It is good for some things (cookies, muffins), but not good for others. And I have never tried it in rolled out dough like these tortillas, but I’m not confident it would work well. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I wanted to try to manage your expectations!
xoxo Nicole
Missy says
Thanks so much for the info about Domata, Nicole. I have not tried it extensively..so will reserve for cookies and muffins. I need to get some more Better Batter, I had some when she first started offering it and loved it. Missy in HOT hot Missouri : )
CYNTHIA says
I can just substitute better batter for the all purpose flour and xanthan gum right? I am excited to make these! Thank you!
Nicole says
Hi, Cynthia,
Better Batter is a high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour. It’s what I use more often than that. Bake on!
xoxo Nicole
Michelle O says
I think I LOVE you! Wait what am I talking about, I already knew I loved you! FYI Those brown rice tortillas have had some problems with having higher than 20 PPM gluten in them. I won’t touch them! I have been looking for a flour tortilla replacement for eternity. I really miss a good burrito. I am going to try these, as it was on my list to make this week. Thank you! xoxo
Nicole says
I hadn’t heard that about the brown rice tortillas, Michelle. Good to know. Not that I was buying them anyway. But, still. Good to know.
xoxo Nicole
Kristi says
I am here to report back that they were really tasty and EASY! We had pork verde last night and these tortillas were perfect. I do want to be able to make them thinner but I think I would need professional tortilla equipment to do that! The cooked perfectly in the cast iron. The texture of the dough was perfect. It didn’t stick to the ziploc bag and was easy to handle. The tortilla folded nicely.
After my pork verde burrito I made a quesadilla which was also very good. Yum! Thank you!
BTW, thank you for the recommendation to measure by weight. My son who is 8 loves helping me bake now. He measures everything exactly. Not a gram more or less. Very fun.
Nicole says
So glad, Kristi! Thanks for reporting back. I love that your son is a precise baker. It’s the best way to be!
xoxo Nikki
Sherry says
Hi Nicole,
I know I’m not the first reader to say it(so it must be true;), but you really read my mind! I make your gf flour tortillas ALL the time. Lately I’ve been wanting to experiment w/ using sweet sorghum and teff to make them whole grain, and now you’ve done all the experimenting for me so I don’t have to(thank you, thank you)!! I made these last night for burritos, and they turned out beautifully! They have a great “chew” to them, and look beautiful! Thank you again!
Sherry
Patti says
First thing I bought when going g-free were those brown rice tortilla things. First thing I threw out after going g-free were the brown rice tortilla things. Awful. Simply awful.
Made the g-free tortillas last week-end. Tried them plain ~ nothing on them, not even butter. Said to hubby, “I think I got it. What do you think?” We sat down & tasted them ~ kept on tasting until the whole plate of tortillas was gone!! Hubby looks at me and says, “Yea, I think you got it. We never ate a whole plate of gluten tortillas without a thing on them!”
Thanks Nicole!
Nicole says
How unfortunate, Patti, that the brown rice “tortilla things” (well said, by the way) were your first purchase. That can really turn a person off to gluten-free food! I’m absolutely thrilled that you had such tortilla success, and that you were able to enjoy that moment with your appreciative husband. Win-win!
xoxo Nicole
Patti says
Can’t wait to try these whole grain ones! And I like the tortilla press………….I am going to think about that. Tortillas have been on the top of my most missed list. So all of this is wonderful!
Mattison Mania says
I’m a bit curious, Miss Nicole. “A high-quality all-purpose gluten-free flour” … did something happen that you’re not noting what flour blend you used? You normally state ‘Better Batter’. Sorry for being nosy.
Respectfully, Another Nicole
Nicole says
I didn’t realize that your name was Nicole, Mattison Mania! Good to know…
I don’t think that question qualifies as “nosy,” Nicole. I think it’s a good and reasonable question, in fact. Nothing happened. I still use Better Batter more often than not, but I’ve been experimenting a lot with other commercial flour blends, other blends I’m making on my own, etc., so I didn’t think it made sense to be so specific. Better Batter is one great option, but it’s far from the only one. And that’s something I try to drive home in my new book, so I thought it made sense to transition the blog in the same direction. I will continue to keep you up-to-date on my flour developments, as they develop. :)
xoxo This Nicole
Dede says
Now your “baking”my language :)
We are originally from Tx and it’s either tortillas or bread with pretty much every meal. And since I am the only GF person in my house and I cook and do the shopping I refuse to buy gluten tortillas or make them on a regular basis just so I can sit and watch my family eat them :))
But this this I can SO do since I used to make them all the time before going GF.
My family will love you more now.
Thanks.
Nicole says
Good for you, Dede. No way you should be cooking and baking something that everyone else can enjoy – but you can’t! I’m finding out lately that so many readers are from Texas. I had no idea!
xoxo Nicole
Jackie Fretwell says
Nicole,
Have you made burritos using the flour tortilla recipe in your book? I was wondering if they would work just as well. and also, where do you buy the sweet white sorghum flour? Thanks much!!
Jackie
Nicole says
Hi, Jackie,
Of course! Actually, the burritos you see pictured in this post are made with the flour tortilla recipe in my book. The rest of the photos are the whole grain flour tortillas in the post. I buy sorghum flour on amazon.comd.
xoxo Nicole
Anna says
Nicole, Thank you so much! I need to make these asap. Breakfast tacos just arent the same as breakfast burritos. And i dont know how anyone can call those plastic rice things “tortillas”.. Ive been a long time reader, but this is my first post and I just want to say thank you so much for all the time youve put into this. Youve saved me headache and heartache time and again with your recipes.
Nicole says
Hi, Anna,
I’m so glad you came out of the shadows and joined the back-&-forth! I always love it when that happens. :)
Thank you for taking the time to be so gracious. They say that when you write a blog you should write it to your “ideal reader.” For me, I think that’s you!
xoxo Nicole
Rebecca Thompson says
Can I substitute wax paper for the plastic baggie? :)
Nicole says
Not wax paper, Rebecca, since it’s too soft. Unbleached parchment paper will work well, though. :)
xoxo Nicole
KimH says
Oh, they look great! I was raised in the 60s in the very southernmost tip of Texas and we had homemade flour or corn tortillas daily. I eat the corn ones often (just finished pork tacos) but havent found a suitable replacement for flour tortillas which I love more than any other flour product besides a good cookie. ;)
Thanks so much. I’ll have to get the ingredients & try them out.
Nicole says
I love corn tortillas, too, Kim. But sometimes you do just need a flour tortilla. I’m glad you’re going to give them a try!
xoxo Nicole
phoebe says
i am brand new to this gluten-free baking thing so a friend told me about your site a week ago & i have been printing off your recipes like crazy! thank you, thank you for all your hard work! for the tortillas, could i use a regular skillet since i don’t have a cast iron one yet? also, i have made the pumpkin breakfast granola cookies & the coffee cake muffins, subbing honey (1/2 the amount) for the sugar, & they both came out amazing! yummy gluten-free goodness:)
Nicole says
Hi, Phoebe,
Welcome to the site! I’m really glad you’ve been enjoying gluten-free baking success. Early success is so important.
Yes, you can definitely use a different type of skillet. They work best in a cast iron skillet, since it holds heat so well and conducts it so evenly, but I have used everything from a heavy-bottom saucepan to a nonstick skillet. The nonstick skillet doesn’t work nearly as well since you can’t turn the heat up very high. If you are going to make them in a stainless steel skillet, I would grease it lightly first, so the tortillas don’t stick.
xoxo Nicole
phoebe says
thanks nicole! i’ll try that! quesadillas with homemade tortillas for dinner tonight…wanna come over for our mexican fiesta?:)
Nicole says
Yes, please, Phoebe! :)
xoxo Nicole
Pam says
Looks like they hold up well…. no breaking when folding. I need to order some Teff…. then I’ll try making these. I miss burritos and all things wrapped. The corn tortillas just don’t cut it. Thanx a bunch, enjoy your day
Nicole says
No breaking when folding, Pam. The nerve of these companies, trying to pass something off as a tortilla when you can’t fold it. ;)
xoxo Nicole
gfnoor says
Wow Nicole, these look so good!
Would there be a substitute for the teff ? I can’t seem to find any in my local stores. Could I just sub in more Sorghum ? since I can’t have oats either.
hugs
gfnoor.
Nicole says
Hi, gfnoor,
I order whole grain teff on amazon. If you want to eliminate it, you’d have to experiment. The recipe works as written!
xoxo Nicole