One of the things I found myself missing most after having to go gluten-free was flour tortillas. Sure, there are corn tortillas, but they just aren’t the same. When I was a kid, I would sometimes pull out a refrigerated flour tortilla and eat it straight from the package. You can’t do that with a corn tortilla!
I tried so many store-bought gluten-free flour tortillas but none of them lived up to my expectations. One of my least favorites is the Mission Gluten Free Tortillas. They rip apart and don’t hold anything within them, so you’re stuck eating your burrito with a fork and knife. They have a stale, ricey, starchy texture and flavor that sticks to the top of your mouth when you eat it and makes it feel like you’re eating sand. No thank you.
I had almost resigned myself to settling for corn tortillas for the rest of all time when I first heard about cassava flour. I researched a little more and found that cassava is one of the best wheat flour substitutes. Cassava flour comes from whole yuca root, from the cassava plant (not from yucca plants, as I erroneously first believed). Tapioca is the starch extracted from yuca root but cassava flour is made from the whole root, so it’s less processed and more of a whole ingredient. The properties of cassava flour are making it one of the most popular gluten-free flour substitutes. It behaves similarly to wheat flour and is naturally grain-free, gluten-free, and nut-free. Nearly perfect! Once we get a bit of property, I’m very tempted to grow some cassava plants!
This recipe was originally from Fork and Beans, a great blog that features lots of allergen-friendly recipes. The one tweak I made to this recipe was substituting the olive oil for salted butter or butter substitute (if you’re vegan or dairy-free). They’re extremely simple to make, especially if you have a tortilla press, like this one. I also weigh my flour and water using a kitchen scale instead of measuring them by volume. It ensures the exact amount is used every time. Kitchen scales are not only handy but also very inexpensive! We’ve had ours (link here) for about 5 years now and it’s still going strong. It only takes about 5 minutes to make these with the right equipment!
Cassava Flour Tortillas
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 2 minutes per tortilla | Yield: 6 tortillas
Ingredients
- 96g (3/4 cup) cassava flour (we use Otto’s Naturals)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp melted butter or butter substitute
- 80g (1/3 cup) warm water
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients then add wet ingredients.
- Knead the dough until it’s smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.
- Divide into 6 balls.
- Use an 8-inch tortilla press and parchment paper to press each ball of dough into a thin circle, or use parchment paper and a rolling pin if you don’t have a tortilla press. It should be so thin that it almost breaks apart when you handle it. They’re very delicate, so be careful!
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. We have an electric range and set ours to 6/10. DO NOT add any oil–the skillet should be dry.
- Once it’s hot, put your tortilla in the skillet. Wait until some bubbles form (about 45 seconds to 1 minute) then flip it over and press it down into the pan. There should be some medium brown spots on the cooked side.
- Wait another minute, then transfer the tortilla to a wire rack to cool for about 3 minutes.
- If you want crunchy tortillas, let them cool completely on the wire rack. If you want soft tortillas, after about 3 minutes of cooling on the rack, place the tortilla on a plate and cover with a towel. Simply stack cooked tortillas on top of each other on the plate as you go and make sure to keep covered with the towel.
Although there are technically eight steps to this recipe, it’s incredibly easy. Like I said, from the beginning until you’re done with your first tortilla, it only takes about 5 minutes, if that. It’s super easy and super delicious! The butter adds a nice flavor to the tortillas that they don’t have if you use other types of oil. The tortilla press makes each tortilla perfectly thin in seconds. I honestly believe it’s a must-have for this recipe, but it can be done without one.
From both my posts this week, can you guess what I’ll be making? Leave your guesses in the comments and we’ll see who the winner is next Friday. Happy cooking!
Gluten Free by Necessity 