Paleo Flour Tortillas (AIP-friendly!)

I have always loved just about anything wrapped in a flour tortilla:  burritos, soft tacos, fajitas, chicken Caesar salad wraps, etc.  One of my kids’ earliest finger foods were flour tortillas and cheese (yes, in my pre-Paleo days before I knew any better).  They are something that I’ve missed since finding Paleo (not that I would trade how great I feel now for any food from the “olden days”)–but not any more!

These Paleo-friendly flour tortillas are made possible by the introduction of cassava flour to the Paleo community!  Cassava flour is different from tapioca flour (more on how they’re different here), since it’s made from the whole cassava root (rather than an isolated starch) and its chemistry is something completely unique in the Paleo Pantry.

Flour tortillas take a bit of practice before they’re super easy to make (but, you can get there!), but there’s no reason to be intimidated.  See the video at the bottom of this post for a demo! If you’d rather not make them, you can purchase a similar version from Paleo On the Go!

Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  25 minutes
Servings: 8 tortillas

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cassava flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cups warm water
• 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda in a mixing bowl.   Add oil and water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until a stiff dough forms. If dough is sticky, use a bit more flour. If the dough is crumbly, add a bit more olive oil.
2. Divide dough in half, then in half again to create 8 fairly equal portions. Form each piece into a ball.
3. Place one dough ball at a time on a silicone baker’s mat, parchment paper or wax paper and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. Cover flattened dough with a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper.  Roll dough into a very flat rough circle, about 8-10 inches in diameter.  Carefully remove the bottom silicone mat or parchment paper, so the rolled-out tortilla is stuck to one piece of parchment paper or wax paper.  Set aside and roll out the remaining dough balls (when they’re stuck to parchment or wax paper, you can easily stack them in preparation for cooking).
4. Preheat a 10″ or larger skillet (a well-seasoned cast iron or enameled cast iron pan works well) over medium heat (medium-high heat if using a stainless steel pan).
5. When pan is hot, peel one rolled-out raw tortilla off its parchment or wax paper and place into pan.  Cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. The top surface will begin to show a few little bubbles. Flip and cook for about 30-45 seconds. [Ideally, the tortillas will be soft with a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit.]  Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container until all tortillas are cooked.
6. Serve warm or allow to cool for later use. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag at at room temperature for 24 hours or can be frozen indefinitely. To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in freezer.

Sound daunting?  I created this “How To” video just for you!