This week we made homemade tortillas with oat flour and it was so easy that we couldn’t wait to tell you all about it. They’re a great alternative to flour or corn tortillas and no special techniques or equipment are required – just a little kneading and rolling. If we can do it, you can do it!
We found the oat flour dough was super-easy to work with and rolled out beautifully on a piece of parchment. To ensure round(ish) tortillas, we always roll from the center of the dough with light, outward strokes only, rotating the dough as we go until we have a nice, thin tortilla.
And don’t worry if you don’t end up with perfect circles – we like to think of tortillas as snowflakes; they’re all beautiful and no two are alike.
These tortillas only use three simple ingredients; water, salt and oat flour. If the only ingredient you’re missing is oat flour, don’t worry, you don’t have to make a special trip to the store. With rolled oats and a food processor, you are just three minutes away from having oat flour. Ready?
Step one: put rolled oats into a food processor.
Step two: pulse one to three minutes until ground.
Actually, you don’t even have to stand there and pulse. Just hit “on” and let it go. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor once or twice, but that’s it. It should take between one and three minutes to turn your rolled oats into oat flour.
There you go – freshly ground oat flour! Did you use oats labeled as “gluten-free”? Well, aren’t you clever? You just made gluten-free oat flour.
It’s important to note that many people following a gluten-free diet are not getting the soluble fiber that they need, because they are either avoiding grains entirely or eating foods made with low-fiber refined flours and starches. Boosting your daily soluble fiber intake is good for your whole body, with benefits for cholesterol, your heart, your weight and for managing diabetes and the risk of diabetes.
Whether you’re gluten-free or just looking to eat healthy, making your own tortillas with oats is a great way to get more soluble fiber – try a batch with your favorite taco or fajita toppings tonight.
Oat Tortillas
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups oat flour plus extra for flouring surface (560 ml)
- 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
- 1 cup water cold (250 ml)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together oat flour and salt.
- Add the water slowly, starting with 3/4 cup, mixing with a fork (or your hands) until a dough is formed. If mixture crumbles easily, add more water. If mixture feels sticky, add more oat flour.
- Turn dough out onto a surface, lightly dusted with oat flour, and knead until dough is smooth.
- Divide into eight balls and let rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 10-15 minutes.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll out on a Silpat or parchment until you have a thin, round tortilla. Tip: roll from the center out, rotating dough as necessary. Stack tortillas between sheets of parchment or plastic, covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel, until ready to cook. Do not allow tortillas to dry out.
- In a dry, non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, cook tortillas, one at a time, for 30 seconds to one minute per side. Stack and keep warm in a tortilla holder or on a plate, covered with foil.
Do these keep well?
Hi Michelle! The tortillas can be kept in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to a week, or frozen and defrosted in the microwave or a dry skillet. If you are freezing them, we recommend placing a sheet of wax paper or parchment between each one.
Can i use instant oats?
Hi! We don’t recommend using instant oats, but quick or “1 minute” oats should be fine.