Gluten Free Flour Tortillas - EASY PEASY!!!

For the most part, I eat a very healthy diet, under strict orders from my nutritionist. But every once in awhile, this Gluten Free Diva strays off the path. Though I know full well that white flour (whether from wheat or rice) is stripped of much of its' nutrients, when the "runs-with-scissors" side of me comes out to play, this recipe totally does the trick. Thankfully, the white rice flour is a little bit offset by the chickpea flour (we do like to justify, don't we??!!). They are great with Mexican food. Heck, they're even great for making sandwiches.

I have to thank the Vegan-and-Gluten-Free listserve for this one. This recipe was posted by Kim, one of the regular people who posts to the list. Kim - these are one of my faves. Thank you Kim!!!

Gluten Free Flour Tortillas

3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour (besan/garbanzo bean)
1/2 cup potato starch flour (arrowroot works also)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp guar gum (or use all xanthan gum)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/4 cup olive oil (original recipe lists coconut butter but I used olive oil)
3/4 - 1 cup very hot water

1. Mix white rice flour, chickpea flour, potato starch flour, tapioca flour, guar gum, xanthan gum, sea salt, and baking powder.

2, Add olive oil and blend until crumbly.

3. Add 1/2 cup of very hot water and knead.

4. Gradually add more water, a few tablespoons at a time, until you can knead the mixture into a ball with your hands. The first time I made these, I remember thinking that it didn't seem like the dough was coming together, but no worries, it worked perfectly. I would be careful not to add too much water. You only want to add enough water to allow the mixture to come together into a dough that you can knead. Too much water and you'll have a gloppy mess.

5. Split into balls. The original recipe says 8 - 10 balls, but I made them smaller and was able to make 11 balls. Cover with a damp towel and let sit until the skillet or griddle is hot.

6. If you don't have a tortilla press, I would highly recommend that you invest in one. Here's an example of the one I have. I bought it at a local Hispanic grocery store. I've also seen them at large supermarkets in their International Food section. See note below regarding their use.

7. If you don't have a tortilla press, Kim suggests that you roll each ball into the size of a commercial corn tortilla, about 6" (15 cm) wide. For a neat tortilla, cut around a small plate with a sharp knife. For best results, Kim suggests rolling the dough onto a sheet of baking paper, cutting around a plate and then flipping them off the paper into the pan. My edit: if you use a rolling pin to roll the balls into tortillas, I would suggest that you flour the rolling pin with some gluten free white rice flour. Otherwise, the dough might stick to the rolling pin.

8. Place on hot skillet or griddle until bubbles appear and then flip over. Toast for a few more seconds.

NOTE: These freeze beautifully. When they cool, lay them out on a large baking pan and slide into the freezer. After they're frozen, put them into a ziplock freezer bag.

NOTE: If you spring for a tortilla press (highly recommended), there is a trick to using them. Open the press and lay a piece of saran wrap down so that it covers the top and bottom plate. Brush the saran wrap with oil (or you can use spray oil) before pressing down on the first dough ball. Open the press and gently peel the uncooked tortilla from the saran wrap. You might have to lift the saran wrap from the press before peeling the tortilla from it. Don't skip this step - it really keeps the uncooked tortillas from falling apart into pieces.