Extended Ferment Sourdough Tortillas

Extended Ferment Sourdough Tortillas

I have a member in my family that has issues with wheat. The individual has a skin condition made worse by consuming wheat products. However, the longer fermented sourdough baked goods don’t seem to be a problem. So I thought I’d modify my original tortilla recipe (one of the most popular posts on my blog ever since it was published) for my family member. See the original formula here: Sourdough Tortillas

Although I used the same formula,  I did modify the technique for those that are wheat sensitive or gluten intolerant (not for celiacs).

I followed the formula except I used coconut oil instead of cooking oil.

In the other formula, I added the liquid ingredients first, which included the starter, oil and hot water and then the dry ingredients. The starter was basically used for it’s acidity and flavor. This time I wanted to ferment the dough overnight so I couldn’t kill the yeast by adding the liquid ingredients first with the hot water. Here is the formula with the modifications and using a 100% starter:

Download printable recipe here:

Sourdough Tortillas (modified technique)

So I combined in this order:

• 765 grams flour
• 11 grams salt

Stir the salt into the flour. Then add:

• 377 grams hot water (between 125F and 130F) The hot water gelatinizes some of the starch. It’s the secret to making great tortillas. I discovered it years ago when I attended a demonstration of tortilla making by a native Mexican woman (she used lard instead of coconut oil). Work quickly, pour the hot water and while you are stirring add:
• 28 grams coconut oil (any oil or baking fat will work) You can add more if you like, try 40 grams of fat.

Then after the oil and water are stirred in somewhat add:

• 191 grams 100% sourdough starter

I poured the hot water over the flour mixture and added the oil right away so it melted from the heat. Then after I stirred the flour a few stirs (not thoroughly), to disperse the hot water, I added the 100% starter. I then got my hands into the dough and mixed the ingredients, bringing it to a dough ball state.

The dough is actually a low hydration of around 55% hydration but you wouldn’t know it, it is very easy to mix and handle. It is because of the hot water, it changes the dough. The added oil also helps makes the dough  easy to handle and helps make the dough feel silky smooth.

I then fermented the dough for one hour at room temperature, divided into 14 pieces at 95 grams each . I rolled the dough pieces into balls and then placed them in a container and covered them tightly to keep them from drying out. I placed the dough balls into the refrigerator overnight and griddled them the next morning. I did not have to wait for the dough to warm up, they rolled out fine cold.

To see how the tortillas were rolled out and griddled please see the original post here: Sourdough Tortillas

Also, I used rice flour to roll the tortillas so as to avoid wheat, but white flour actually works better. Keep your flour to a minimum to avoid the brownish coloring caused by the smoking of the flour.

1372 grams of dough will make you 14 large tortillas at 95 grams each for 10″ tortillas (or 12 pieces at 114 grams each for very large 12 inch tortillas). They need to be rolled thin to around 10″ in diameter.

Comment below, have you ever made tortillas of any type? How did they turn out?

Happy Baking Everyone!

Teresa