Almond Flour Tortillas

When I first started eating low carb almost two years ago, bread was what I missed most.  However, that didn’t last long for me. I’ve never been a big sandwich person and I found breakfast was just as good without my extra slice of sourdough. I hate “keto” breads. As a bread snob they all remind me of either Wonder Bread or Orowheat, which I stopped eating years ago anyway, and they still give you gas and spike your blood sugar. Occasionally if I’m at a fancy meal or eating at a French restaurant, I will just splurge and eat a piece of a quality yeasty treat, plus you better believe when I was in Paris last year I ate a daily croissant.

As time wore on, the thing I’ve missed the most is tortillas. Growing up in a Mexican-American household tortillas were a staple of our diet. Tortillas are so versatile. You can fill them just about anything and go with almost any meal. Jicama and coconut wraps are ok substitutes, but you can’t use them for breakfast. I personally don’t like cheese wraps; they’re just too heavy, but you do you.

After messing around with a few recipes I found online, this is my adaptation. I will say these are tricky to cook, especially if you’ve never made tortillas before. I recommend the following supplies:

• Tortilla Press (You can find them at your local latin market or Amazon sells several versions. This is mine. You can use parchment paper and a rolling pin, but honestly it’s more work and it’s harder to get a uniform shape.)
• Parchment Paper
• Cast Iron Skillet or Comal aka Mexican griddle 

Recipe: (makes about 12  8in. tortillas)

• 2 c. fine ground almond flour
• 4 tbsp. psyllium husk powder, plus an extra in reserve
• 2 tbsp. lard (or oil/fat of your choice)
• 1 tbsp. avocado oil (or high heat oil)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. warm water

Instructions: (visit my IG account for a saved video tutorial)

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, keeping 1 tbsp psyllium husk powder in reserve. You can use whole ground psyllium husk instead of powder, but I find it harder to work with and it makes the tortillas more brittle.
2. Add the lard to the dry ingredients and mix by hand until everything is smooth and crumbly. It should look similar to biscuit dough. I know a lot of people have an aversion to using lard, but if you’re eating low carb it’s a totally fine fat to use. Also, it is the traditional fat used in tortillas. If you are vegan, I recommend using avocado oil instead of lard and mix into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.
3. Add the water to the dough and kneed by hand. If the dough is too sticky, add the psyllium husk powder a little at the time until the dough is smooth and forms a large ball.

   

4. Heat-up your cast iron skillet or comal on medium heat. You’ll want to rub the avocado oil on the skillet using a paper towel or non-absorbent cloth.
5. While the skillet is heating take two pieces of parchment paper and place them on either side of the tortilla press. Roll a piece of dough into about a 1in. ball and place the ball on the middle of the press. Close the press. You should be left with a tortilla about 1/6th in. thick.

   

6. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Leave the pressed tortilla dough on the bottom piece of paper.
7. Place the tortilla dough side down on the skillet. The skillet should be close to smoking. You want it really hot.
8. Press the tortilla into the skillet and remove the parchment paper.
9. Cook for about one minute and then flip. The tortilla will remove easily from the skillet when ready to flip. Cook for another minute. Repeat steps 5-9 until all the dough is gone.

Nutrition: 123 calories, 10.5g fat, 2.75 net carbs