Friday, June 28, 2013

Homemade Gluten Free Buckwheat Chapatis and Tortillas Recipe- Vegan, Easy

I like tortillas. They make it easy to serve Mexican foods and have meals on the go, because they can be made into wraps. They can also be used in place of bread when eating dips like hummus, etc...

I used to make my tortillas out of whole wheat, because I didn't have the right ingredient (masa harina) to make corn tortillas, and because whole wheat ones were cheap and easy.
But then I went gluten free, and have been searching for the perfect replacement. I'd found an egg based one, but going egg free meant that that didn't work for me anymore. I had a bunch of crepe recipes, but they were a little too fragile to be used exactly as tortillas are- and if they weren't extremely fresh, they'd crack and break and loose all their fillings.

But then I found this recipe for buckwheat chapatis, which is basically tortillas, and they are totally amazing. Their texture and taste is exactly like that of whole wheat tortillas, they are flexible like wheat tortillas, etc... The only thing different (other than the ingredients) is that they are a little more fragile to make, but once cooked, they're just as good.

Here's how you make them:

Homemade Gluten Free Buckwheat Chapatis and Tortillas Recipe- Vegan, Easy

Ingredients
2 cups untoasted buckwheat flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup mashed potatoes (I made mine with instant mashed potatoes making sure not to use too much liquid, but you can also use regular plain mashed potatoes as long as you make sure that it is lump free)
1-3 tablespoons water (if you are using mashed potatoes made from boiled potatoes, you'll need less water)
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
1. Mix the flour with the salt and mashed potatoes very well. Try incorporating as much flour as you can.

2. Add the water and mix it well. It'll seem like there is way too much flour, but there isn't. Keep mixing it in until more and more flour gets absorbed and you have a good workable and not too sticky dough that has used up all the flour.

3. Flour a working surface.

4. Heat up a frying pan. I use my cast iron skillet.

5. Take a golf ball sized clump of dough, roll it in the flour, and then roll it out with a rolling pin as thin as you can. You may need to add more flour as you're rolling it to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.

6. Carefully pick up the dough, making sure not to rip it, and place it flat in the frying pan.

7. Cook on a medium/high heat until it starts bubbling up, then flip it over and cook it on the next side. I usually roll another tortilla/chapati out while the first one is cooking, as they tend to take the same amount of time for me.

8. Use as you would any tortilla or flatbread!

Variations: You can cut these into triangles after cooking and bake or fry into tortilla chips. You can also bake them in a certain shape to make them be taco shells- more on that in a future post though...

Are you a tortilla or chapati fan? How do you make yours? If you're gluten free, what is your favorite recipe for gluten free tortillas?
What do you like to eat with tortillas or chapatis?
Does this look like a recipe you'd try?

11 comments:

  1. Have you noticed any vitamin deficiencies from eating this way? I'm gluten free and found out I'm b12 low and folate low...

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    Replies
    1. B12 is obtained mostly through animal protein not wheat.

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    2. SoCal - Just in case you aren't familiar, you can get folates in your diet naturally from eating lots of dark, leafy greens like kale, spinach, etc. If you have any issues with being hypothyroid, then also be sure to get a little seaweed in your diet (like wakame in your soups or cooked beans) to keep your iodine levels up, as kale and other cole crops can deplete your iodine. And with respect to b12, unless you have a yeast allergy, you can add nutritional yeast to some of your cooking. I like to mix it with black and white sesame seeds as a coating for marinated tofu that I bake or lightly saute. It adds a salty flavor. Another great B12 option, if your tastebuds can get used to it is marmite or vegemite. A very little goes a long way spread over toast with a touch of butter, ghee, coconut butter or olive oil. You only need a tiny bit to add salty flavor and introduce vitamin B. I sometimes put a touch of it on a slice of GF bread (homemade or store bought, to your liking) to make a hearty vegetarian/vegan sandwich of avocado, shredded carrot, hummus, sprouts and lettuce or spinach, maybe throw in a juicy red slice of tomato!

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    3. Those can both be signs of mutated MTHFR genes expressing themselves. My ND told me 99% of people with this gene problem can't have gluten. Just thought you might want to check it out. MTHFR.net

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  2. I've been trying to figure out how to make gf tortillas for ages. Thanks so much for the recipe, I'll be trying and reporting back very soon.

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  3. The above given recipe is really very nice. It is easy and tastes good. Thanks for such a great recipe.

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  4. SoCal, I am a long time vegan and recently over the past year transitioned to being gluten free. My folic acid levels are off the chart high, mainly from all the legumes and beans that I enjoy on a daily basis. My B12 levels are completely within normal range, thanks to a supplement. As long as you are eating a well balanced diet free of processed foods, you shouldn't be deficient in anything. You could have low levels simply because you are gluten intolerant. It takes at least 1 year to get your levels up to optimal range.

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  5. Hi there! Do you know if this recipe would work with sweet potatoes or taro root? My son is allergic to potatoes. Many thanks!

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  6. Can you freeze them after making them? Has anyone tried that?

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  7. I love buckwheat tortillas. It was hard to make them when I first started. They were out of shape, cracked, and crumbled easily. However now I learned a better way to knead the flour. It works with all the gf flours. I boiled a cup of water for 1 cup of flour. Take it off heat. I added 1tbsp of coconut oil and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Then add the flour and mix it. You do not need any starch in this recipe. Cover the pan and set aside to cool. Then knead the flour. If you find it dry just wet your hands with warm water and keep kneading it until you reach play dough texture. You can cover it and wait 10 minutes for the dough to soften or you can start making tortillas immediately. You will need dry BW flour to roll out the dough. It will not turn out round the way wheat tortilla does but they are very soft and they do not crumble up when making wraps. They freeze well. I hope it turns out well for you. Thanks.

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  8. Love this recipe. thanks.

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