Tortilla Troubles

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flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I usually try to stick to whole grains whenever possible; wheat bread, wheat pizza crust, wheat tortillas. You get the idea. And while I do eat white breads and pasta on occasion, I try not to unless its all that's available.

Anyway, I've had off an on troubles with whole wheat tortillas. A lot of the time I will go to fold them up for my lunch wrap or my breakfast burrito, or what have you and the thing will literally fall apart or rip/tear. But it really seems hit and miss, sometimes they fall apart and sometimes they're perfect. I never seem to have this problem with white tortillas. I don't think its the age of the tortillas as that's happened with brand new, just purchased tortillas. How I store them doesn't seem to make a difference either.

A few weeks ago I was making chicken enchiladas and went to pull out the wheat tortillas I was going to use and every single one I went to fold fell apart to the point of being unusable. Since everything else was already cooked, I ended up going out to the store to buy more and ended up buying white tortillas. Yesterday on my latest grocery trip I ended up buying white tortillas again for breakfast burritos later this week, because I'm tired of buying the wheat ones and having them fall apart and me having to just go buy the white ones anyway.

Does anyone else have this problem with wheat tortillas? Since I've had some that fell apart and others that were perfect, I'm wondering if its a brand thing? Any experience with wheat tortillas that don't fall apart, and are nice and pliable?

Replies

  • maria0104
    maria0104 Posts: 64 Member
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    Is it a particular brand you are using? How are you storing them? & are they falling apart before or after heating?

    Have you considered making and freezing your own, I have had some success with a similar recipe to this http://localkitchenblog.com/2011/06/15c/whole-wheat-flour-tortillas/
  • harlequin0318
    harlequin0318 Posts: 415 Member
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    I get the fit & active ones from Aldi and keep them refrigerated...never had this problem unless I put "wet" foods inside of it
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    I've only Bought one pack of wheat, it was from Walmart. I forget the brand name but it was red lettering . anyway, yes they where crumbling and ripped. So I just never got them again and went back to white ones. I think the white ones taste better anyway and hold up better . I like to use sauces and really stuff them so need a tortilla that will hold up well.
  • 6502programmer
    6502programmer Posts: 515 Member
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    I like flat out breads. The low fat / whole grain has 100 calories and keeps forever and ever in the fridge.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    There typically isn't that much nutritional difference between the whole wheat and some of the low fat/low cal options. If you find those hold together better, just add some extra veggies since the difference is mostly going to be fiber.
  • dearmrsowl
    dearmrsowl Posts: 151 Member
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    Try heating them up in the microwave for a couple of seconds after making them wet with a tiny bit of water. That should make them softer and easier to fold without them ripping apart.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    What brand are you using? I have access to quite a few and can find ones that will fold.

    But yes, put the Ezekiel type tortilla in the nuker for a few seconds between two slightly wet paper towels and you should be able to fold it just fine.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    Try these 11/10, highly recommend. They are the best and lowest calorie/high fiber/high protein tortilla I've found. They come in fantastic flavors!


    http://www.tumaros.com/pages/productsearch.aspx?c=New York Deli Style Wraps&cid=77

  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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  • slowrollem
    slowrollem Posts: 55 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    What brand are you using? I have access to quite a few and can find ones that will fold.

    But yes, put the Ezekiel type tortilla in the nuker for a few seconds between two slightly wet paper towels and you should be able to fold it just fine.

    +1 on putting them between wet paper towels and microwave for 20 seconds or so.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    I've never had a problem with the ole wellness brand - it's usually quite stretchy and works well for enchiladas, burritos, and wraps.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I've experienced the same thing and finally gave up and now I just eat the white ones. Have discovered low-carb ones that are also about 1/2 the calories as regular tortillas (70 calories per tortilla) and taste great.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    yeah. all my wheat tortillas crack like this. I finally got really annoyed and gave up on them. I'm trying to follow the doc's orders to stick with whole wheat, BUT if the things dump my lunch in my lap, that's just not gonna work. It's either gonna be white tortillas or whole grain regular bread. :/
  • boweg
    boweg Posts: 16 Member
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    I second the Let's Skip the Sandwich wraps. They are awesome! I haven't had one fall apart on me yet.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,055 Member
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    Whole wheat flour has proportionately less gluten than white, and (oversimplifying) gluten is what makes flour-based products stretchy. The non-smoothness of the whole wheat makes the crumbling worse.

    If you make your own, you can add more gluten (it's available in powdered form) if you wish, and it will help some. Or look for whole wheat ones with added gluten or (ghacck) dough conditioners, and try those. Pita may hold together better than wraps, since you don't need to fold, just cut & stuff. But of course you can't use it for enchiladas. Consider whole corn tortillas for mexican-style cooked dishes, if you eat corn?

    Personally, I just skip the wrap-y part, omit those calories/carbs from that meal, and eat the filling. Or go another route and use lettuce wrap (for sandwiches) or make cabbage rolls (or other cook-able leafy greens rolls).
  • theawill519
    theawill519 Posts: 242 Member
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    I have a similar problem. I use Mission brand carb balance whole wheat wraps and they don't crack, they stick together. It makes me so mad! I feel like I throw away more than I use. Such a waste of money! :s
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    This thread is interesting... I buy whole wheat tortillas and the brand I buy depends on whatever is least expensive at the time of purchase. I have never had any problem w/ any of the brands, and I have tried at least 3 that I can remember...
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    Aldi's version of Flat Outs work. High protein and fiber, too.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
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    True me, try tumaros they never fall apart. I'll never go back to other whole wheat tortillas (I've tried them all). Flatouts are good but different texture.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »
    True me, try tumaros they never fall apart. I'll never go back to other whole wheat tortillas (I've tried them all). Flatouts are good but different texture.

    Agreed - flat outs to make enchiladas or burritos would be weird. All of the high fiber-low carb tortillas from 70-90 calories and 8-10 grams of fiber work well if you can peel them apart lol. They're so "elastic."

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