Have you ever tasted a warm spelt flour tortilla fresh off the skillet? When you do, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for store-bought. Homemade tortillas are something special. They’re soft, simple, and made with ingredients you trust. And when you use spelt flour, you take an old staple and make it even better.
Around here, we believe if you can make it at home, you should at least try once. Not because you have to, but because you can control the ingredients and quality. Once you make spelt flour tortillas from scratch, you may never go back to store-bought again.
Let’s talk about why they’re worth your time and how to make them turn out right every time.
Why Choose Spelt Flour for Your Tortillas?
Spelt is an ancient grain that’s been around for thousands of years. It hasn’t been hybridized and modified the way modern wheat has. Many people find it easier to digest, and it has a rich, slightly nutty flavor that sets these tortillas apart.
If you’re already baking with ancient grains like einkorn, you might enjoy exploring our Einkorn baking section, too. Learning to work with traditional grains connects us to the way our grandparents cooked—simple, honest food made with care.
Spelt does behave a little differently from modern flour. The dough can feel sticky at first. That’s normal. Don’t rush to add more flour. Trust the process. After a few minutes of kneading, it smooths out beautifully.
According to research shared through the USDA, whole grains like spelt provide fiber and nutrients that support overall health. Choosing traditional grains is one small step toward a more natural kitchen.
Secrets to Perfect, Soft Spelt Flour Tortillas
Making good spelt flour tortillas isn’t complicated, but a few small steps make all the difference.
1. Measure Your Flour the Right Way
Spelt flour is light and fluffy. If you scoop it straight from the bag, you may end up packing in too much. Stir or sift it first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. That keeps your dough balanced—not dry and crumbly.
2. Don’t Skip the Rest
After kneading and dividing your dough, let those dough balls rest for 10 minutes under a damp towel or in a proofing bag (I love my proofing bag). This step is crucial. It relaxes the gluten in your spelt flour tortillas, so they roll out more easily and cook up tender instead of tough.
I’ve rushed this step before. The difference is real. Patience pays off.
3. Use Very Hot Water
Hot water, as hot as your hands can handle, helps bring the dough together and improves flexibility by melting the fat. The dough will be sticky at first—that’s just spelt being spelt. Wet your hands lightly instead of adding extra flour if it feels hard to handle.
4. Cook on a Properly Heated Surface
A cast-iron skillet or griddle works best. If you’re new to cast iron cooking, you might enjoy our guide on caring for cast iron cookware.
Your pan should be hot enough that drops of water dance and disappear. Too cool, and the tortillas turn dry. Too hot, and they burn fast. Medium to medium-high heat is usually right.
Keeping It Sustainable in the Kitchen
Making spelt flour tortillas at home supports the kind of life many of us are working toward—simple, less wasteful, and more self-reliant.
Instead of plastic-wrapped packages from the store, you’re using basic pantry ingredients:
- Spelt flour
- Real salt
- Butter or lard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Hot water
That’s it. No preservatives. No mystery ingredients.
If you’re raising your own animals, using home-rendered lard makes these even more special. If you’re not there yet, don’t worry. One step at a time. Maybe today it’s tortillas. Tomorrow, it’s learning to render fat or grow your own grain.
If you’re looking for more ways to build those skills, our traditional cooking guides are a good place to start. And our ebooks go deeper if you’re ready to stretch your homesteading skills a bit more.
Spelt Flour Tortillas
Makes 8-12 tortillas – 8 (burrito size), 10 (medium size), or 12 (small, like for tacos)
- 3 cups spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon real salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter or lard
- 1 cup hot water, as hot as your hands can take.
- 1 tsp Fairchild’s Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Before you measure the flour, sift or stir it to break up any clumps for accurate measuring. For the most accurate measurement, spoon flour into your measuring cup instead of scooping it in.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. If you don’t have a sifter, you can whisk them together.
- Add the butter or lard, or a combo to the flour mixture and combine until the pieces of fat are small. You can use a fork or pastry blender; I use my fingers.
- Sprinkle the apple cider vinegar over the flour.
- Gradually add the hot water while stirring. I use my hands, but you could use a spoon. The dough will be wet and sticky.
- Knead the dough in the bowl for 3 minutes. It will be sticky and cling to your fingers at first, but that’s totally normal with spelt flour.
- Don’t add extra flour; if it’s still really hard to handle, wet your hands a little instead. After a couple of minutes, it’ll get smoother, less gluey, and start to stick less to your fingers.
- Depending on the size of tortillas you need, divide the dough into 8 (for larger burritos), 10 (medium-size), or 12 (small) evenly sized balls.
- Place the balls back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or put it in a proofing bag. I love using the bag because I can see what’s happening in the bowl.
- Let the dough balls rest for 10 minutes. This step is crucial.
- While the dough balls rest, preheat your cast-iron griddle, skillet, or other pan. Use medium to medium-high heat, depending on your stove.
- You’ll know it’s hot enough when drops of water dance across it and evaporate. It should take about 3-5 minutes to fully preheat.
- Lightly flour your rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough balls into circles until they are translucent when held up to the light (I never get perfect circles).
Cooking Spelt Flour Tortillas
Place a tortilla on the ungreased, preheated griddle. When it puffs up, turn it over and wait for the other side to puff up. This takes approximately 30-45 seconds on each side – it happens quickly, so keep your eyes peeled. They’ll burn quickly.
Stack and wrap the cooked tortillas in a kitchen towel on a cooling rack until you have cooked them all. I use my tortilla bag.
Once they are all cooked, use them or store them.
How to Store Spelt Flour Tortillas
If you’re not using them right away:
- Let them cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Refrigerate for longer storage.
- I store mine in a bread bag for up to 5 days at room temperature.
- They also freeze well. Just stack with parchment paper between each one.
To Warm Spelt Flour Tortillas:
- When you’re ready to use them, heat the skillet you cooked them in on low heat until it’s nice and warm. Add 1 tortilla at a time and flip it until it’s warm.
- You can also heat them in the oven by wrapping them in a damp towel and setting your oven on the lowest temperature until they’re as warm as you want them.
- If you use aluminum foil, you could wrap them in that and heat them in the oven.
- They’ll soften right back up and taste like you just made them.
You Can Do This
If you’ve never made tortillas before, don’t let that stop you. The first few may look funny. Mine sure did. Not a perfect circle among them. But they tasted just fine.
Cooking from scratch is a skill, not a talent. Skills grow with practice.
There’s something steady and comforting about rolling dough, hearing it sizzle on a cast-iron skillet, and watching it puff. It reminds us that good food doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to be honest.
If you try these spelt flour tortillas, I’d love to hear how they turn out for you. Share your experience in the comments and become part of The Farmer’s Lamp community. We’re all learning together, one simple skill at a time.
Learn a new tip or have a question as you try this recipe? Please add to the comments below to share with others; we all learn from one another at The Farmers Lamp!
Wholesome Spelt Flour Pancakes Made Simple
Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup buttermilk or milk if needed
- ½ cup water adjust as needed
- Oil or bacon grease for the griddle
- Butter and syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat Your Griddle. A steady, hot surface is key. Not too hot, not too cool. If a drop of water dances on your cast-iron griddle, you’re just right.
- Stir together the dry ingredients. If you don’t use a sifter, you can whisk them or thoroughly mix them using a spoon.
- Add the egg, milk, and about half of the water. Mix them until the egg is well combined. Add a little more water at a time until you reach the desired consistency.Tip: Stir Gently. Don’t overmix. Pancake batter with a few lumps is just fine. Stirring too much can leave you with flat pancakes.
- Cook on a Lightly Oiled Griddle: If you use a well-seasoned cast-iron griddle, you may not need to oil it. Sometimes I drop a little bacon grease on it just before I pour the batter for crispy edges; my husband likes that.
- Pour your batter onto the griddle according to the size you like your pancakes.
- Watch for the bubbles to know when to flip it. When bubbles rise in the middle of the pancake, and the edges start to set, it’s time to flip the spelt flour pancake.Because every stove and griddle is different, not to mention altitude, there’s no real way to tell you in minutes when to flip pancakes.The second side cooks faster, so cook it just until golden. You can flip or lift it to check the goldenness.
- Finish with Butter. When you take a pancake off the pan, make a small dent in the center and drop in a pat of butter. It melts right in and makes every bite better.My husband likes me to stack his, then cut a hole in the middle of his stack, drop two or three pats of butter in, and pour syrup into the hole and over the top of the spelt flour pancakes.
- Serve hot!
Notes
- Chocolate chips for a treat
- Mashed or pureed fruit to the batter
- Fresh fruit on top instead of syrup
- Whipped cream on the fruit or just by itself
- A drizzle of honey for a lighter touch
- Sprinkle a little powdered sugar for a special, sweet treat
Nutrition
FAQs: Spelt Flour Tortillas
Why Spelt Flour Tortillas?
Warm tortillas, simple ingredients, and steady hands—that’s how traditions stay alive. And there’s always room at our table for you.
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