White vs. Wheat vs. Spelt

I usually make my tortillas with white flour, but have been talking to people about wheat and spelt flours. So I made a ball of each to compare and fried them for bean burritos. The recipe for these shells is really easy:

3/4 cup water

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tbs olive oil

- Let sit for 10 min. before cooking.

I use Red Mill flours because they are chemical free for the most part. For white flour, I get the Unbromated, Unbleached. Just look at the labels at the store to compare chemical content if your wondering. I'm not really that good about what the chemicals are (or do), but I just try to buy the one that has the least. With this flour, I sometimes find I need to pull back on how much I use compared to what recipes call for. I'v held back a full cup depending on the bread because it gets too dry. Sometimes, I just add more water until it feels right.

For the white and wheat, use the full 2 cups. For the spelt, its still the 2 cups, but I needed to roll the ball in flour twice to reduce stickiness. 

While that sits, I start the beans. I like to cook the onions, tomatoes, and cheese right with the beans.

1 medium onion

1 medium tomato

About 1/2 block of cheddar cheese (organic valley block, not pre shredded (has additive)

1/2 stick of butter

1 can Amy's refried beans

1 can Eden Organic refried pinto beans

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1 tbs red pepper flakes

This can sit on medium to low heat while you fry the tortillas. By the time the tortillas are ready, everything will have melted together.

The only time I need a rolling pin is when I make these tortillas. I cant see owning something I dont use that much so I use a big tupperware tumbler to roll out the dough. When I fry them, I use enough oil to coat the shell. Cook on medium heat until the dough looks somewhat crisp all around - about 1 min. on each side. Use vegetable or corn oil, not olive oil. I cook mine in a ruined crepe pan. 

I stuff the shells with hot cherry peppers. Unfortunately, these contain chemicals to keep them fresh, but are very good so I eat them anyway. I add Franks Red Hot sauce and Wegmans organic barbecue sauce. I love condiments. 

So how did they compare? In the photo it goes: white, wheat, spelt from front to back. I ate the spelt first because I'm not used to it and I wanted to have a clear taste of the differences. The spelt was good. The dough held together as well as the others and fried evenly. Spelt has a distinct taste and texture, but not in a bad way; a little grainy may be? White and wheat were a tie for first for taste, but not by that much. I could make these tortillas with any of the flours and I think guests would be happy.