Flour Tortilla

What are Flour Tortilla?

Flour tortilla are flat and circular breads used as the base for traditional foods. They are usually eaten warm with a topping that may include cheese, meat, and a variety of spicy sauces.

Flour tortilla are different from corn tortilla. They are made from wheat flour dough that is either:

• Leavened by steam generated during baking
• Raised lightly with a small amount of baking powder/yeast

How are flour tortilla made?

All flour tortilla contain at least four basic ingredients: wheat flour, water, fat, and salt. Flour tortillas are typically 3/64″ – 5/64″ (1.0–2.0 mm) thick and have diameters of 6.0″ –12.0″ (15.0–35.0 cm).

Formulation

Ingredient Baker’s %:-

• Hard/soft wheat flour blend*100.0%
• Water45.0–60.0%
• Salt1.5–2.5%
• Fat or shortening2.0–10.0%
• Yeast (compressed)**0.1–1.0%
• Nonfat dry milk0.3–2.0%
• Soy flour (defatted)1.0–5.0%
• Vital wheat gluten (VWG)1.0–5.0%
• Gums0.3–0.5%

* All purpose flour can be used.

** Baking powder can be used instead of yeast (1.5–2.0% based on flour weight).

Production process

Tortilla can be industrially produced by dough pressing (hot-press) and extrusion (die-cut). Each operation requires different flour specifications, dough handling properties, and baking conditions, which result in various tortilla characteristics.

Hot-press

The dough pressing operation, a more automated procedure, involves pressing the round and proofed dough pieces in a heated, hydraulic stamping equipment.

In general, hot-press flour tortillas compared with die-cut are smoother in surface texture, more elastic, slightly chewy, and resistant to tearing and cracking. Hot-press tortillas are the most popular and account for more than 90% of the retail market.

Die-cut

Tortilla dough is extruded in a continuous band, followed by sheeting and cross rolling to the correct thickness?1?2” – 2 1/2″ (0.5 – 2.5 mm) and cutting with a circular die into individual round pieces whose diameter is identical to that of the die.

Depending on the elasticity or extensibility of the dough, the cutter may be designed to be slightly oblong to compensate for shrinkage after cutting. The die-cut method greatly reduces the cost of producing tortillas.

Block diagram of flour tortillas production (hot-press and die-cut method).

Processing specifications

• Mixing.?Mix to obtain proper extensibility. Mixing time of 5–12 min. The optimum dough temperature should be 89–93°F (32–34°C).
• Proofing.?Proof for 5–20 minutes at?82–86oF (28–30°C) and a moist environment of 85%?Humidity.
• Baking.?Given product dimensions, tortilla disks are baked at 350–500°F (177–260°C) for 20–50 seconds, usually in direct gas-fired ovens. The higher the oven temperature, the shorter the baking time.
• Cooling.?Product is cooled to less than 89oF (32°C) for 2–5 minutes on cooling conveyors before placing into plastic bags for distribution.

Mold inhibitor

For mold inhibitors, Potassium sorbate (10% solution as spray), calcium propionate, vinegar (100 grain) and sorbic acid can be used. Levels cannot exceed legal limits established by the FDA. Mold inhibitors never replace good manufacturing practices. The best way to extend shelf-life is by following strict pre-requisite programs and having a food safety management system in place.

References

Rooney, L.W., and Serna-Saldivar, S.O. “Tortillas.” Encyclopedia of Food Grains, 2nd edition, Volume 3: Grain-Based Products and their Processing, Academic Press, Elsevier Ltd., 2016, pp. 90–96.