Udi’s wins on size and flavor, but falls short on texture with new Gluten-Free Plain Tortillas

Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Plain Tortillas (large) – $5.20+

Mmmm…food in taco form is always a good thing.  I love tacos.  I love burritos.  I love breakfast wraps.  I love just about anything you could possibly think about wrapping up in a tortilla.  Seriously.  As long as it fits into my diet, I’m all about it.  And I definitely love Mexican-inspired dishes.  The problem with that is that sometimes it’s hard to find full-size tortillas to work with the dish you have in mind.

Well, awhile back, I received a nice box of goodies from Udi’s Gluten-Free Foods, containing a mix of some of their new and some of their classic products.  I was overjoyed to see quite a few of the items in that box and have definitely fallen in love with them…or fallen back in love with some of the classics I had ages ago and haven’t yet worked my way back around to purchasing again.  Let’s face it…when it comes to taste and texture, Udi’s is constantly one of the front runners in the market.

One of the new products that was included in this box of Udi’s goodness were the new Gluten-Free Plain Tortillas.  Udi’s recently came out with these tortillas that look and feel like regular flour tortillas.  Honestly.  I was simply amazed when I went to use these in a recipe.  I mean…wow.  It was just like those days when I didn’t have to worry about eating a flour tortilla.  I was so excited about putting my vegan shrimp taco fixings on this tortilla too.

I was sent the package of the larger varieties of these tortillas.  Awesome.  They also come in smaller, taco-sized tortillas as well.  So you get your pick.  I was ready to have a soft-shelled taco again in my life.  And these were such a different feel than the ones I’ve had from Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing how they worked with my fillings of choice.

I’ve cooked these tortillas up two different ways, and I have to say…while I do enjoy the flavor and the taste of these…I’m having a hard time with the tortillas themselves.  They are definitely delicious…but the texture is off.

The first time I made up my vegan shrimp tacos, I prepared the tortillas using the microwave method.  This means I wrapped the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwaved them for the recommended time.  Then, these tortillas were piled on with the fillings, lettuce, onion, vegan shrimp, avocado, and some vegan Sriracha sour cream (my invention).  I carried a plate of one tortilla stuffed with taco goodness over to my roommate…and sadly…the tortilla crumbled.  It just…fell apart.  Mine was the same way.  So, I ended up grabbing for a fork and we finished off our meal that way.

Last night, I decided to do the warm in a dry skillet technique, hoping for better results.  Crossing my fingers, I heated up my large skillet on the stove and placed a tortilla on it to warm before flipping it over and doing the same on the other side.  I repeated with the second tortilla.  I once again loaded up all the delicious fillings form my Vegan Shrimp Tacos and carried one plate over to my roommate and enjoyed the other for myself.  This time, I found that I could pick up the tortilla, however the texture was a bit gummy.  So, while my first attempt had the perfect texture, it crumbled…and my second attempt had held up to the toppings, but the texture was off.

I’m at a loss.

I have two more of the 6 toritllas that are included in the pack to go through.  I think it will be interesting to see how my third attempt making something with these tortillas turns out.  I think I might go classic quesadilla this time and see if that works out in the end.  Maybe I’m doing something wrong, because I haven’t read about anyone else having such issues with these tortillas.

I will say this…if you want the feel and the flavor of a flour tortilla…probably something you’ve been missing, this is the tortilla that will fulfill that craving.  It is spot on!!  However, so far…my attempts at utilizing them for eating has been an epic fail.  I love Udi’s…but when I want to eat a taco…I want to pick it up and eat it like a taco.

Yeah…I think the quesadilla thing is next.  Hopefully it will have a better result.

Nutritionally speaking, Udi’s Gluten-Free Plain Tortillas aren’t don’t fare too bad.  Not really.  One tortilla serves up 170 calories and 4 grams of fat.  In addition to that, you get served 5 filling grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.  They are relatively low in sodium for a processed food (330 mg) and they are cholesterol free.  NICE!  You can fill them, stuff them, fold them, and do whatever you like to bring them to life and (hopefully) have good results.  My attempts have been an epic fail thus far, but I’m not giving up.  Not yet.

I have faith in Udi’s and stand behind their products a lot.  However…checking the ingredients…not sure how I feel about modified potato starch being on that ingredient list.  Gluten-free foods…should be healthy and not laden with excessive calories or fat.  For the most part, Udi’s follows this.  But…modified foods, I do have a problem with.  So, hopefully they will begin working that out of the ingredients in the future.

So, as far as tortilla love goes…I love certain aspects of this product…but other parts of it don’t work for me.  You will feel like you’re eating a real flour tortilla…and that is something no gluten-free tortilla that has come before it has managed.  If I can just figure out that perfect cooking procedure and get the product to either not crumble or have a gummy texture…we’ll be in business.

I’ll let you know how those quesadillas turn out.

For now…on the fence with these.  It’s not love/hate…but it’s love/like/dislike at the moment.  So, there is room for improvement.  And hopefully…improvement will happen.