If you live the (mostly) gluten-free life as I do, you know the delight in finding a product that looks and tastes like “the real thing.” Thanks to the hard work of Philip Summe and his team at Rise & Puff, a business based on the San Francisco peninsula, tortillas that act like wheat tortillas – sturdy and bendable – are now a thing.
About Ride & Puff Gourmet Tortillas
The package for gluten-free Rise & Puff Gourmet Tortillas
Rise & Puff Gourmet Tortillas come in a wheat-based version (and you should try them, if you can digest gluten, the protein found in most wheat varietals) but I sampled the gluten-free version. They’re made with a gluten-free flour blend of cassava and tapioca, plus just enough avocado oil, sea salt and honey to enable them to roll out flat and cook up puffy. Yes, these tortillas are pliable and soft with a slight chew when cooked. Thank the cassava.
Smooth and non-gritty, cassava is known for its light texture and excellent binding properties. In combination with tapioca starch, oil and honey, it is a bendable, supple wonder.
How to Cook Rise & Puff GF Tortillas
As instructed, I popped a GF tortilla into a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat, flipping after about 30 seconds and cooking for a further 30 seconds. Though it did not puff up as much as the company’s wheatfull versions, the gluten-free tortilla managed to produce a few nice air bubbles. One by one, I removed tortillas from the heat, passing them to my kids to stuff with beans, rice and cheese.
- This is how the glutenfull version puffs up
- This is how the gluten-free version puffed up when I sampled the product
The tortillas, about the size of an appetizer plate (seven inches wide), are not big enough for rolling into a burrito but you can certainly make a quesadilla or large taco with them. One tortilla, stuffed, was enough for each of my boys.
How Did It Taste?
Sturdy yet soft with a bit of chew, the texture is remarkably close to a wheat tortilla. Maybe a little denser than wheatfull versions. There is a slight tackiness to the tortilla as you chew it which I didn’t mind (it does not coat your teeth). When compared to the 100% corn tortillas that we usually have on hand, the Rise & Puff is a nice change. The density of the tortilla is about the same and the cassava-tapioca version does not break apart in two seconds like the corn ones do. Frying them in the pan is key to happiness, the air bubbles lightening the experience and adding a bit of fun.
In Sum
Everyone liked the Ride & Puff tortillas when stuffed with beans, rice and cheese. The tortillas are sturdy and hold together, similar to a wheatfull version of a tortilla. As with other tortillas, using a tortilla warmer to keep the tortillas warm and soft is recommended.
We hope to find these at a store near us soon.
