I have recently discovered how filling, healthy and sumptuous homemade wraps are. While you could spend Ksh700 on buying a store-made wrap, you can spend way less and make yourself several wraps with ingredients of your choice. Wraps is a collective term used to describe types of bread that are used to encase the filling.

Most wraps contain yeast and are oven-baked while tortillas, a type of wrap with Mexican origins, are flatbreads that do not contain yeast and are prepared using a pan.

You can have homemade wraps every day of the week since you can use a variety of fillings to keep things interesting. Just to ensure you have a balanced diet, ensure that you put some crunchy vegetables in your wrap and meat strips as the wrap will take care of your daily recommended carb intake.

If you are off carbs, you can make a fried egg your wrap, or use crunchy lettuce or cabbage leaves as your wrap. You can also stir fry your minced meat with lots of bell peppers and lettuce to make a sumptuous filling. Think bacon strips, a fried egg, crunchy lettuce, tomatoes, mustard sauce and ketchup.

The filling in short is anything that you consider edible and can be wrapped in a cooked dough sleeve or vegetable leaf without spilling out. To help start you off on your homemade wraps journey here is a tortilla and wrap recipe. We believe you have the part of the fillings covered down pat.

TORTILLA

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour, a little more for dusting

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• ½ tsp fine salt

• Some warm water

Method

a) Combine the flour, vegetable oil and salt in a bowl. Pour over 150ml warm water and knead to bring the mixture together. Remove from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured work surface for around five minutes until you make a soft, smooth ball of dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and rest for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.

b) Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each ball of dough as thinly as possible on a floured work surface.

c) Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas for one to two minutes on each side until golden brown.

d) Wrap them in foil and cover in a tea towel to keep warm, while you cook the rest.

e) You can put any filling of your liking and enjoy.

CHAPATI WRAP

Ingredients

• 500g whole wheat flour

• 500ml water

• Salt to taste

• Flour to sprinkle on the countertop

Method

a) In a mixing bowl, add flour and salt. Then gradually pour in the water while kneading.

b) Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on the working countertop. Roll a golf-sized ball of dough with your palms, then press it down onto the countertop and roll it out.

c) Heat up a flat griddle on medium heat and slap on the dough.

d) Once the surface begins to bubble, press the dough down for a few seconds so that the insides cook, then flip it around. It should take about two minutes on each side.

e)  Your wrap is ready to be filled with delicious goodness.