Yesterday I made pita bread for the first time ever. I've been wanting to try it for some time now but I was worried it wouldn't come out right.
It's actually easier to make than I expected. The dough is simple to put together and the whole process only takes a couple of hours. I was worried my pocket bread wouldn't puff up in the oven...but it did...and let me tell you, I did a little happy dance right there by my oven. :0)
Check out those lovely pockets just begging to be stuffed with something yummy!
I was pleased with how well these pita breads held up to stuffing. Ordinarily, I buy the ones at my local grocer and they always seem to crack and fall apart. Not fun. My family and I packed them full of ground beef seasoned with oregano, parsley and garlic, feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomato, lettuce and tzatziki and they held up beautifully.
I also whipped up some hummus made with peanut butter instead of tahini. I've seen recipes for peanut butter hummus on a couple of blogs now and just had to give it a try. My daughter thought it was too peanut-y but my husband and I thought it was pretty darn tasty.
I'm so happy I finally braved pita bread. I will most definitely make it again soon. Have you ever made pita bread? How about hummus?
Pita Bread
recipe adapted from the Fresh Loaf
Makes 8 pitas
Print recipe
3 cups flour (14.25 ounces)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
2/3-3/4 cup water, room temperature
2 tbsp olive oil
Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the honey, water and olive oil. Hand mix until dough forms a ball, adding a little more water if needed. Place dough on a floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Place bowl upside down over dough and allow to sit for about 90 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Gently punch down dough to release some of the trapped gases and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover with a large bowl or damp towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
While dough is resting, place a baking stone or an upside down cookie sheet into the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
After dough has rested, spread a light coating of flour on work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top of dough ball and roll out to 1/4 to 1/8 thick circle. If dough resists kneading, let it rest for a few minutes and go back to it. Repeat process with each dough ball. Place pitas into oven (I made mine and baked them a few at a time.) and bake for 4-5 minutes until they puff up like a pillow and are lightly browned.
Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite dip or stuffed full of your favorite sandwich ingredients.
Note: The original post for this recipe gives some helpful and informative information but I found that I only needed 1/2 of the water called for in the orginal.
Peanut Butter Hummus
by theUngourmet
makes about 2 cups
Print recipe
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
water
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until golden. Allow to cool. Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, peanut butter, tbsp olive oil and the garlic and olive oil into a food processor and mix until smooth. Add a little water if needed to gain desired consistency. Season with kosher salt to taste.
Hope you all are having a fantastic week! ;0)
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