Today I was craving the fresh flavors of Mediterranean fair. Hummus is a favorite healthy meal, and I love to eat it with pita bread, but couldn't find pita anywhere! You know what they say when you are an expat and you cannot find what you are craving: "make it yourself!" And boy am I glad I did- I think I like the homemade better than any I have purchased before! AND it was super easy.
Here is the
Pita Bread Recipe: (As a side note, I used one cup white flour and 4 cups Organic Wheat Flour and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil)
Whole wheat pita bread is perfect for those looking to add more wheat to their diet. This recipes contains both white and wheat flour and is so simple to make!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Preparation:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.
Combine white flour, wheat flour, and salt in large bowl.
Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression.
Slowly add warm yeast water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until dough becomes elastic.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.
Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated with oil. Allow to sit, covered, in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.
Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.
Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.
Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.
Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.
Storing Pita Bread
Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.
Pita bread dough can also be refrigerated for up to one week in the refrigerator.
Hummus: Hummus Recipe
INGREDIENTS
4 garlic cloves, minced and then mashed
2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Paprika and olive oil to garnish
METHOD
1 In a food processor, combine the mashed garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika!
This is a great base recipe for adding anything you wish to your hummus. I like to add pesto or jalepeno peppers to mine.
Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.
Makes about 3 cups.
