Wednesday, 05 October 2011

• Recipe: Homemade Pita Bread

  This is a guest post from Cupcakes and Carrot Sticks 

  

  There is no better snack than one that feels like an indulgence but is actually healthy. My favorite is pita and hummus — which just so happens to also be a winning combination of carbs and protein. The only thing that can make such an irresistible snack better? Why, homemade pita of course.

  I had the most amazing fresh pita from a farmer’s market near my parents house in Roswell, Georgia this summer. Of course, since tasting such deliciousness, my favorite snack has had a little less umph with store-bought ingredients.

  Thankfully, I came across this homemade pita recipe on From Me to You. While the fresh loaf recipe requires a little bit of commitment, if mine will turn out like From Me to You’s mouth-watering photographs (see below), I'm ready to devote the time and reap eat the benefits.

  For fresh loaf’s pita, you’ll need:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoons honey
  • 1 packet of yeast
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  Directions:

  

  • If you are using active dry yeast, follow the instructions on the packet to active it (see the note on yeast above). Otherwise, mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. The ingredients should mix together to form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water (about 1/4 cup).
  • Place the ball on a clean work surface work surface (such as a cutting board or countertop) and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. You can also use an electric mixer at low speed for 10 minutes. Make sure to knead thoroughly to ensure the dough will be stretchy and rise well in the oven.
  • Once dough is sufficiently kneaded, form into a ball and place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil (either as a spray or spread around with your fingers). Roll the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.
  • Once it has risen, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces.

  

  • Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. 
  • While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. if you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. if you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. this will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.
  • After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

  

  • With a spray bottle, lightly mist your baking surface in the oven let it sit with the oven door shut for 30 seconds.
  • Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

  servings: 8 pitas

  per serving: 182 calories, 35 g carbs. 3.5 g fiber, 1.5 g sugar, 6 g protein

  Would you try making your own pita bread?

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