In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a bread kick for the past few weeks. While I’ve become a complete sucker for warm, fresh out-of-the-oven carbs, I’m still not willing to put in the time and labor it requires to see most bread recipes through. If you have a similar mindset, then you will love love love the recipe I found on Epicurious for Whole Wheat Pita Bread!
The first time I tried this, I made the rookie mistake of using regular flour instead of the called for “bread flour.” Trust me, these are not interchangeable. I ended up with a sticky bowl of mess and had to start again from scratch. Apparently, bread flour has more gluten (i.e. protein) than all purpose flour, which affects the consistency. Also, I tried baking half of my dough rounds directly on the baking rack (as directed) and half on baking sheets. They turned out the same, but the pitas that baked directly on the rack had a better texture. So, moral of the story, just follow Epi’s recipe to the T and you will have amazing pitas in no time!
To accompany my warm, slightly chewy pitas, I made some lemony hummus using meyer lemons I picked up earlier in the week at Whole Foods. Such a treat with little effort required!
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons water (or more, depending upon your preference)
1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas)
2 garlic cloves
juice from 2 lemons
2 handfuls of parsley
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup olive oil (use the good stuff here)
salt and cayenne pepper
Add tahini and water to a food processor and process for 1 minute. (My coworker told me the key to great hummus is to thin out the tahini before adding any of the ingredients). Add garbanzo beans through cumin and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add olive oil in a stream until combined, 30 seconds. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
At this point, grab a spoon and sample the hummus. If you want it to be thinner, add either another tablespoon of water or oil until you reach your preferred consistency.
Serve with homemade pita and enjoy!
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You HAVE to try these. They are so much better than store bought pitas. They do take some time since you have to let them rise, but there is minimal labor involved beyond a little kneading. Try making a double batch and freezing half. You’ll never go back to your old pitas.
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