My Pita bread recipe

First off: please note that this is a HUGE recipe. We use pita bread for sandwiches, for dipping in hummus, as a snack, and to make pita chips... so you might want to halve the recipe if you are just trying it out.

Chewy Pita Bread
4 tsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups bread flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt


Combine yeast, water, sugar, and 1 cup of your flour in large mixing bowl (or in your standing kitchen mixer, use paddle attachment for this step). Give it a quick whip with your whisk to make sure the yeast is mixed in and then let sit for 10 minutes to allow your yeast to bloom. Add salt, and then slowly add flour one cup at a time, but be sure to add ALL flour. If using a standing mixer, switch to the dough hook after 4 cups of flour. The recipe should require all the flour and if it is too dry add some olive oil 1 tsp at a time until it forms a ball. Remove from mixer and begin to knead with your hands until the texture of the dough is smooth and no lumps remain. Form into a ball and drop into a well oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set somewhere warm and dry to rise for 90 minutes.
Turn out onto floured surface and knead for another 5-10 minutes. Divide into balls 2-2 1/2 inch in diameter (or whatever size you prefer, to be honest...) and use a rolling pin to roll each ball out into your pita shape.
Now here's where it gets interesting. There are two ways to cook your pitas. The healthy way: baked in the oven... or the sinful way: fried. I prefer them fried, but its a long messy process, so its up to you...

Baking instructions: preheat oven to 450 degrees. Oil and flour a baking sheet, and place pitas on sheet. Bake for 3-10 minutes depending on oven, turn once if you would like both sides to brown.
Frying instructions: preheat oil to 350 degrees in a frying pan. Set pitas into oil one at a time, cooking each side until golden brown. Set on paper towels to drain.

Why my hummus tasted like spackle....

I came upon a blog on here called Desert Candy: http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/ and I was immediately drawn in by the photography of great food on this blog. As I scrolled down, I saw hummus. JACKPOT. I've been struggling to perfect my hummus, and as hummus fans know, the crap you buy in a tub at the store just doesn't stack up to the real thing. I stumbled upon a recipe not too long ago which called for canned Garbanzo beans, tahini (sesame seed paste), a splash of lemon juice, and some olive oil. To me, that sounded about right... so into the food processor my ingredients went... after a few whirls, I dumped it out into a bowl, took a huge scoop.. and... ew. This tasteless lump of creamed garbanzo was less than appetizing. In fact, it tasted like wall spackle and was the consistency of peanut butter. Well, lesson learned... here's where I messed up.
(before I confuse too many people.. FYI: chick peas and garbanzo beans are the same thing!)
The word Hummus literally translates to chick pea. Hmmm. Mistake #1, I used the garbanzo's right out of the can. I had put in equal parts tahini and garbanzo... mistake #2, because for every 3 cups of chick-peas, only 1/2 cup of tahini should be used. Well, that would explain the peanut butter consistency. Here's what Desert Candy posted as their recipe for Hummus...


Hummus bi Tahine

[2] 15oz cans of chick peas, rinsed

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup tahini (found next to peanut butter in most grocery stores)

1/2 cup [fresh squeezed] lemon juice

olive oil, parsley, and paprika for garnish

Place your rinsed chickpeas into a saucepan and cover with one inch of water. Gently rub the chickpeas together, and then place on stove and bring to a boil and simmer until chickpeas are very soft [they should easily smush in-between your fingers] and it could take between 2-7 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off skins that have floated to the top and discard them.

Drain the peas and reserve their liquid. Place the garlic and salt into food processor and pulse to chop. Add the Tahini and lemon juice and process until the mixture is slightly whitened and contracted. Add the chickpeas and process until very smooth. Thin the hummus to the desired consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning with lemon juice and more salt.

Hummus should be served in a shallow bowl or plate, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with paprika, and parsley. Serve with tomato slices, red onion slices, pita bread... the list goes on. Hummus is also great spread on sandwiches, or used as a veggie dip.

my pita bread recipe to follow!