Remember when I made hummus? Ooh, and the beet root hummus too - which technically isn't hummus but what the heck. Well, I can eat that stuff with anything. But if you are a purist, then you eat it with pita bread.
Pita is a pretty awesome bread. It's a great starter bread - if you are planning to bake bread for the very first time and are a bit intimidated by the entire process (allowing yeast to take control of your food is a lot like asking a friend to add salt to the dish you slaved over but well - I have control issues so I get it) or just wish to take it a bit slow, pita is an awesome start.
Make pita bread. Eat it with some hummus. Or baba ganoush. Or pita pockets - they are very versatile. And easy-peasy. One thing to remember though: pita bread is not a flat bread, which most restaurants tend to serve out there. It must fluff up, like a puri or a phulka - if not completely, at least enough that when you break into it, you have pockets inside. There is a small trick to doing that - the same one our grandmums used while making phulkas, just a bit improvised.
Psst...this won't work in microwaves - OTG, convection, conventional, gas tandoor will do the trick though. Sometimes, if you get it hot enough but not smoking, tawa will work too!
Name: Pita Bread
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Cooking Time: 3-5 minutes per pita
Recipe Source: About.com and my own improvisation
Serves: 2 people
You need:
3 cups all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
3/4 - 1 cup warm water
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A damp cloth - a handkerchief will do
Some cling film
Here's how you make it:
- Normally instant yeast doesn't need activating but I still activate it - it goes a lot faster. So put the yeast into slightly warm water - not too warm - above 45C, yeast dies so just tepid will work. Add sugar. Stir gently and give it 10 minutes to froth up.
- Sift flour and salt into a lightly oiled bowl - prevents sticking. Make a well in the centre - pour in the frothy yeast. Now gradually add the warm water in bits and knead into a sticky dough. Use oiled hands, prevents sticking to some extent.
- Dust with a bit of flour to get the sticky bits off your hands, use some oil and shape the dough into a smooth round. Cover with some cling film wrap to seal it off.
- Preheat oven for 5 minutes at 35C. Leave the light on. Put in the bowl and leave it for an hour. It will double in size as the yeast works it way and the gluten builds. Take it out, punch it back lightly. This helps release the carbon dioxide that builds up in the bread, creating air pockets inside. Let it stand for another 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 220C using the top and bottom heating function on - put on the fan function too if you have it. Line a baking tray with a baking or cookie sheet. Let it preheat inside while the oven is doing its thing. Ten minutes.
- Now, dust your rolling surface. Roll out rounds of prepared dough to paratha like thickness. Cover each pita in a damp - NOT WET - cloth for 3-4 minutes. This is the trick to fluffy pita - mildly similar to how we press down a roti or phulka on the tawa - it traps the heat down while the cloth condenses moisture.
- Flip the pita in on the baking sheet and shut the oven door. Let it bake on one side for 3 minutes. Flip it over and bake for another 2 minutes.
- You can bake until you get soft brown spots on the pita - this pita will be slightly firm - but if you don't want them that way but just slightly softer and cooked through, take them out before the spots appear. I prefer them this way.
- Keep covered in a fabric roti holder or inside a roti casserole - this keeps them soft until you are ready to use them.
Enjoy!
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