Pita Bread

Pita bread is one of the most popular Mediterranean bread and it is very easy to make. It is leavened bread that requires a very hot oven to help the bread puff up.

I had always wanted to make pita bread as my family loves it. My initial plan was to use my sourdough starter to leaven the bread but changed my mind as I forgot to feed it. I plan on making a version with my starter soon. Homemade fresh pita bread tasted so good with all the other accompaniments. I have so many recipes for which I use pita bread. I usually used store bought bread but now I don't have to.

You will need for 8 pita
3 cups strong white flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, yeast, salt and oil. Add the water and form a dough. If needed add up to a fourth of a cup of water. Knead well until the dough is elastic and soft. Cover and keep aside for an hour and a half or until it doubles in size. Transfer to a floured work surface and divide into eight equal portions. Smooth out each portion into round ball. Cover and let them rest for another 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place an inverted baking sheet in the oven while it heats. If you have a baking stone you can use that instead. Flour the working surface lightly and roll out one portion to a disc using a rolling pin.

Place the rolled out pita on the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 3 minutes. It should puff up. If you like them brown turn over and bake another couple of minutes. Take the pita bread out of the oven and cool on a rack for a minute. Place in an airtight container to keep it soft.

Repeat for all the other portions of dough.

Stuffed Pita

My version of stuffed pita is a great no cook brunch or a heavy evening snack. Several years back, one weekend I was looking for a quick brunch before running out on some errands. I happened to pick out all of these ingredients from the refrigerator and put them together. Everyone loved this combination so much that we plan for it once in a while.

After some experiments I have come to the conclusion that the avocado, pepper jack cheese and hummus are mandatory to recreate the awesome taste. Everything else is optional and can be substituted. You can use lettuce instead of spinach. You could substitute sun dried tomatoes for fresh ripe tomatoes.

You will need
1 pita bread
6 half slices tomatoes (cherry or salad)
6 slices avocados
8 leaves baby spinach
2 tbsp. hummus
2 slices pepper jack cheese

Slice the tomatoes. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seeds, peel of the skin and slice. Get all the other ingredients ready.

If you bake your own pita bread then use it fresh out of the oven. If not use this method to warm the bread. Cut the pita into halves. Soak a paper towel with water and squeeze out all the water. Spread it open and place the halved pita bread on it. Fold the ends of the towel over the bread and place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. The bread will be soft and pliable.

Apply hummus on the inside of the pita pocket. Place the cheese, spinach, tomato and avocado in it. Enjoy!

This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #40 for the theme Evening Snack. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#40.