My All Favourite Pita Bread

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Baking, Dough, Flour, gridler pita, Kneading, making freah bread at home, Middle East, Olive oil, pita bread, storing pita bread, whole wheat pita, خبز الشوايه, خبز بيتا, خبز عربي, عمل الخبز العربي بالبيتو تخزين الخبز

Born and raised in the Middle East, found it much difficult in the beginning at least, 13 years ago - to adapt here in US without pita bread served in the breakfast, or even in every meal. That was before I got to know every place in the city I’m living in. Although, after we introduced to some local stores who sell the pita, it was not like what I used to eat. So why will be amazed to make pita at home when I can buy it? At how much better the home-made pita than the commercial pita?
The home-made is much better, the texture is chewy and very soft, more pliable, and don’t tear when you fill it unlike the ones you bought from stores. Very hard to stop at one, the smell of the fresh bread is totally different. Once you start making your own bread, you and your family will be spoiled. Besides, it’s really fun to make, even the kids will enjoy it. While my memories always taking me to those beautiful childhoodish moments, where I was my grandma’s helper when making the pita at home, she was the best in making very delicious pita bread, with the aromatic calming smell of baked fresh pita, you will know you are home…

The pita bread originated in the holy land, dating back to Biblical times. Arabic bread, Kmaj or pita are all names refer to a round hollow crust evenly baked flat bread found throughout the Middle East. An air pocket forms in the middle during baking, turning the bread into balls of dough skin, they are flattened only once cool.
Knives, forks, and spoons aren’t necessary in most of middle eastern meals as long as bread is present. A single layer of bread torn into bite-sized pieces serves as a scooper of dips and salads, meat wrapper, olive twister, and plate cleaner.
When cut across the diameter, it provides an instant pocket to fill with any type of food. Triangles of bread are often fried, toasted or baked and used to embellish main courses. They also serve as bottom layer of many fattat (dishes using bread as a main component in which meat or chickpeas are heaped in layers over bread, then topped with alternating layers of rice and garlic flavoured yogurt, sprinkled with layers of pine nuts parsley and mint). Dried bread finds its way into salads much as using croutons.

Pita bread is best when it baked traditional way, in a very hot stone oven, but making pita bread at home is very easy too, and you can meet a very good result with home oven. I usually bake my bread on ceramic tile, after heating the oven at 500 deg f for at least 20 min. The quarry tiles (be careful not to use the glazed surface) also is very good for baking bread, usually found at home improvement stores. Pizza stone works also can be used.
Kneading the bread for sufficient time is a very important step in making pita, and this will assure the forming of the pocket or the puff inside the bread.
 Here is some important hints for making the pita:
1. the basic plan in making pita is to get steam inside to puff up inside the bread before the bread bakes. This is why you need soft moist dough with little fat in it. Also this is why the bread is baked in a very high temperature at the bottom of the oven.
2. If you are using a cookie sheet to bake the bread, thick one may not allow the heat to penetrate quickly enough to the pita bread dough. This will cause the bread to cook before it has a chance to puff up, so use thin cookie sheets.
Remember the basic for better pockets: Moist dough, sufficient Kneading, resting, very hot oven temperatures.

Pita Bread (all white dough)

1 package of dry yeast, 2 1\2 teaspoon
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoon granulated sugar
4-4 1\2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon dry milk
1 1\2 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoon olive oil

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine 4 cups of flour, milk and salt in large bowl, or the stand mixer bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour 1 tablespoon oil and yeast water in depression.

Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, using the hook attachment, stir to form a dough, add the rest of flour as kneaded, continue kneading until elastic, about 5-7 min.

Place dough on floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, add the remaining oil and knead some more to incorporate the oil into the dough. When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 1\4 hour.

Once rested, pinch out 10-12 small pieces, depending on the size you like your pita. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Using a wooden cutting board let this process more easy. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick or more if you want it a little more thick.

place circles of dough on flat boards or a table, cover with dry cloth and let rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to also preheat your baking sheet, if you are using a ceramic stone you will need to allow more time to heat.

Bake pita bread in batches for 2 minutes until the bread puffs up. Once puffed, flip them to the other side so the top side becomes the bottom on the sheet or stone, and the moisture surface is now exposed and rises more easily the other side, bake for 2 min more. Remove using a spatula and add other pita for baking. Cover and keep the pita in a kitchen cloth to keep it warm and soft.

Push down the puffed pita. Immediately place in storage bags. take your daily serving and store the rest in the freezer.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

The same recipe as above, just add an equal amount of white and whole wheat flour, and may use more water than the white flour alone.

The Gridler Pita

The same recipe as the whole white, but cut in small balls and  baked in the gridler, which is more easy and quick especaillay with small amounts.

 

Storing Pita Bread

Pita bread will remain soft outside at room temperature in a bread box for 2 days, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer. I usually double the amount given in the recipe, and keep it in the freezer.
Don’t refrigerate it, it will dry out.

Chickpea Patties “Falafel”(The Daring Cooks’ February Challenge: Flipping Fried Patties!!!)

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arabic salad, chickpea patties, chickpeas, daring cooks, falafel, falafel spices, fried falafel, legumes, middle eastern food, pita bread, pita sandwiches, sandwiches, tahini sauce

The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

A Middle Eastern delight: Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans and they’ve been fast food in the Middle East forever. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread. The falafel patties are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel patties may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze. Falafel patties are appealing to children and are a good source of protein.

The origin of falafel is unknown and controversial. A common theory is that the dish originated in Egypt, Where is known as ta’amiya, possibly eaten by Copts as a replacement for meat during Lent. As it generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where Alexandria is a port city, it was possible to export the dish and name to other areas in the Middle East. It has also been theorized to a lesser extent that falafel originated during Egypt’s Pharaonic Period or in the Indian subcontinent. The dish later migrated northwards to the Levant, where chickpeas replaced the fava. Falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East and the fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food. In modern times, falafel has been considered a national dish of Egypt and for the levant countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and specially for Palestine, where also the Israeli’s now claimed it to them selves after occupying the lands of Palestine in the mid 1900′s.

As with the falafel, dried chickpeas are a must for this recipe; the canned version are simply too soft and patties will fall apart.
Don’t use a food processor; it makes the mixture too runny to shape into patties. You can shape the Falafel by hand or use the falafel mold or scoop “Aleb Falafel”, it’s used both commercially and at home to shape the falafel and drop them straight into the hot oil.

1 pound dried chickpeas
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bundle of Parsley, washed and stems trimmed
1 bundle of cilantro, washed and stems trimed
2 slices of stale bread
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground dill seeds
1 tablespoon dried dill weed or chopped fresh dill weed
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, optional
Salt and pepper, as needed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1\2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
sesame seeds, optional

Make the Falafel:
Rinse and clean the chickpeas, then soak in water for at least overnight or 24 hours. Check if it needs more water, and make sure it’s all covered and the water is 2 inch above the chickpeas.
Drain the chickpeas and place them with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and the bread in the bowl, then grind them in the meat grinder. I use the kitchen aid meat grinder, try not to use the food processor because it will make the batter too runny and mushy.
Run the ingredients through the grinder the first time, add the bread after grinding all the other ingredients, as this will help get every bit remaining of chickpeas and parsley from the grinder.
Add the spices and mix it together, then run the mix for second time through the grinder and grind it very fine, I used the smallest size of the grinder disk.
At this step, you can divide the mix into patches and freeze some for a quick and handy prepared falafel mix, just you have to defrost first then continue with the next step.
When you are ready to fry the falafel, add the salt, pepper, baking soda and baking powder. Mix will, and let set for 10 min before frying. If you see the mix too dry add a couple of tablespoon of water and mix.

Heat the oil. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls, or patties shape. you can use the falafel mold to shape it, sprinkle with sesame seed if you wish, and deep-fry or pan-fry in hot oil.
If you want a lighter falafel version, you can bake them, and you will get the healthier and still have the same delicious taste, You will have to arrange the patties in an oiled oven sheet, then spray the patties with oil and bake. But the traditional way is to fry falafel, to me I hardly die for fried ones.

Sandwiches:

to make the sandwiches, it’s a traditional way to serve with pita bread, the pocket pita is the perfect. you can use any size of pita, here I used the mini size “the griddler pita”, it’s the same recipe for pita bread but the only thing is it baked on the griddler.

6 to 8 pita, lightly toasted and warmed (recipe will posted soon in a separate post)
tahini sauce, recipe follow
Arabic simple salad, recipe follow
Hummos (recipe will posted in a separate post)

Make the Sandwiches: Stuff the pita with falafel patties inside, top with salad, and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Serve immediately.

The Arabic simple vegetable salad:

1 cup Shredded lettuce
1\2 cup Tomato, chopped
2 tablespoon red onion, chopped
1\2 cup cucumbers, chopped
1\2 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together, season with salt and pepper.

Tahini Sauce:

1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mash the garlic and salt together. Add the tahini, mixing well. The sauce will thicken. Gradually add the water, blending thoroughly. Then add the lemon juice. Blend well.

Note: This can be a thin or thick sauce, depending upon the use and preference. Simply adjust with lemon juice and water. This can be used with vegetables or in combination with other recipes.