Homemade Pita Recipes by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Homemade Pita Recipes

The always-easy pita fits Americans’ grab-and-run lifestyle as well as it did that of the Middle Eastern nomadic tribes who invented the flat bread thousands of years ago. Puffed with a pocket perfect for stuffing, it provides a portable, edible container for a vast array of fillings. It’s sturdy enough for picnics and take-out food, but it’s not too rough-hewn to accompany fancier fare. Even its blandness is a bonus, complementing all manner of flavorful ingredients.

Fill pitas with deli meats, herbs, and vegetables; ignore the pocket and top them with tomato sauce, cheese, and herb sauce and bake them as you would focaccia; or cut them into triangles to dip into savory sauces. You’ll find that the possibilities for using pitas are unlimited.

Pita’s Place In History

Bread has been a food staple for thousands of years. Paintings in Egyptian tombs depict the growing, harvesting, and milling of grain for bread. The Sumerians, Phoenicians, Hittites, and other ancient civilizations depended on bread for much of their nourishment, and the breads they baked were flat loaves, ancestors of today’s pita. Eventually fermented or leavened bread was discovered, but this was reserved for the rich, while flat breads served the needs of commoners.

Middle Eastern and North African countries still use flat breads to hold meat fillings or dip into hummus (garbanzo puree) and baba ghanouj (eggplant puree). The Turkish, Lebanese, and Syrians all have their own flat-bread versions, but it’s the pita, or “pocket bread,” that is most recognizable in North America, where it is a popular alternative to traditional sliced bread.

The Middle Eastern flat breads eaten today are made with yeast and range in diameter from 4 to 10 inches. Some have pockets, others don’t. Some are baked to be thin and dry; others are softer and thicker for folding around fillings. Some are filled before baking. On the Islamic holiday Ramadan, a flat bread flavored with cumin, poppy, fennel, and nigella seeds and then stuffed with herbs, honey, nuts, and dried fruit is eaten during the feasts that take place after sunset.

Nearly all flat breads are variations on the basic pita dough recipe given on page 48. You can buy pita bread at most grocery stores, but for the freshest and tastiest pitas you might prefer to set aside a few hours, roll up your sleeves, and take part in a process that is as old as bread itself.

Bake Your Own

Pita Dough is used as the base for dozens of other flat breads. It is the pocket that differentiates pita from the other flat breads, at least to Americans. The most difficult aspect of baking your own pita bread is getting it to puff during baking, thereby forming the pocket.

 

The factors that determine a pita’s puff include:

• A very hot oven. Keeping the oven between 500 degrees and 550 degrees is important. A preheated pizza stone is an excellent way to provide the dough with the very hot surface it needs as soon as it goes into the oven.

• Moist, tender dough. Steam makes the dough puff, so add only as much flour as you need. Just kneading it a few more minutes will help the dough lose its stickiness. It should be springy and feel as soft as an earlobe.

• Thickness. The pita dough should be flattened to no thicker than 1/4 inch.

• Heat flow. Bake no more than two small pitas at a time so you don’t crowd the oven.

• Make a basic pita dough.

Basic Pita Dough

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (flavored if you like with rosemary, sage, or thyme)
• 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups unbleached white flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, honey, and water. Add the salt and oil. Add the whole wheat flour, stirring vigorously for 3 minutes. Gradually add and stir in enough white flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, using only enough additional flour to keep the dough from sticking. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it, and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

3. Preheat the oven to at least 500°F with a pizza stone or oiled baking sheet on the lowest rack. Punch down the dough and cut it into eight pieces. Shape each into a smooth, round ball with no creases and cover again.

4. Flatten two balls into disks, then roll them out with a rolling pin until each is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, keeping the other pieces of dough covered. Using a cornmeal-covered peel or spatula, slide the two pitas onto the pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Don’t open the oven door during baking. Place the baked pitas into a paper bag to keep them soft while they cool. Repeat these steps until all eight pitas have been baked.

5. Store cooled pitas in a plastic bag at room temperature or freeze them for longer storage.

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Garlic, Ricotta, and Prosciutto Pita

This is fine picnic fare, but add the tomatoes at the last minute or you will have a soggy pita.

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 6 tablespoons (1 small package) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 bunch chervil, chopped
• 4 pitas
• 16 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 bunch arugula
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced and salted to taste

1. Blend the garlic and ricotta in a food processor for 10 seconds. Cut the cream cheese and butter into quarters and add them one at a time, processing until blended. Add the chervil and process just until blended.

2. Spread some of the ricotta mixture in each pita pocket and fill with prosciutto, arugula, and tomatoes.

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Pork With Olives and Chive Mustard

The combination of olives, baby greens, and tender pork makes an ­elegant sandwich.

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives or garlic chives
• 6 pitas
• 3 cups mixed baby greens
• 1/2 cup black olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup green olives, coarsely chopped

1. Coat the tenderloin with the oil. Grill it for 30 minutes, or until it’s no longer pink in the center. While the tenderloin cooks, combine the mustard and chives in a small bowl. Line the pita pockets with the baby greens.

2. Cut the pork into medallions and spread each with mustard. Divide the medallions and olives among the six pitas, fill the pockets, and serve.

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Shrimp Salad With Lemon Balm

Butterflied shrimp marinated and grilled briefly are delicious in this portable salad.

• 6 ounces shimp, cooked and peeled
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped lemon balm
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fennel bulb
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 pitas
• 2 large leaves red leaf lettuce

1. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, mash the lemon balm into the oil and then transfer to the larger bowl. Add the fennel and chives and stir well to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Line the pita pockets with lettuce and fill with the shrimp mixture.

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Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

You can eat hummus the traditional Arabic way, using the pita bread like a spoon, or fill the pita pocket with it for lunch on the go.

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 fifteen-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• Fresh parsley for garnish
• 6 pitas, each cut into six wedges

1. Blacken the peppers by placing them on the gas or electric burner and turn them with tongs as they blacken. Put the peppers into a paper bag to cool. Process the beans, garlic, thyme, oil, and lemon juice in a food processor.

2. Gash each pepper and add any juice to the bean mixture. Scrape off the blackened skin with the blade of a table knife. Quarter each pepper, discarding ribs and seeds. Coarsely chop the quarters and add them to the bean mixture along with the paprika, cayenne, and salt. Process, adding water as needed, until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

3. Serve in a bowl garnished with the parsley and surrounded by the pita wedges.

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Pocket Salad Nicoise

Here’s one way to take a salad to work. If you don’t have tuna, try chicken.

• 1 pita
• 3/4 cup fresh salad greens, torn
• 2 sprigs each fresh basil and parsley, minced
• 3 ounces albacore tuna
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1 hard-boiled egg, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing

1. Line the pita pocket with the greens, basil, and parsley.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the tuna, capers, egg, and cheese. Fill the pocket with the tuna mixture.

3. Drizzle on the salad dressing just before eating.

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Feta Mushroom Pita Focaccia

Pitas provide a good base for pizza toppings; just heat until they bubble. Try marinara sauce and mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil, or mushrooms and Brie as well as the feta mushroom topping given below.

• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 pitas
• 1/3 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or
• 1 teaspoon dried

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Crush the rosemary in the oil. Place the pitas on a baking sheet, brush them liberally with the rosemary oil, and then top with the cheese, mushrooms, and oregano. Bake about 8 minutes, or until the cheese melts.