Pita Bread

We love eating Mediterranean food, and pita is among our favorites. I used to buy pita from the grocery store for breakfast, and use it as a vehicle for anything we could stuff. For around 6 months in 2018, we ate pita stuffed with scrambled eggs for breakfast each and every day. Usually, it’s easy to separate the pocket in these grocery store pitas. Imagine my horror when it refused to open when I had guests over for vegan gyro! Those were the worst pitas we ever bought. They were weirdly soggy, and the pocket just wouldn’t open.

Then I went on YouTube and looked up every pita recipe video I could get my hands on. I’d had success with other Chef John recipes, so I decided to go with his recipe here as well. As always, I made small modifications and the recipe I ended up following is included in this blog. I think the biggest thing I realized while making pita is that you just need to trust that the pocket will form and gently coax the flatbread to balloon… However, if it does not, quickly cut it in half and use a knife to create a slit in the pita! This will also give you perfect pockets treats to stuff! 🥙 This recipe is also completely vegan!

Servings: 8 pita, Prep time: About 3 hours, Cook time: 5 minutes for each bread

Ingredients

Active dry yeast 1 package or 2 1/4 tsp
Water 1 cup
Olive oil for the dough 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt 1 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour 1 cup + 1 1/2 cup
Olive oil for cooking the bread 1/2 tsp

Instructions

Measure the water and heat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. It should be warm to the touch, but not unbearable
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and yeast. Also add 1 cup of all purpose flour and mix well. Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes until foamy. This is our sponge
After the sponge has rested, add the olive oil and salt. Fix a dough hook to the stand mixer and start kneading on a low speed.
Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of flour to the bowl while kneading on slow speed. You can add up to 1/4 cup more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Once all the flour is in, knead on medium speed for 6-7 minutes until the dough is springy and smooth.
Dump onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a smooth ball.
Oil the inside of the stand mixer bowl and place the dough ball in it seam side down. Also lightly oil the surface of the dough. Cover and rest for 1-2 hours till doubled in size
After the dough has doubled in size, punch it to release the air. Remove it to a lightly floured work surface and shape into a log. Cut the log into 8 equal pieces using a bench scraper or a knife.
Shape each of the 8 pieces into a smooth ball by pulling and tucking the sides under the bottom of the ball. Cover the balls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and rest for around 30 minutes.
Lightly flour a dough ball and the work surface. Roll the ball out to about a 1/4 inch thick disc. Rest for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, heat a cast iron skillet on medium low heat. Brush the pan with 1/2 tsp olive oil to prevent sticking. After the pita has rested for 5 minutes, place on the hot pan. Cook one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip and press the edges gently with a spatula. Once a large bubble appears, gently press on this bubble so that the rest of the pita balloons up as well.
Step 10 can be done while one pita is cooking on the pan. At any give time, one pita should be on the pan, one should be resting and one should be in the process of being rolled. This way, we don’t end up resting the pita too much.
If the pita has ballooned nicely, let it cool before splitting in half and opening the pocket. If the pita did not balloon up all the way, you can cut it immediately after cooking and slit into the still warm flatbread to open the pocket!

Perfect pockets!

Making pita was really easier than I thought it would be. Not only did the pockets turn out wonderful, these didn’t require a lot of effort to make. As long as you’re prepared to check in on it from time to time, the yeast does all the work! Did I mention these are completely vegan? Yes! So go on and make these and as always let me know how it goes… 😬

Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia

In keeping with the bread baking madness, I have conquered another kind: focaccia.

I followed this recipe for making the bread: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/rosemary-focaccia-bread/. I used 1/4 cup more flour than asked for and substituted bread flour for all purpose. Keep in mind that breads made with bread flour absorb moisture slower and you will need to knead the dough for longer. Need to knead.. I like the sound of that, reflects the need to make bread perfectly.

I prefer a thin focaccia and so I rolled my dough out thinner. You can roll it as thick as you prefer!

This bread needs a very short second rise. Make sure that the dough is not over proofed. That will mess up the bread structure and the dough will collapse. I proofed it for 45 mins the first time around and 20 mins the second time. I would also recommend chopping up the rosemary leaves to make the spreading more uniform. I don’t like whole rosemary leaves in my mouth, but it’s a personal preference.

I used rosemary sparingly. Don’t do what I did, use plenty

Another tip is about poking holes in the dough. You want to be forceful enough to make sure the holes stay, but gentle enough that the surrounding dough does not deflate.

Using the right olive oil is also essential for focaccia. Since the bread has a lot of oil, it acquires that taste. If you use olive oil which doesn’t suit your taste, the bread will taste bad as well. I have also read about infusing the olive oil with garlic and herbs before adding it to the dough. I haven’t tried it personally, but I don’t see why it won’t work. Let me know if you try it and if it makes better bread!

The recipe calls for baking the bread for 20 mins. Mine was done in about 18. If you have a thicker dough, bake it for longer and cover the pan with foil about 20 mins in. This will ensure that the bread gets cooked, but doesn’t brown too much. Cover the bread with a damp towel while cooling for a softer crust!

One last tip is about the pan used for baking the bread. I used a sheet cake pan. This allowed my bread to have some support on the sides while rising and gave it a nice rectangular shape ( once I trimmed the sides)… However, any kind of pan with enough of an edge can be used.

So I hope you try baking a focaccia next time and let me know how it went!

Healthy Seedy Bread

I was just super busy last week and did not post anything. My partner moved to Austin for work and I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. So this is bonus post!!!

I baked over the weekend. I baked because I figured it was time to improve my bread skills. I was the worse bread maker till two years ago. Then I realized that I screwed up bread because I was scared of it. I realized that it’s just dough and I make doughs all the time! It’s all about the feel of the dough and the moisture content. So, I found a recipe for a healthy and seedy bread and made it! It turned out so well that I’ve decided to bake a bread a week till I’ve gotten over my fear of bread.

Here’s the recipe I used to make my loaf: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-homemade-healthy-sandwich-bread-recipe/

Now I want to make it clear that it’s not my recipe and I adapted it to my methods. I also added 1 tbsp flaxseed meal instead of the 2 tbsp mentioned in the recipe. It still turned out fine.

The trick to making good bread is the kneading and never using the amount of flour required at once. I started with 1 cup of bread flour and 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour. Then I turned the dough into a clean surface and used the remaining 1 cup bread flour for kneading. I also kneaded the dough for a good 10-15 mins. This helps to develop the gluten and in moisture absorption. If your dough does not feel sticky and comes together in a stretchy ball before you have used up the required flour, stop there. DO NOT add in the rest of the flour, it will make the bread dry.

Another trick is the find a warm corner to put the dough to rise. I heat my oven to the lowest setting, let it cool for 15 mins or so and then put my dough in. The rising time can vary depending on the location, temperature etc. So don’t be disheartened of the dough hasn’t doubled in 90 mins. Let it rest for longer if required.

I also substituted the egg wash with a milk wash since I hate wasting the leftover egg wash. Once the load is out of the baking tray, brush the top with butter or olive oil to make the crust soft. You can also cover the top with a damp towel to retain moisture and soften the crust.

Perfect airy and even structure. It’s all in the kneading!!

Make sure the bread is stored in an airtight container or zip lock bag. If it sits outside without cover for too long, the crust will become tough and the bread goes stale faster. So go on make bread! It’s one of the better things in life… As always, don’t forget to let me know how your loaf turned out!!