My Pita Bread Post!

Matt has been asking for us to make falafel
for a while now, but I keep putting him off because it's so much work! Even though we use packaged falafel mix, the stress over getting the tzatziki to taste perfectly and the little chores of chopping parsley for tabouli and dill for the sauce drives me crazy. But... we love falafel, and we live in a town where there is no falafel to be had.

This time, Matt asked, "Do you think we could make the pita ourselves?"

I've been making bread at home for about a year now. It's partially been a new hobby and partially a step toward our goal of reducing the processed foods in our house. Last summer, I tried lots of different breads: white, wheat, rye, baguette, ciabatta, foccacia, pugliese, potato... but since school started, I've been relying on my bread maker to make multi-grain bread. We love it; it's easy and fits into our busy work routine, but I've been ready to start back with handmade bread.

So, when Matt asked, since I was still on dorm duty for the weekend and since I knew he wanted to create a meal fit for his viewing of the IMAX Everest movie, I figured it was a perfect time for falafel and for making pitas.

Sure enough, there was a pita recipe in my trusty bread book, 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood, which I found on clearance in those rows at Barnes and Noble where the books are stacked vertically instead of shelved horizontally.

These pitas were very simple to make: white bread flour, salt, sugar, olive oil, yeast, and water. After an hour for the dough to rest, I rolled them out and baked them in a very hot oven for about 9 minutes. Since we were frying falafel at the same time, we managed to send smoke into the kitchen, which is not generally a good idea in a dorm.

My pita breads were perfect.

Well, they weren't perfect. They were more like flatbreads than pita pockets. They puffed up, but an air pocket wasn't left behind. Next time, I'll use fresh yeast, roll them a little thinner, and try a hotter oven. Still, they tasted perfect with our dinner, they tasted perfect after work and with leftovers today, and I think they'll heat up perfectly tomorrow.

Making a loaf of bread, or a pita, has such a profound effect on me. I'm amazed at the simplicity of the ingredients and the power of yeast to transform flour and water. Every time, I expect my bread to fail because it just seems too much of a miracle that it doesn't. But, it doesn't fail. Instead, a warm, comforting aroma fills the house. Each time, I announce to Matt or our friends, "This didn't come out right," but I know it doesn't matter. It's fresh, it's homemade, and it emanates goodness.

And, like I told you about the durian smoothie and the spicy squid, it simply makes me happy.

Next time, we're ditching the packaged falafel, too. I'll keep you posted.

Here's the recipe from Paul Hollywood. See if you can get the pockets, but if not, enjoy it the way you make it.

4 cups white bread flour, plus some for the counter
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup sugar (recipe calls for superfine sugar, which I didn't have)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 oz/30g yeast (recipe assumes compressed fresh yeast, but I used active dry yeast and reduced the amount by about 25%)
1 and 1/4 cups water

Combine ingredients in one bowl and mix by hand. When the dough has formed, knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and placed a lined baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Divide the dough in balls the size of a lime or 100 gram/3.5 ounce pieces. Roll the balls to about 1/2 inch thickness, and let rest for 5 minutes. Place pitas on heated baking sheet (I didn't have anything to line my sheets, so I just buttered the pan). Bake for 5-10 minutes. I flipped mine, so they would brown a little on both sides, but you don't have to.

The pitas should balloon up in the oven and then collapse when you take them out... this is when the pockets should form!

Recipe courtesy of:
Hollywood, Paul. 100 Great Breads. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 2006. Originally published by Cassell Illustrated, 2004.