Now onto this beauty...
I am all about a good gyro. How about you? But unless I am at the state fair or a Mediterranean restaurant (which my town has only a small handful), I never eat them. These little gems make an appearance from time to time and they hit the spot when a gyro craving comes on.
Read on for the full pita making tutorial and recipe...
Making homemade pita is pretty simple for the everyday cook. And if you are a bread maker, its really simple. I have tried many recipes over the years for pita. This one is consistently good and foolproof. Its from Pure & Yummy blog.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
1½ cups bread flour, divided
1½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the yeast, honey and ½ cup of the water. Stir gently to blend. Whisk ¼ cup of the bread flour and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, 1¼ cups bread flour, 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm draft-free place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.
Place an oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500˚ F.
Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.
Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface. (Note: These can be baked on a baking stone or directly on the oven racks. I use a pizza stone, but either method is fine.) Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pitas. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Once the pita dough is rising/resting you can begin making the filling.
Oil ( I use organic coconut oil)
3 T. Red Wine Vinegar
2 T. dried (or fresh) oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley
Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon
1/2 diced English cucumber
1/2 cup feta cheese
honey
Shredded lettuce
Olives
Tomatoes
Dice the veggies fairly chunky. Saute them in just a bit of oil until they soften. Add in the red wine vinegar and oregano. You can adjust the amount depending on your liking. Add salt and pepper as desired. When the veggies are done cooking (they have a nice carmalization and texture) turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Set aside while you cook the pita.
The sauce can be made a bit in advance or while the veggies cook. Mix the yogurt, cucumber and feta in a bowl. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice to your taste preference along with any salt and pepper you may want. If it is too tart, you can add a few drizzles of honey to offset the tartness of the sauce. This is all about personal preference.
Now you are ready to go... once those beautiful pitas come out of the oven, fill them with veggies, smother them with sauce and sprinkle with toppings. I also like to serve this with brown rice and build a little Mediterranean rice bowl concoction. When I do that, the pita is served on the side with hummus.
Healthy and delicious...kind of craving one right now at 9am looking at this photo actually....
