Oriental food
Pita is an unleavened flatbread (bread) of the countries of the Middle East, as well as the Mediterranean coast. There are many varieties of pita: Turkish, Iraqi, Indian chapati, even Georgian lavash. A distinctive feature of Arabic pita is the accumulation of steam during baking inside the flatbread, which contributes to the separation of layers and the formation of a cavity (pocket). It is this pocket that makes it so convenient to fill the flatbread with various goodies, from salads to meat dishes - a kind of oriental sandwich.
Pita recipes are numerous, but most of them are similar, because the ingredients are the same: water, flour, salt, yeast. I offer my variant of pita, it is based on the recipe of the famous Grandma Emma (I think many people know her, especially by the main greeting "HELLO" ). The only difference is that I add less liquid.
We will need:
- 1 kg of flour
- 500 ml of warm boiled water
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp dry yeast
- 4-5 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
Pita preparation method:
Flour sift into a bowl, add salt, sugar and yeast, mix by hand, gradually pour in water, gently knead until homogeneous, then pour in vegetable oil.
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes - it should turn out smooth, not stick to your hands, be soft and elastic.
Grandma Emma's recipe calls for 600 ml of water, which I think is a lot and the dough turns out a bit runny. But, as we all know, flour varies, so you may need more or less.
Form the dough into a ball and put it in a container (pre-lubricated with vegetable oil) for the approach and cover with a towel or film.
Leave the dough for 1-1.5 hours to double in size. After rising, fold the dough and leave for another 20-30 minutes, covered with a towel or foil.
Please leave the dough for 1-1.5 hours to double in size.
Further divide the dough into 16 equal parts and form each part into a ball, cover with a towel and let stand for another 10 minutes.
.Heat the oven beforehand. Roll out each ball into a 15 cm diameter cake.
Preheat the oven.
My personal observation: roll out the flatbread as thinly as possible, no more than 5mm thick, as a thicker flatbread may not form the desired cavity (the flatbread does not puff up completely, only part of the flatbread may puff up, so roll out evenly thinly).
Place the rolled out tortillas on a baking tray and bake at 250 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Do not let the tortillas get too brown (again, my personal observation, heavily browned tortillas become crumbly and brittle).
This is the amazing moment when a ball of marvelous beauty is formed from a flat scone. Place the finished tortillas on a board and let cool slightly with a towel over the top, but the tortilla should still be warm.
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Cut off the edge of the flatbread and fill with different fillings. It is very tasty with grilled vegetables, meat will not hurt)))) And, of course, add your favorite sauce and lots of herbs!
Fill the tortillas with different fillings.
The dough can be kneaded not only by hand, but also in the bowl of a blender with the hook attachment.
Store the tortillas in a tightly sealed bag or wrapped in a cotton cloth and a bag. But they won't stay with you for long, especially if you have a large family.)
Have fun!"
