i have tried a few new recipes lately and my tummy has been thanking me
for it. i thought i would share this delicious meal from a couple of
weeks back. i made pita bread for my first time. it was surprisingly easy and they turned out super delicious.
pita bread
3 cups plus a scant 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (16 oz./454 grams)
2 teaspoons salt (1/2 oz./13.2 grams)
2 teaspoons instant yeast (6.4 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (1 oz./27 grams)
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature (10.4 oz./295 grams)
1. About 1 1/2 hours before shaping, or for best flavor development, 8 hours to 3 days ahead, mix the dough.
Mixer method: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the
ingredients. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed (#2 if using a
KitchenAid) just until all the flour is moistened, about 20 seconds.
Change to the dough hook, raise the speed to medium (#4 KitchenAid), and
knead for 10 minutes. The dough should clean the bowl and be very soft
and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch. Add a little flour or
water if necessary. (the dough will weigh about 27.75 oz./793 grams.)
Hand method: In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients
except for a scant 1/4 cup of the flour. With a wooden spoon or your
hand, mix until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl
until it comes together.
Sprinkle a little of the reserved flour onto the counter and scrape
the dough onto it. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding as little of
the reserved flour as possible. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough
and gather it together as you knead it. At this point it will be very
sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 5 to 20
minutes. (This rest will make the dough less sticky and easier to work
with.)
Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is soft and
smooth and just a little sticky to the touch. Add a little flour or
water if necessary. (The dough will weigh about 27.75 oz./793 grams.)
2. Let the dough rise: Using an oiled spatula or dough
scraper, scrape the dough into a 2-quart or larger dough-rising
container or bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Press the
dough down and lightly spray or oil the top of it. Cover the container
with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the
container at approximately where double the height of the dough would
be. Refrigerate the dough overnight (or up to 3 days), checking every
hour for the first 4 hours and pressing it down if it starts to rise.
3. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 475°F one hour
before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking
stone, cast-iron skillet, or baking sheet on it before preheating.
4. Shape the dough: Cut the dough into 8 or 12 pieces. Work
with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth. On
a lightly floured counter, with lightly floured hands, shape each piece
into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Cover the dough with oiled
plastic and allow it to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Roll each disk into a circle a little under 1/4 inch thick. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before baking.
optional: about 10 seconds before cooking spray with water from a spray bottle.
5. Bake the pita: Quickly place 1 piece of dough directly on
the stone or in the skillet or on the baking sheet, and bake for 3
minutes. The pita should be completely puffed but not beginning to
brown. The dough will not puff well if it is not moist enough. See how
the pita puffs, then, if necessary, spray and knead each remaining piece
with water until the dough is soft and moist; allow to rest again and
reroll as before.
optional: about 10 seconds before cooking spray with water from a spray bottle.
Proceed with the remaining dough, baking 3 or 4 pieces at a time if
using a stone or baking sheet. using a pancake turner, transfer the pita
breads to a clean towel, to stay soft and warm. Allow the oven to
reheat for 5 minutes between batches. The pitas can be reheated for
about 30 seconds in a hot oven before serving.
before baking up the pitas i mixed up this cucumber relish and hat the chicken marinading.
chicken tzatziki
For chicken marinade:
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp fresh lemon juice + 2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp hot sauce
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Pinch salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For cucumber relish:
1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
Pinch salt
1 cup seeded, finely diced tomato
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
6 tbsp coarsely chopped and pitted black olives
4 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
Directions
1
To prepare chicken marinade, whisk all ingredients except chicken
breasts together in a bowl. Combine marinade with chicken breasts in a
large zip-lock bag, seal and gently shake to evenly distribute marinade
over chicken. Place in refrigerator and chill for 2 to 4 hours.
2
Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber relish. Lay cucumber slices in a sieve
placed over a bowl and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Leave for about 30
to 40 minutes, or until cucumbers soften and their liquid begins to
drain into the bowl. Stir occasionally.
3
Combine the tomato, onion, olives, parsley, dill, garlic, olive oil and
lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir in drained cucumbers, then cover the
bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
4 Grease
grill and preheat to medium-high. Remove chicken from zip-lock bag and
discard marinade. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15
to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from grill, let rest for a few minutes and
slice thinly on the diagonal. Lay chicken slices on top of each pita
round and divide relish evenly among them. Garnish with a little extra
yogurt and serve.
after eating this, you may want to eat only this for the rest of your life. i did.
