I stuffed these with salad & a little grated cheese, but you could try Jo's Indian Pita filling below ....Pita bread is such a great alternative to a normal “boring” sandwich, don’t you agree ?
Having said that though, I simply can’t bear those wishy washy just-a-little-bit-thicker-than-a-pancake pita breads that you buy in some shops. (Huh ? What ARE those things ? Wraps masquerading as pita bread, or what ?!) They are usually so skinny that once you’ve sliced them open they break completely and/or won’t hold your filling properly. Which is why I much prefer to make my own fat, fluffy, pillow-like pita’s which satisfy the heartiest appetite and support the sturdiest of fillings ….
Pita Bread
4 cups bread or cake Flour
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
10 gm Instant Yeast
2 tbsp Oil
1 ½ cups lukewarm Water
Sift the flour, salt & sugar together. Add the instant yeast to the dry ingredients. Make a hollow in the dry ingredients & add the oil & water. Knead to form a soft, manageable dough. Leave, covered, in a warm spot until double in size then knead it down again & cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball & flatten in the palm of your hand until each is the size of a saucer. Place the rounds on a greased baking tray/s and leave, covered, in a warm spot to double in size again. The pita’s are then baked in a very hot oven at 240’C/475’F/Gas Mark 9 for around 1o mins until pale & golden and once cool, can be split open & stuffed with whatever takes your fancy.
Tip – you can place a bowl of water in the oven (if you've got space !) whilst the pita’s are baking if you like. This helps to keeps the atmosphere moist and gives a good crust.
As soon as you remove the pita’s from the oven, place them on a wire rack & cover them with a clean, dry tea towel to let them soften a little as they release their own steam.
Having said that though, I simply can’t bear those wishy washy just-a-little-bit-thicker-than-a-pancake pita breads that you buy in some shops. (Huh ? What ARE those things ? Wraps masquerading as pita bread, or what ?!) They are usually so skinny that once you’ve sliced them open they break completely and/or won’t hold your filling properly. Which is why I much prefer to make my own fat, fluffy, pillow-like pita’s which satisfy the heartiest appetite and support the sturdiest of fillings ….
Pita Bread
4 cups bread or cake Flour
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
10 gm Instant Yeast
2 tbsp Oil
1 ½ cups lukewarm Water
Sift the flour, salt & sugar together. Add the instant yeast to the dry ingredients. Make a hollow in the dry ingredients & add the oil & water. Knead to form a soft, manageable dough. Leave, covered, in a warm spot until double in size then knead it down again & cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball & flatten in the palm of your hand until each is the size of a saucer. Place the rounds on a greased baking tray/s and leave, covered, in a warm spot to double in size again. The pita’s are then baked in a very hot oven at 240’C/475’F/Gas Mark 9 for around 1o mins until pale & golden and once cool, can be split open & stuffed with whatever takes your fancy.
Tip – you can place a bowl of water in the oven (if you've got space !) whilst the pita’s are baking if you like. This helps to keeps the atmosphere moist and gives a good crust.
As soon as you remove the pita’s from the oven, place them on a wire rack & cover them with a clean, dry tea towel to let them soften a little as they release their own steam.
My dear friend Jo, in South Africa, gave me this Indian Pita filling recipe to try - it looks delicious & I plan to try it soon -:
Indian Pita Filling
175 ml low fat plain yoghurt
5 ml Olive oil
2ml hot pepper sauce
15ml Mango chutney/pickle
½ Cucumber cubed
1 small green pepper, diced
30ml mixture of fresh dill, parsley & mint, chopped
75g cooked (or tinned) chickpeas
1 pita bread
1 pita bread
120 g sliced Tomatoes
Combine yoghurt, oil, and pepper sauce in a bowl. Mash until well mixed. Add the chutney/pickle, cucumber, green pepper, dill, parsley, mint, chickpeas & mix. Slit the pita bread on one side, place tomato slices in one layer. Spoon the remaining ingredients onto the tomato slices and serve.
Combine yoghurt, oil, and pepper sauce in a bowl. Mash until well mixed. Add the chutney/pickle, cucumber, green pepper, dill, parsley, mint, chickpeas & mix. Slit the pita bread on one side, place tomato slices in one layer. Spoon the remaining ingredients onto the tomato slices and serve.
Thanks, Jo !
