Long-time readers of this blog will recall that I am an impulse baker. I bake on a whim all the time. You'll recall that I made chicken pot pie risotto earlier this week. I ended up with leftover chicken. I had planned to make some greek-inspired chickpea cakes, but, I decided, chickpeas will keep just fine in their cans. The chicken will not keep as long. So, why not make greek-inspired chicken instead?
I'm not sure what made me think "pita," but I decided yesterday that I would make them today. That's advanced notice for the impulse baker. I've never made them before, but I will definitely be making them again.
Notes: I tweaked this recipe for the pita and this recipe for the tzatziki sauce.
So, making bread from scratch. It can be intimidating, but that shouldn't stop you. You just need planning and patience. These tasted so fresh and delicious, it was well worth the work!
A lot of the kneading is about feel. When you first start kneading, the bread will feel loose and almost too soft. That's because the gluten hasn't developed yet. Just keep going, sprinkling more flour on the bread and your hands if it starts to stick. As you knead, the gluten will develop and the dough will start to feel springier and denser.
When you're rolling out the pita, be careful not to sprinkle too much flour on it. Try to flour the rolling pin. I got a little too much flour on mine and it was stuck on there after my pitas were cooked.
 |
| You can see the too much flour here, but also, look at that good puff! |
It's likely you will have leftover pita. Don't worry, you can keep them in the fridge. Let them cool completely and put them in a zip top bag, separated by pieces of wax paper. Then you can heat them up for a few minutes in the oven.
English cucumbers work best for the tzatziki sauce because they're seedless and the skin is thinner and less bitter. But, if you don't have them, don't go buy one just for this. Use a regular cucumber, but peel it first.
I would make the tzatziki first and get it out of the way. If you're doing all this in one go, make sure you have your chicken ingredients all prepped and ready to go before you start rolling and cooking the pita. You'll probably have to cook some pita while you roll out the others (if you're like me and don't have enough counter space for 8 pitas). Start the chicken when you're about halfway through the pitas.
I don't have a picture of the whole assembled pita with the chicken. The pita was kind of the star of the show. It all turned out really well.
Ingredients:
For the pita:
1 packet of yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the bowl
3 cups of flour plus more for dusting
For tzatziki:
1 cup of greek yogurt
1/2 English cucumber (see notes)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning
For chicken:
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (approx)
1 lemon
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
3-4 springs of fresh oregano
Diced fresh tomatoes, sliced onion, sliced cucumber for serving
Directions for pita: In a large mixing bowl, mix the water, sugar, and yeast together until the yeast and sugar dissolve (it's OK if there are some little lumps left). Allow it to sit uncovered in a warm spot in your kitchen until it's bubbly and frothy (about 15-20 minutes).
Stir in the olive oil, salt, and flour. The dough should start out looking sort of rough and shaggy. If it's really sticky and wet, sprinkle in some more flour. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together and starts to look a little smoother. Then turn it out on a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when you poke it. Wipe out the dough bowl with a paper towel and coat bowl with olive oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and allow it to rise until it's doubled in size, about an hour.
When the dough has risen, deflate it and shape it back into a ball. Turn it out on a floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces. Let them sit under a clean kitchen towel for 10 minutes. Roll the pieces out into circles, about 8 inches or so in diameter (see notes).
Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. To check and see if it's hot, flick a drop or two of water in the pan. If it beads up and sizzles immediately, you skillet is hot. Drizzle the pan with olive oil and wipe the excess away. Put a pita circle in the pan. It will start to puff and bubble after about 45 seconds. Flip it over with a big spatula (you should see some little brown spots on the side that was touching the pan). Cook for about another minute. Put your finished pita on baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Cover the finished pita with a towel while you make the rest.
Directions for tzatziki: Grate the cucumber on the small holes of the box grater into a strainer lined with a paper towels or cheese cloth. Squeeze the water out and leave in the strainer.
Add the yogurt, salt, pepper, and olive oil to a small mixing bowl. Grate the garlic with a microplane or zester straight into the bowl. Add in the cucumber and stir well to combine everything. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Directions for chicken: Mince garlic and oregano. Zest the lemon and cut it in half. Heat a skillet on medium and add olive oil. Add garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add oregano and lemon zest and cook for another minute or two. Squeeze half the lemon into the oil mixture and then add the chicken. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the chicken is heated and some of the liquid in the pan evaporates. Turn off the heat and finish by squeezing the other half of the lemon over the chicken.
To serve: Speak some tzatziki sauce on one of the pitas. Top with chicken and add whatever toppings you like. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment