Homemade Whole-Wheat Pita in a Flash!!

As part of our award-winning breakfast- I’m convinced the closer was Shira’s homemade pita.

Shira!

Whole-wheat, warm and delicious, this pita was made from scratch (!) and was ready in under an hour. During the competition, we were given active yeast – the real deal (not the stuff in a paper packet)- and we’re convinced it made the difference.

The pitas puffed up right at the end – and clarified, there is no need for store-bought pita anymore. Try it. (Would be especially good with Eli Shem-Tov’s Chummus).

Ingredients
1 package yeast or 2-ish teaspoons active yeast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 whole wheat flour
1 1/2 white flour

Directions

1. Set oven to 500 degrees
2. Proof yeast with lukewarm water and sugar
3. Once yeast begins to bubble (15-20 min), add oil and honey; mix well
4. Add both flours, fold and incorporate
5. Knead dough for about 5-8 minutes
6. Place in a warm place to rise for 25 minutes
7. After dough has risen, break off handfulls of dough and form into pita circle/shapes
8. Put each onto an oiled cookie sheet and let sit for 5 minutes on top of oven
9. Bake pita for 4 minutes on each side; should puff up while in oven

Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread

There is no way to welcome in the colder weather like the penetrating aroma and warmth of fresh bread baking in your oven. It brings new meaning to ‘comfort’ and ‘home’. Jim Lahey of The Sullivan Street Bakery, shared his recipe for No-Knead Bread with Mark Bittman of the NY Times. Inspired by my friend Rebecca, I made my own and just took it out of the oven an hour ago. Worth every second. You’ll never buy store-bought bread again.

I subbed in 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour – so that it was half and half. I threw in some flaxmeal, and quinoa to boot. Didn’t have a dutch oven (yet) but used an oven-safe pot. I also included a ceramic roasting pan with water to add moisture to the oven.

Here’s the link to recipe on The Minimalist, Mark Bittman’s NY Times Column.

Serve with anything – particularly delicious straight out of the oven with good olive oil.

When I have a chance, I’ll upload a picture.