Fresh Milled Sourdough Pita Bread + Seasonal Hummus Plate
A versatile recipe that can be served as a dipper for a homemade hummus tray, stuffed with sandwich fillings, or used as a base for mini pizzas. The dough can be made up to 48 hours ahead of baking.
Hello and Happy Saturday. It’s been awhile since I’ve sent a recipe on the weekend. The past two weeks, my schedule has swung the pendulum of packed with the last of the holiday festivities, to doing not much of anything the week in between Christmas and New Year. I spent a lot of time wandering around the house in my PJ’s doing nothing and feeling exhausted. Anyone else? I barely cooked at all last week. We scrounged through the pantry and fridge, eating plenty of charcuterie trays for meal times. We did go out for ramen on my birthday (which also falls a few days after Christmas), and that was a big hi-light of the week for me.
In my decision to share a pita bread recipe with you this week, I didn’t want to share it without including a hummus recipe too, because the two just go together in my mind. Homemade hummus takes me back to Malibu Farm restaurant, where the rugged Pacific Ocean meets the sunny, wild California beaches - and that little restaurant on the pier has such happy memories for me. Last time we visited was seven years ago for a family wedding, and it was just the most special, nostalgic trip. I look forward to going back someday soon. If you ever get the chance to go, make sure you order their chunky farm hummus plate.
Every time I make these pitas, I wonder why I don’t make them more often, because they are so great served with so many things. They make a wonderful dipper for hummus plates (see recipe below), and can also be stuffed with chicken or tuna salad, or served alongside a Middle-Eastern style meal with Tzatziki, Tabbouleh, and Falafel. YUM. Now I’m hungry. These pitas freeze beautifully after cooking - just let them cool, put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and place in the freezer until frozen solid - then transfer to an airtight bag. You can thaw them on the counter or place in the oven on the rack to reheat. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Fresh Milled Sourdough Pita Bread
Makes 12 6” pitas, or 8 large
Tools
Mixing bowl or stand mixer with the dough hook attachment
Rolling pin
Pizza stone or cast iron skillet
Spatula
Ingredients
500 grams fresh milled flour (I used 50/50 hard white and hard red wheat from Azure Standard)
350 grams room temp water
100 grams sourdough starter
35 grams olive oil
10 grams salt
Method
Mix the Dough. Mix all ingredients and knead until there are no dry bits left, and it is smooth and tacky - about 5 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook or 8-10 minutes by hand. Dough will be tacky and more stiff than bread dough.
Let Dough Proof. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours, or until dough has doubled - in the colder winter temperatures, this dough took about 8 hours to proof. At this point, you can move the covered bowl of dough to the refrigerator and store for up to 48 hours, until you’re ready to bake, or proceed to the next step and bake right away.
Preheat Pizza Stone or Cast Iron. Place a pizza stone or cast iron skillet inside the oven and preheat to 500º for 30 minutes.
Roll out pitas. While oven is heating up, divide dough into equal sized balls, weighing about 70 grams each for a smaller sized pita, and up to 100 grams each, if you want larger pitas. Cover the dough balls with a towel. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball into a flat disc. Not quite as thin as you would roll out a tortilla.
Bake pitas. Place rolled out pitas, one at a time, on the preheated pizza stone or cast iron pan and close the oven - bake for about 90 seconds, watching closely, until the pita puffs up, then flip it and cook another 30 seconds to one minute, until golden on both sides. If the pita doesn’t puff up initially, watch it until it does, then flip.
Serve. Stack pitas on a clean plate and cover with a kitchen towel. Serve right away. To use up leftovers, place the pitas on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until crisp, like a pita chip. Store in an airtight jar.
Seasonal Hummus Plate
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp salt
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Feta cheese, olives, pickled veggies, fresh herbs, seasonal fresh or roasted veggies
Toast sesame seeds. Over medium low heat, shake the sesame seeds around in a cast iron skillet, keeping them moving every few seconds, so they do not burn. When the seeds start to turn golden and smell fragrant, remove from the burner.
Blend Hummus. In a high speed blender, blend toasted sesame seeds, water, olive oil, and salt a high speed blender until combined - about 30 seconds. Sesame seeds do not all need to be blended at this point. .
Add garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic and pepper. Blend for about 1 minute, or until smooth. If you want a chunkier hummus, don’t blend for as long. Season with more salt and pepper, or smoked paprika and chili flakes if you want it to have a little spice.
Make Hummus Plate. Spread hummus out on a serving tray or large plate using a rubber spatula Sprinkle with feta, chopped olives, seasonal herbs and roasted or pickled veggies.
Enjoy!
Yay! Thanks for posting this… i literally texted you last week about this! The hummus looks so yummy too! Love you! ❤️
Okay, I'm gonna make these this week. I love humus and pita! Thanks for the idea Hon.