This was my first attempt at homemade pita bread and it turned out so well. There were a few times when I thought that I had ruined it, but I didn't. (yay) I was so pleased and so was my family!
So why homemade? It's cost effective. I had bought pita bread originally at Sams for making grilled chicken pitas but life happened (I got sick) so we used them for mini pizzas instead. So then we were nearing the end of our week and I had to get creative, the final days before shopping day are always interesting. My creativity and frugalness most certainly paid off.
I looked up several pita bread recipes and read them over and over again. Some talked about making a "sponge". I'm not sure why they choose to call it that, it makes the process sound so much more intimidating than it actually is. After reading 4 or 5 recipes, I settled on the #1 Google Search result from the Kitchn. Of course I pulled out my ingredients and didn't quite have enough bread flour so I added a little whole wheat flour. I noted my changes below in red.
Something you may or may not be aware of is that there are different types of yeast. The most popular is active dry yeast. I bought instant dry yeast in bulk at Sams (the way to go) and for a few years was using the wrong measurements of instant dry yeast. When I would make my pizza dough and breads I would use way too much yeast and it would taste too yeasty. Then I learned that there was a difference. I now have this Yeast Converter bookmarked and make the appropriate changes to my recipes. So remember, not all yeast is the same!
I used this recipe for the pita bread but I have noted the few adaptations I made below:
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups bread flour
1/2-1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
The directions I used were the same. I did not use my stand mixer but mixed and kneaded the dough by hand and would encourage you to do the same. I allowed mine to rise for 90 minutes and cooked on a stone in the oven.
Now for the tzatziki sauce!
Tzatiki Sauce
7 oz greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)2 T diced cucumber
1 T lemon juice
1 small clove of grated garlic
1 t diced jalapeno
1/2 t dried dill
1/4 t salt
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together. I have found that grating garlic is a really great way to add flavor. It breaks down the garlic allowing the flavor to incorporate all through the sauce without adding big chunks of garlic. Spread the sauce on pita bread and top with grilled chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion and cucumber.
