Hummus and Pita Bread (Daring Cooks Challenge)

The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

I was so excited to see this month’s Daring Cook challenge. After making pitas in my friend’s homemade brick oven pizza I’ve been dying to try it at home. I’m a huge fan of pita and hummus. It’s kind of funny to me that some of the others in the group think of this as ethnic food, outside their midwest cooking zone. I wonder if it’s a generational thing? Pita and hummus are so commonplace I don’t think of it as unusual.

I used the hummus recipe given to us in the challenge, although I must say it’s almost identical to the one in Simply in Season. It’s hard to mess up a hummus recipe, and the variations are endless. At my Cooking with Greens last summer they suggest adding a steamed bunch of greens to the mix. You can go to the deli counter at your favorite grocery store to get other flavoring ideas – while you’re there check out the ingredients list. You might be surprised at the unpronounceable ingredients  that some brands have. Hummus is so easy to make, and once you realize how healthy the homemade version is (and cheaper!) you won’t buy store bought again.

The recipes as they were given to us:

Pita Bread – Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

Directions:
1. In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.
2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn’t puff up, don’t worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus – Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes.

1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)
additional flavorings (optional) I would use about 1/3 cup or a few ounces to start, and add more to taste

Directions:
1. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

The verdict: The hummus was delicious, as I expected. Next time I’ll use roasted garlic and maybe some additional flavorings. It will be fun to experiment over the next few months. As for the pita, well, it didn’t turn out nearly as well as at my friend’s house! Aside from the brick oven, other reasons I think it didn’t quite work – not sure how old the yeast was (although it did proof well); not sure if my oven was hot enough (I ended up giving up on the 3 minute thing and just waited until it looked a wee bit brown); or my flour was old; or what.

For those of you in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, I highly recommend picking up some freshly baked pita bread at Sami’s. They get it in on Wednesdays, freshly made in Detroit. Much better than trying to make it without a brick oven.

This post linked to the Ultimate Recipe swap at Life as a Mom.