Just yes.
Russell and I may have a slight obsession with Mediterranean food but why not?! It's healthy, easy, and amazingly tasty! Since we had this obsession, we were visiting our favorite Mediterranean restaurant too often for our budget. So a few weeks ago we decided to try our own. Russell first started with the pita bread and after the first taste not only did he succeed but he passed my expectations. Seriously, it was the best pita I've ever had. For me personally, better than any restaurant pita I've had. Now this recipe will take a little more time and effort than our other recipes but we promise once you have these, you will never want another store bought pita again. Then we decided to take it even farther and go with the full package - Tzatziki sauce. Once again this sauce is healthy and so easy to make. I will be having this way too often from now on. For lunch we added chicken, feta, tomatoes, and onions for a perfect Mediterranean pita sandwich. We hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
Pita Bread:
- 1 cup hot Water, but not boiling
- 2 teaspoons Active Dry or Instant Yeast (we used instant for this recipe)
- 2-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour (may need to add a little more flour but do so sparingly)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 16 ounces Plain Greek Yogurt (we used full fat - sorry diet)
- 1 regular Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced small
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dried Dill
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- Half a fresh Lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Directions
Pita Bread:
- Mix the yeast and hot water together, letting dissolve for ~5 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer, add salt, olive oil, and 2-1/2 cups of flour to water mixture. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 4-6 minutes until dough is smooth. You may add additional flour as needed to end up with a smooth and elastic dough. However, it is better to use too little flour than too much.
- Place dough in greased bowl (I use olive oil) and turn until coated. Cover bowl and let dough rise until it's doubled (should take ~1 hour).
- Once risen, deflate the dough and turn onto a lightly floured work surface. If not ready to bake, place dough in refrigerator for up to 4 days (Typically I only make 1/2 the pitas and save the other half for the next days meals).
- Break off a small piece of dough (~2" ball) and gently flatten into a disk using a rolling pin (each disk should be 6-8" wide and 1/4" thick). Lift/turn the dough frequently as you flatten to make sure the dough doesn't stick to the counter.
- Warm a cast iron skillet (using the iron skillet is the key to getting incredible pitas) over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is good and hot prior to cooking any pitas.
- Place flattened disk on pan and bake for 30-45 seconds, until bubbles begin to form.
- Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on other side. Pita will begin to puff up as toasted spots begin to form.
- Flip additional time, cooking original side for an addition 1-2 minutes. Typically I cook each pita for a total of 4 minutes (I set timer for this time when I first place pita on the skillet) - exact time should be adjusted per your cooking surface/temperature and taste.
- Of course pitas are best eaten hot and fresh, but bread will keep in a bag for a few days as well!!
Tzatziki Sauce:
- Pour any liquid off the surface of the greek yogurt. (I used full fat here to make it thicker, but you can always go with 2% if you want it a little lighter)
- Mix together yogurt, diced cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, dill, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend.
Our next Mediterranean adventure will soon be hummus as that is our other obsession. But until then we hope you enjoy this insanely good, fresh pita bread and creamy tzatziki sauce!
