Tag: pitas

Pita Bread (Gyros)

by stephslyter, posted in Flatbreads and crackers, sandwiches, soup and sauce, Uncategorized

In order to have a proper gyro you need pita bread. They are fairly easy to make and they are really cool to watch bake. They puff up like huge oyster crackers in the oven.

This bread is a great alternative to sandwich bread, due to that pocket that happens naturally in the baking process. You can also bake some of the leftovers into pita chips for snacking on humus.  Yummy!

Anyway, I am a big fan of variety in food.  I just get tired of chicken, pork and beef. So, while shopping, I picked up a leg of lamb and decided to make a lamb stew or something. I roasted it with rosemary and garlic until it was falling apart and then defatted and  crumbled it for gyros. Below are the recipes for pitas and tzatziki sauce essential for gyros. I used the recipe for the pitas from the CIA baking and pastry cookbook and  the joy of cooking for the tzatziki sauce.

Pita Ingredients (makes 10 and a little one)

1 lb bread flour
1 lb wheat flour ( I used all white)
.25 oz instant dry yeast
20 fl oz water
1 oz olive oil
.75 oz salt
3/4 tsp sugar

Method

  1. Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix on low-speed for 4 minutes, then medium for 3 minutes. The dough will be slightly moist but have good gluten developement.
  2. Let dough double in size, about 30 minutes. Fold gently to develop gluten.
  3. Divide dough into 4.5 oz pieces. Preshape the dough into round pieces. Let rest, covered with sprayed plastic wrap for 15 minutes.
  4. Using a rolling-pin roll into a 7-inch round circle and place on a parchment paper. You should fit 3 to 4 on a sheet. Make sure to work sequentially as you cut them.
  5. Let rise or rest for 10 minutes while preheating oven to 500F.  They say to use a deck oven, but alas how many of us have one of those. Not I. So, I placed a half-sheet pan upside down in the center of the oven and let it heat with the oven.
  6. Bake the pitas 3 -4 minutes. They will puff up but not brown. Stack them about 5 high and wrap in a cloth, cool before using.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tzatziki sauce ingredients (makes 2 cups)

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 T olive oil
1 T chopped dill
1 T chopped mint
1 T red wine vinegaror fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Stir all of the ingredients together.  It is better to let it sit for an hour, but can be eaten right away.