I’m apparently a caffeine addict. I didn’t think that giving up my single cup of daily coffee would have such adverse side effects. Yesterday, I experienced the worst headache of my life. Oh, and nausea and zero ability to concentrate. So a confession: yesterday’s post was mostly written by Andrew. I wrote the first paragraph and uploaded the photo, but he typed in the recipe.
The intense throbbing in my head made feel as if I would die of a head explosion, but also the deepest sympathy for anyone overcoming a drug addiction. A cup of coffee, two cups of green tea, and two liquid capsules of ibruprofen later, I was back to normal and even offered to do the dishes. So, maybe even better than normal. I hate to do the dishes.
Andrew set the timer on the coffeemaker last night so we’d wake up to hot coffee.
Frankly, I’m a little glad the caffeine fast didn’t work out. I love the taste of coffee and I really really enjoy sitting with a hot cup in the mornings. When the fast was going well, around 2 p.m., I started thinking about how much I’d miss it. Herbal tea just isn’t the same.
I’d really wanted to post the recipe for an onion quiche I made a couple weeks ago in honor of Mother’s Day. Quiche and Mother’s Day go together like ginger snaps and Christmas. But, I had the photos of lemon pickle all ready to go. And there wasn’t really anything to add to the recipe. I followed it exactly and it turned out perfectly.
So, today I have a recipe for homemade pita bread. This recipe doesn’t quite create the kind of pocket perfect for sandwiches that store bought pita has. (I did get a pocket, but one side was much thinner than the other.) However, it’s excellent for dipping in hummus, lentil soup, or olive oil seasoned with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. It’s a good Sunday afternoon project because it takes some time. It’s largely hands off, as with most breads, but it cooks rather quickly in the oven so you need to be very attentive.
Pita Bread
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
Makes 8 pita rounds
Ingredients:
3 c flour (JOC says bread flour; I used a mix of all-purpose and white whole wheat.)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 packages or 1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/4 c room temperature water
1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Whisk together in a large bowel of the ingredients except the butter and water. Add the butter and water and mix either by hand or on low speed in a mixer for about 1 minute. Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes until it’s smooth, soft, and elastic, adding flour or water as needed. (You can do this by hand or with a dough hook in a stand mixer. Recently, I’m more into kneading by hand, but Andrew likes the mixer. We both have the same outcome with our breads, so do what you feel most comfortable with.)
Transfer to a clean bowl, pour a little olive oil over the top and turn to coat. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. It should take 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or longer if you’re room is cooler).
Remove the racks in your oven and set a pizza stone in the bottom. Pre-heat to 450 F for at least 45 minutes. If you don’t have a pizza stone, don’t worry. Just place a rack in the lowest level and use a baking sheet turned upside down. But only heat that sheet for about 5 minutes.
Punch down the dough and roll it into 8 balls. Cover and let them rest for 20 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into a thin round, about 8 inches across and 1/8-inch thick. Spray or brush with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Then, spray the baking sheet or stone with a mist of water and wait 30 seconds. Then place as many rounds as will fit directly onto the hot surface. Close the oven door and bake until they puff up. This should take about 3 minutes. Wait 30 more seconds and remove the bread and place on a cooling rack.
Continue until all the rounds are cooked.
