If you love pita and hummus, look no further. This recipe is super simple and the hummus is extremely customizable! The pita requires about 1 hour and 45 minutes of prep before the cook, but much of that time is hands-off. Seriously guys, I will never buy store bought hummus again!
HOMEMADE PITA BREAD & HUMMUS
YIELD: 8 whole pitas, 1 1/2 cups hummus
INGREDIENTS:
for the pita:
water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 cups AP flour, divided
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
for the hummus:
1- 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt to taste
2-3 tbsp. water
ground paprika or sumac for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
for the pita:
In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add ½ cup flour and whisk together. Place the mixing bowl in a warm place, uncovered. Let sit for 15 minutes or so and the mixture should bubble.
Now add salt, olive oil and almost all the remaining flour (keep about ½ cup of the flour for dusting later). Stir until mixture forms a shaggy clump. Dust with a little flour, then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.
Dust a clean working surface with a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then, knead again for a couple more minutes. The dough should be a little bit moist. You can dust it with a little bit of flour, but be careful not to add too much.
Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with extra virgin olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with the olive oil. Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl back in a warm place and leave it for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
Punch the dough to deflate it and place it on a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes or so to rest.
Flour a rolling pin and roll one of the pieces into a circle that's 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. (Frequently lift and turn the dough as you roll so that the dough doesn't stick to your counter too much. If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (At this point I like to roll a pita and throw it in the oven to cook as I roll the next.)
Heat the oven to 475ºF and place a heavy-duty baking pan or large cast iron skillet on the middle rack to heat. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes on one side then flip the pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side. You are looking for your pita to puff up. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel.
for the hummus:
In a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more.
Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.
Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and smooth; 1 to 2 minutes.
If your hummus is still too thick or if you can still see bits of chickpea, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water while blending until you reach the perfect consistency.
Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika. Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.