Perfect Pillowy Pitta with Heavenly Harissa Hummus
- Super simple
- 2:50 h
- 13 ingredients
Is there anything better than homemade pitta bread? Warm, pillowy and soft, they are the perfect vehicle for another one of life's great delights - hummus. In this punchy Middle Eastern recipe we've paired our perfect pittas with our heavenly harissa hummus to create a snack sensation. If you've never made your own pitta before, don't worry, we will show you how!
Serves: 6
Ingredients
For the Perfect Pillowy Pitta
- 250ml tepid water
- 2 tsp fast-action yeast (around 1 sachet)
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 300g plain flour
- 50g wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
For the Heavenly Harissa Hummus
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 60ml olive oil
- 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley leaves
- toasted pine nuts
- pomegranate seeds (optional)
Before you start
2 mixing bowls | Damp, clean tea towel | Large lined baking sheet | Floured rolling pin | Heatproof mat | Oven glove | Food processor | Microplane
Step 1
Activate the yeast
- Pour the water into a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the the yeast and sugar and leave to rest for 5 minutes until little bubbly.
Prepare the dough - Add both flours and the salt to a mixing bowl and mix with a balloon whisk or wooden spoon to combine.
- Make a well in the flours.
- Add the oil and the activated yeast liquid to the well and use a silicone spatula to bring the mixture together.
- Flour a clean work surface with plain flour, turn the dough out onto the surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and has a little stickiness to it.
Ingredients
- 250ml tepid water
- 2 tsp fast-action yeast (around 1 sachet)
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 300g plain flour
- 50g wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
Step 2
Let the dough rise
- Drizzle a little olive oil into the mixing bowl and rub down the insides.
- Put the dough in the bowl, cover with the tea towel, put the bowl in a warm place (an oven set at 50˚C works well if you can’t find a decent warm spot) and leave to prove for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Step 3
Make the Heavenly Harissa Hummus
- Drain, rinse and gently rub the chickpeas, removing any loose skins.
- Peel and grate the garlic.
- Halve the lemon.
- Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini and olive oil to the food processor and blitz until smooth.
- Taste the hummus and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Blitz again until very smooth (adding a little splash of water here can aid the creaminess of your hummus.
- Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, spoon the rose harissa into the bowl and swirl it through the hummus to mix and marble.
Ingredients
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 60ml olive oil
- 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
- salt and pepper to taste
Step 4
Prepare the pitta
- Flour a clean surface with plain flour.
- Gently push the air out of the dough, bring it together with your hands in the bowl, and then add to the floured surface and cut into 6 equal pieces.
- Roll the pieces into smart, smooth balls, put them on a baking sheet, cover with the tea towel and leave to rest for 20-25 minutes.
Cook the Perfect Pillowy Pitta - Turn the oven on and set it to the highest setting.
- Put the lined baking sheet in the oven to warm up.
- Use a rolling pin to roll 3-4 of the balls out into 10cm thick discs - as many as you can fit onto the baking sheet with plenty of space around each to grow (don’t over roll the dough if you want nice pillowy pitta!)
- Set the hot tray on the heatproof mat, place the pittas on the tray making sure they have room to grow.
- Put the tray in the oven and cook the pitta bread for 5-6 minutes until lightly golden and puffy.
- Remove the tray from the oven, transfer the pitta to a bowl, cover with a tea towel to keep warm and repeat until all the dough balls are cooked.
Step 5
Time to serve
- Plate up the Perfect Pillowy Pitta and serve immediately with your freshly made Heavenly Harissa Hummus, garnished with a handful of fresh chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts.
Ingredients
- chopped parsley leaves
- toasted pine nuts
- pomegranate seeds (optional)