Creamy Hummus with Home made Pita Bread

Hummus is a very famous and loved cold snack/dip/ appetizer in the Middle East Cuisine! The main ingredient used in it is the Tahini sauce, which is made of roasted sesame.

Usually I never make it at home as I get is here much more easily at the Turkish shops, but well homemade is homemade and it was my Family’s wish so the whole work was worth the smiling faces in the end : )

This can be refrigerated up to one week, it is ideal as a bread spread, and as a side dish to any fried meat dish. We eat is very often with the onion baguette, it’s the best dip for a late night snack in front of the TV : ) What can be more tastier with Hummus than the pita bread and that too fresh from the oven..
So here we go:

**Tahini (sesame paste)

2 tbs sesame
2tbs olive oil ( I used organic extra virgin)
¼ tsp salt
¼ tbs water
*roast the sesame in a preheated oven or in a frying pan on a low heat till roasted brown color
*grind in a coffee mill till powder
*mix in the oil, salt and water to make a thick paste

**Hummus:

2 cups boiled chick peas (I soaked 1 cup over night and it made 2 ¼ cups)
1tsp baking soda (If you soak, just add this in the water and let stay overnight)
2tbs tahini sauce
½ tsp salt (more or less to taste)
3 crushed garlic pods
3 tbs olive oil
4-5 tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Paprika powder for the top  

*drain the water from the chick peas rub and wash them so the soda is washed out and boil in a generous amount if water till they are soft
*wash out and let cool down
*put them in a blender and blend till thick creamy
*pour few drops of water if too thick
*add the oil, lemon salt, garlic, cayenne pepper and blend again
*add the tahini sauce and grind once more, last time

***Pour in any flat plate or a flat serving bowl, as its beauty is in the flat dish!
Arabs have their lovely lively plates with those typical oriental designs which give the Hummus a richer look!!***

Make a well in the middle, or any style you like to, with a fork, or a spoon and fill the depths with olive oil, decorate with the rest chick peas, I like black olives so I tuck them on the hummus; sprinkle the red Paprika powder.

                                                                           

**Pita Bread:

300gram plain flour
50 gram wheat flour (simple attaa)
1tsp salt (more to taste)
1 cup luke warm water
*Mix these three together:
7gram dry yeast (1 sachet of it)
1 ½ tsp sugar
2 tbs olive oil

*sieve the flour, mix with wheat flour and salt in a broad bowl
*make a hollow in the middle and pour the mixture of yeast in it
*let the yeast froth takes around 5-8 minutes
*now pour the luke warm water slowly and mix all including the yeast mixture
*the dough will seem sticky and too soft, it’s normal, knead into sticky dough
*grease your hands with olive oil and pat the dough all around and place in the middle of the bowl, cover with cling, cover with a kitchen cloth and keep it in a warm place to raise
*check after 2 hours, it is very fluffy, turn over to the working board, dust flour and knead the dough again, keep dusting flour in small portions and knead the dough very well.
*You will feel that the dough is very airy and spongy, that’s very good!!
*return in the bowl, cover again and let it rise again in a warm place.
*It is a bit of work but kneading the dough twice enables it to become more airy and light, which is important for the pita so it forms like a pocket after being baked so that we can open it for any filling!
*after 30 minutes, knead the dough once more, make small balls and place in a tray and let rest another 15 minutes
*Now preheat your oven on 230°C and at the same time start rolling the balls into a bit lengthy form chapatti type bread
Spray the oven tray with oil and place 4 at a time, depending on the width of your tray of course..
*bake in the oven, as they start to rise, open oven and spray some water fast on the bread and close the oven !!!
*The water prevents the bread to become hard!
*turn them over after 2 minutes and spray once again
*take them out on a plate or Chabba and tuck it into a big nylon bag
* this will keep the pita soft and very eatable : )

The Pita’s are usually not round they are more lengthy in shape, we don’t brush oil on it as they have a dry surface, more like a Khubuz: )


The best combination with Hummus is of course Shawarma, and as I had no time and no steak to make one, so I found a short solution. I had the Turkish Sausage “Sucuk” at home, so I chipped off that, fried and had it as the side dish : ) It tasted so very good.