I had such a craving for fresh hot pita and tzatziki this past weekend! And since we are all on a shelter-in-place lock down, it was easier for me to make it than to figure out which of the few Greek restaurants were open for takeout around here. Luckily, I have a container of instant yeast in my refridgerator (thanks to my last trip to The Rolling Pin in Brandon!), so off I went to start my snack!

Pita Ingredients:

• lukewarm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast (I always use instant!)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

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Pita Directions:

• Add 1 cup lukewarm water, yeast and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Stir until yeast and sugar are dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk together. Set bowl aside, in warm (not hot) place, I used a warm oven.
• Check yeast mixture after 15 minutes. When the mixture is frothy and bubbling, it is ready for the remaining ingredients.
• Add salt, olive oil and most of the remaining flour (keep about 1/2 cup of the flour for later). Stir until a scrappy ball forms. It will be tough to stir at this point. Dust with a little flour, knead the dough (inside the shallow, wide bowl for easy clean up!) for about a minute.
• Scatter a wooden cutting board with the reserved flour. Gently knead for 2 minutes or so until smooth.
• Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a 2 more minutes. Add flour as necessary.
• Add a little olive oil to a clean mixing bowl and place the dough ball, wrap with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place. I like placing it in a warm oven. Leave it for 1 hour or until the dough rises to double its original size.

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a baking stone (I use my Pampered Chef pizza stone) or a large cast iron skillet on the middle rack of the oven to heat up.
• Deflate the dough, place back on floured board and divide into 6 – 8 equal pieces (I use a bench scrapper for this step) and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes.

• Roll each dough ball with a rolling pin, on the well floured board, into a circle that’s roughly 8″ wide and 1/4″ thick. If the dough starts to bounce back, set it aside to rest for a few more minutes, then continue rolling.
• Working in batches, place your flat pitas directly on the hot baking stone/ skillet. My stone fit 2 pitas at a time. Bake for 2-3 minutes on one side, flip and bake the other side for another 1-2 minutes.  The pita will puff at this point. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you bake the remaining the pitas.
• Alternatively, you can bake it on the stove top in your cast iron skillet. Do not grease before cooking. You would follow the same baking times and instructions as the above oven directions.

I generally start making the tzatziki while the yeast is blooming for the pita. Otherwise I get impatient and mix in the flour way before I should! This is a truly yummy distraction!!

Tzatziki Ingredients:

• 1/2 large seedless, hot house or English cucumber
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 peeled garlic cloves
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

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Tzatziki Directions:

• In a food processor, grate the cucumber. Layer a fine mesh strainer with paper towels to drain the grated cucumber. Mash with a wooden spoon and squeeze dry. Set aside.
• While the food processor is out, I continue the next step in it (after I rinsed out the cucumber), pulse the peeled garlic, add the salt, vinegar and olive oil to combine.
• Add the grated, strained cucumber to a large bowl the add the garlic mixture. Stir in the yogurt and white pepper. Combine thoroughly.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Bon Appetit

Rachel