The inquiry about Lebanese flat bread sent me back to the local library,
where I remembered seeing a book that might be of interest.
It is "Pita The Great" by Virginia T. Habeeb. Workman Publishing, NYC, 1986
On pg 13, the author says,"The Lebanese marook is shaped by hand in much the
same manner as pizza, by tossing and stretching the dough until it is well
over a foot in size. It is then flipped onto a concave shaped metal surface
set over a heat source where it bakes quickly in minutes. The Armenians have
a similar bread, called lavash, which is baked to a cracker-like crispness
and measures anywhere from 5 to 20 inches."
Then on page 31 is a recipe for Unleavened Griddle-Baked Pita. (Makes 12)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. ( OR 2 cups all purpose flour & 1 cup
whole wheat flour) plus flour for kneading.
1 teaspn salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water (90 to 110 degrees F)
Vegetable oil
1. Mix with a wooden spoon, the flour & salt in a large bowl. Add water till
the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky and
is smooth.
2. Knead till smooth & elastic on a well floured board - 5 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into a rectangle, and divide into 12 smooth balls. Cover
with sliighly damp towels & let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
4 . Gently press each ball flat, keeping round shape. With floured work
surface & rolling pin, roll each round to a 6 to 7 inch circle, paper thin.
Cover with a slighly damp towel.
5. Lightly oil a griddle or large skillet & warm over medium high heat until
hot. Gently stretch each round as thin as possible without holes as you place
it on the griddle. Cook until browned, bubbly spots appear on the bottom,
about 1 1/2 minutes; turn and brown the other side. Remove from the pan and
immediately wrap in a clean towel until cool enough to handle. Serve warm or
at room temp.
6. Repeat with all. Pan will have to be re-oiled after 3-4. Do not add too
much oil or the pitas will be soggy and heavy.
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This book also includes many interesting stuffing recipes, dips, spreads,
soups, tea, yogurt and such sweets as glazed pita puffs and apricot & apple
combinations.
Posting for the first time to this list. Thanks to all of you (especially
LoisCon@.aol.com and her book, The Bread Machine Book of Helpful Hints ) for
information that has made our first few weeks with an ABM much easier. We
have a Zo, bought after returning a Breadman Plus due to it's burning, heavy
crust.
Debby
Sewing is more interesting when your corgi uses the foot pedal as a chin
rest!