5-6cupsall-purpose flourmay use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1cupdried chickpeassoaked in cold water overnight OR use well canned drained chickpeas (7 ounces/100 grams)
1/2large onionroughly chopped, about 1 cup
2tablespoonsfresh parsleychopped OR use a couple pinches of dried parsley (.2 ounces/5 grams)
2tablespoonsfresh cilantrochopped OR use a couple pinches of dried cilantro (.2 ounces/5 grams)
1teaspoontable salt.1 ounce/5 grams
1teaspoondried hot red pepperscayenne (.1 ounce/2 grams)
4whole garlic clovespeeled
1teaspooncumin.1 ounce/2 grams
1teaspoonbaking powder.13 ounces/4 grams
4tablespoonsall-purpose flour1 ounce/24 grams (you may need a bit extra)
tasteless oil for fryingvegetable, canola, peanut, soybean, etc., you will need enough so that the oil is three inches deep in whatever pan you are using for frying
Instructions
Flatbread directions
In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.
Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).
Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, (as stated mine needed roughly 15 minutes to bake) or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.
Hummus
I added some soy sauce (just a little splash) and some sundried tomatoes in there. Even though I did not add the entire 89 ml of lemonjuice, I still thought it was a bit too lemony, so the soysauce and the sundried tomatoes were meant to balance that out a bit. And it worked... :)
Directions:
1. Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2. Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
Cucumber Raita
Peel cucumber, de-seed, and dice. Blot off moisture with paper towels.
2. Toast cumin seeds for a few seconds in a small, heavy frying pan over high heat.
3. In a bowl, stir yogurt until it is smooth.
4. Mix it with the cumin, garlic and coriander or mint leaves (I used some grated radish instead).
5. Stir in the cucumber and sprinkle with cayenne or paprika, and chill before serving.
Falafel
1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, and then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.
2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. If you don’t have a food processor, then feel free to mash this up as smooth as possible by hand.
3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.
5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees (190C) in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown.