Pita Bread & Hummus

Flat breads are staple foods in the Middle East and are dipped in "hummus," and olive oil or filled with lamb or beef, onions and a yogurt sauce. This hummus recipe is slightly more complex and requires ten minutes of cooking to produce a wonderful flavor. To serve pita with hummus, use a pizza cutter to slice the pita breads into wedges. The dough may also be shaped into
mini-pita breads which make nice little "scoops."

Hummus Dip

    ½ cup sesame seeds
    2 cups water
    Juice of 2 lemons
    ½ cup rice bran oil
    ¼ cup Greek olive oil
    1 tablespoon clover honey
    2 (15 ½-ounce) cans low-salt chickpeas, drained
    6 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press
    1 tablespoon wheat germ
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika
    ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
    ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
    ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin seeds
    Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Pita Bread

    2 cups water, warmed to 110
    1 tablespoon active dry yeast
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    4 cups all-purpose flour
    1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
    2 teaspoons salt

1.  Hummus: Process the sesame seeds in small batches in a
     coffee grinder until powdery. Clean the coffee grinder.

2.  In a blender or food processor, process the ground sesame,
     water, lemon juice, rice bran oil, olive oil, honey, chickpeas,
     garlic, wheat germ, salt, paprika, pepper, turmeric and cumin
     on low speed, stir occasionally while blender is turned off.

3.  Pour into a 5-quart sauté pan, stir 10 minutes over medium      
     heat until thick. Pour into a serving bowl, cover and
     refrigerate until serving time.

4.  Pita bread: Place the warm water, yeast, oil, all-purpose
     flour, whole-wheat flour and salt in bread machine pan. Set
     on white, dough and large bread cycle.

5.  When the bread rising is complete, preheat the oven to 500 .
      Place a baking stone in the oven or use baking sheets.

6.  Divide dough into 12 pieces. Flatten rounded pieces, roll out    
     on floured breadboard as thinly as possible.

7.  Place pita rounds on the preheated baking stone. Bake just until     
     puffed up or a few dark spots appear. Remove and cool
     slightly, then place in a covered container. Moisture will
     soften breads as they cool. This is recommended if you don't
     want to eat crackers. Serve with hummus topped with parsley.
 
     Makes 10 large pita breads