PALEO PITA BREAD {AIP}JANUARY 14, 2015 BY PREDOMINANTLY PALEO (video
here)
You might not believe this but I do not in fact live off paleo breads, pastas, and straight up carbs. Well, today I may have taste-tested myself into carb bliss. But so you know, I am driven to write these sorts of recipes, not so they can replace nutrient based foods, but so that deprivation can feel smaller and smaller until it doesn’t have to exist at all. People approach the grain free lifestyle differently. For some omitting the “bad stuff” is the best approach. For others, substitution provides more of a successful plan. When I first went gluten free in 2008, I found a g-free sub for EVERYTHING. Oreos, bread, burritos, you name it. And to be truthful a lot of it was still garbage. But because I was so desperate to feel normal I indulged. There is a lot of debate about Paleo “junk food” (like breads and desserts) – that it defeats the purpose of eating Paleo in the first place. We should be focused on organic bone broth and organ meats, not bread… right???! Well, here’s my two cents. If you are transitioning off of a fast food, TV dinner, Chinese take out based lifestyle, having a homemade Paleo Pita Bread might be the very thing that helps satisfy a craving without “oopsing” too many times. So when I think about the average person in our country and the diet they consume, I’d say eating a grain free pita is the not only the lesser of the evils, it ain’t all that bad to begin with…that said, you know this is not meant to take the place of kale or chicken liver. Kapish?
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1.5 cups warm water (around 100-105 degrees F) You can start with 1 cup and work your way up – your dough should be claylike when you finish adding ingredients. Keep in mind tapioca flour is NOT the same as cassava flour. Also, different brands/batches will vary. I use Otto’s Naturals Brand and it ABSOLUTELY takes a full 1.5 cups of water to make this recipe work***
1 tablespoon honey or 100% maple syrup (for vegan option)
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or cooking fat of choice)
2 cups cassava flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 450
2. In a mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and honey and allow to sit for a couple of minutes
3. Add in flour, salt, and oil
4. Stir with a spoon and then kneed by hand until a large ball of dough is formed
5. Divide into approximately 6 equal portions
6. Take each portion, one at a time and make a ball
7. Wet hands and dampen the ball of dough
8. Next roll it out each ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper (each pita should be about 5-6 inches in diameter), the water helps prevent the dough from having cracked edges. If it cracks, use your hands to seal it back together. Remove the top piece of parchment after rolling out before baking.
9. Bake pitas (as many as will fit on a baking sheet) for 5 minutes on each side or longer depending on preference of “pocket” or “dipping” pita.
10. Note: Cooking time and thickness variation will help determine end product. Thicker discs with shorter cooking time will yield more of a soft pita bread you can stuff. Thinner discs with longer cooking time will yield a slightly crispier version, perfect for dipping.
11. Note: If you prefer to use this as a pocket to stuff, cut the pitas in half soon after removing from the oven and then slice the pocket open while still warm. Once they cool they are harder to slit open.
My variation: I added one tablespoon of whole ground psyllium husks so it would hold together better, and swapped a half cup of the cassava flour for a half cup of almond meal both for flavor and for looks. Hey, looks are important! :-) I also added 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Next time I'll probably double up on the salt, since I don't have high blood pressure.
Baking 5" diameter pitas for 7 minutes each side was about right for me. For the second batch I turned on the broiler and tossed them back in for a minute per side to brown them. Yep, they're excellent, just right for naan or a dipping pita. I'd have to make them thicker if I wanted to use them as a pocket pita, but for dipping they're great! At 5 inch diameter I don't think I could easily slit them open without cutting myself, as mine didn't rise as much as Jennifer's did. Next time maybe I'll try baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead of the active dry yeast. Yeast has always been VERY finicky for me. One out of the six puffed up in the oven, but it deflated as soon as I turned it.
original article:
http://predominantlypaleo.com/paleo-pita-bread-aip/
edit:
Not Paleo or AIP, but I'm making some macadamia nut Hummus at the moment. As long as the (unroasted) nuts are soaked for 24 hours, the hormone disruptors are neutralized and they're safe to eat for those of us with endocrine problems. Right now my nuts are soaking.
Here's the recipe if you want it:
Low Carb Macadamia Nut Hummus - 332 KBThe hummus recipe worked out great! By the time I was done I'd added an extra tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of spring water. The recipe as stated makes about 190 grams of hummus, around 6.7 ounces. It's a lot of work for a small jar of hummus, but worth it for a quick Med fix.
