Pita Bread

Europe doesn't really do fast food (minus the american fast food chains) but if they had to have an equivalent, kabobs would be it. Kabobs are middle eastern street food but there are about 50 kabob shops just in Slupsk and there were tons in Spain too. A kabob is not what you might initially have thought. It's not a shish kabob where you put meat/veggies on a stick and grill it. It's basically pita bread filled with meat that they have shaved off these big roasters. Everyone here loves them. Levi tried some with his teammates.

With this in mind, I wanted my own kabob. My parents and I always got gyros when I was little and I loved them. Kabobs are a lot like that. Luckily, my favorite gluten free cookbook/blog has a recipe for pita bread. I've made it before but this time I attempted to make it dairy free also. It came out great! Maybe some of the best bread I've ever made and really easy to to re-use for things other than kabobs.

Gluten/Diary Free Pita Bread

From Glutenfreeonashoestring.com

Makes:12 pitas

3 to 4½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, divided
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
4 tsp instant yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more
2½ cups warm milk, about 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (can use a dairy substitute but whatever you use must have a little fat)

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place 3 cups of flour and the xanthan gum, along with the salt, and mix to combine well. Add the yeast and sugar, then the oil, mixing well to combine after each addition. I don't have a stand mixer so I used a hand mixer.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the milk in a slow pour. The dough should begin to come together. Continue adding the milk until it’s all in there.
• Add enough additional flour so that the dough is thick and kinda creamy looking – not dry, and not really sticky, but tacky so if you touch it some of it sticks to your finger. You can always add more flour. I added just over 1/2 cup extra to mine.
• Dump the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over a few times to coat with oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm, humid place for about an hour, or until nearly doubled in size. I put mine in the microwave (don't turn it on, just set it in there) because it keeps in at a constant temperature with no draft. It will look dimply, and will be a bit tough to handle.
• Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (if you have a silicone mat, this would be a great time to break it out). Divide the dough into 12 to 15 pieces.
• For each piece of dough, roll it into a ball and press it together, squeezing out the air. Then, with the heel of your hand, press it into a disk. Press from the inside out, taking care not to make it too thin (especially at the endges). Sprinkle flour lightly on any sticky spots. Rotate the round of dough on the floured surface, and flip it frequently. If you have added too much flour at any point, drizzle in some canola (or vegetable) oil. It's ok if you have to oil up a piece of dough and start again. They should be just a little thicker than a pancake.
• Place rounds of dough on your baking sheet so they don't touch. Bake for between 5 and 8 minutes, taking care not to allow the pita to burn. It will be darker on the underside than on the top.

They are best right after you make them but be sure to let them cool completely before you try and cut into it. Slice each round in half, then run your knife on the inside of the bread to make a pocket. Now you can stuff it with whatever you want! We had chicken, peppers, red onions, spinach, cucumbers, and tzatziki sauce. I LOVE tzatziki sauce so I couldn't really imagine eating a pita without it. This is a really fun dinner for kids too because they can build their own.

Hopefully you enjoy middle eastern street food as much as we did!

Maura