Don’t forget to bake a batch of pillowy pita to pair it with. Store-bought breads after all, are no match for the cosy warmth of a basket lined with pillowy pockets of pita that are still warm from the oven!
Tips For Making The Creamiest Hummus
- Don’t use canned chickpeas! Soak dried chickpeas overnight, before boiling with a pinch of baking soda. Go ahead and overcook your chickpeas – we want them to be incredibly soft and mushy! If you can handle an extra step, peel the boiled chickpeas for the creamiest hummus!
- Don’t forget to save the aquafaba – the water that the chickpeas were boiled in. Use your judgement (or andaaz as we say colloquially here in India) to add a few tablespoons at the time of blending to help you get to your desired consistency.
- Ice cubes. We don’t know why it works, just that it does.
- Garlic, tahini, fine sea salt and lemon juice are your key add-ins. While I’ve given rough measurements below, inevitably you’ll always add a bit more according to taste. A splash more lemon juice for a bit more zing, a touch more tahini for a tad more nuttiness, more salt etc!
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil makes all the difference. Add a glug whilst blitzing together the hummus and a generous drizzle on top before serving.
- Make this recipe for the creamiest hummus your own: finish with a flair, plating your hummus with all your favourite spices (hello za’atar) and trimmings, from fresh parsley to a scattering of olives or even pomegranate!
The Creamiest Hummus & Pita Bread
Salaciously-smooth, this creamy hummus is best served prettily swirled on your favourite plate, speckled with spices and a gallimaufry of garnishes. Don't forget to bake pillowy pockets of warm pita to serve alongside!
Ingredients
For the hummus
- 1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained.
- 2 – 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 – 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 – 5 cubes of ice
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- sea salt (as per taste)
- olive oil, parsley, pomegranate, spices (za’atar, sumac, paprika etc) for garnish (I get my spices from ARQA at Foodhall)
For the pita
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fine salt/ sea salt
- 1 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour + more as required for dusting.
- pinch of sugar
Instructions
For making the creamiest hummus:
- Boil the chickpeas until soft and mushy. Pro tip: add a pinch of baking soda whilst boiling, to soften the chickpeas.
- Drain the boiled chickpeas, reserving some of the leftover water (aquafaba) and peel the chickpea skins.
- Blitz together the peeled chickpeas along with all of the other ingredients for the hummus (tahini, garlic, ice cubes, lime juice, salt and olive oil), as well as a few tablespoons of the reserved aquafaba. Stope to scrape the sides of the blender required.
- Blend until smooth and then adjust according to taste/ desired consistency. If the hummus is too thick, you can also thin it down with a couple of more tablespoons of olive oil (or cold water).
- Spread the hummus on a plate and decorate with your choice of garnishes. I usually add a glug of olive oil, followed by lots of fresh parsley, za’atar and a scattering of pomegranates!
For the pita
- Add a pinch of sugar and warm water to a bowl. Stir in the yeast and let it stand for 10 minutes or so (this is a quick proofing test to check whether the yeast works). Once the mixture starts to froth/ bubble, you know the yeast is active (if not, then start over with new yeast).
- Mix in the olive oil, flour and salt, stirring until combined in a shaggy mass.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surfaced and knead lightly, bringing the dough together in a moist ball (add a bit more all-purpose flour if required, but not too much).
- Place the moist ball of dough at the base of a large bowl and brush it all over with extra virgin olive oil. Cover the bowl lightly with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place for an hour or two until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough, quickly kneading it again before dividing and rolling it out into balls of equal sizes.
- Let the balls of dough rest for another half an hour and then roll each ball out into thin rounds (about 1/8 inch thick). Note that the dough will shrink whilst baking.
- Bake the pitas in a preheated oven at 250C for a few minutes on one side, before turning each over with a tong to bake for another minute on the other size. You’ll know you’re done when the pitas have gently puffed and are sporting a few brown spots. Remove from the oven and transfer the pitas onto a clean kitchen towel/ or preferably in a basket lined with a napkin so that they remain warm. Enjoy warm!
You may also like to browse…
We’d love to hear from you! Do let us know if you try this recipe – you can leave a comment below and/ or tag us in your delicious creations on Instagram @the_foodiediaries.
Latest Instagram Posts
Browse More Recipes
Get the latest reviews, recipes & recommendations, delivered straight to your inbox:
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
It was a delight to make this recipe. So creamy perfect consistency and yummy. By far the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. I love her recipes. So tasty and so easy to make , not like those complicated recipes we see online. I look forward to her posts.