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!
