Puffy Pita and Yummy Hummus

Superbowl Sunday! The perfect occasion for some dip and dippers - somewhat non-traditional, perhaps, but very tasty.

The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

The mandatory recipes were the pita and hummus, which is what I did. Since these two items were part of my Superbowl menu, there were other items on the table, too.

I used some whole wheat flour in the pita, to make it more appealing to my husband, who is a whole grain devotee. The recipe was very easy, although I think I may have added too little flour in the basic recipe. I remedied that by kneading in a lot more as I prepared the dough for baking.


Here they are in the oven in all their puffy glory. Using a pizza stone ensured the temps were hot and constant. The actual baking took only minutes and was quite rewarding as they often not only puffed, but kept that puff even after leaving their hot incubator.


It was a generous recipe and I had plenty for the Superbowl, sent some to Nick in Boston and froze even more. Maybe not a lifetime supply, but surely enough for several little noshes.

The hummus was even simpler - chick peas, garlic, lemon, salt, tahini thrown into the food processor and whizzed up. I roasted the garlic before using because I wanted a smoother garlic flavor. The texture and consistency was perfect, with very little tweaking - just some of the chickpea liquid added to smooth things out. I did not add any additional flavors. While Bob, my husband, frequently buys flavored hummus (olive, roasted tomato, roasted pepper), I'm a purist and really enjoy the basic recipe the most. Really, this hummus is so appealing, it's all I could do to keep from just dipping my finger into it and eating it right out of the dish.


The final setting - fresh tomatoes, olives, hummus and pita - along with other Superbowl treats. But frankly, this is one special occasion dish which should be part of the menu for virtually any meal. Loved it!