How to make Wholewheat Pita Bread. A simple switch from refined grains.

Hannah Sunderani
Jul 22, 2016
5 min read

Mitch and I officially tied the knot and we are now back from our honeymoon! I didn't really believe it when people said "your wedding day will be the best day of your life," but they were SO right! And the honeymoon following it was pure bliss. We road-tripped to the northern coast of Spain indulging in wine from La Rioja, ate amazing pintxos in San Sebastian, and soaked up sun on the eastern coast of France in Biarritz and Archachon. It's got me swooning all over again!

But, with travelling comes the terrible difficulty to find plant-based options (especially in countires that adore their meats), and of course the complete overindulgence of unhealthy eats! I can't tell you how many times I busted out 100 jumping jacks at our hotel to try and balance the ridiculous amount of calories I just consumed. It's a miracle I'm still married! So it's safe to say that although I'm sad our celebrations are over I am very happy to be back in my own kitchen, cooking up some healthy plant-based meals again!

In fact, I was feeling extra anxious to get back into the kitchen because during our road-trip Mitch and I downloaded the audio book by Michael Greger, MD, How Not to Die. If you haven't heard of this book it's written by an internationally recognized physician in which he provides evidence based research to explain how chronic illnesses can often be prevented through healthy changes in diet and lifestyle. Although I think I'm a good candidate for plant-based eating and healthy lifestyle one thing that really registered for me was his discussion about whole grains vs. refined. In fact, I hadn't realized how much refined grains I actually consume! Even though I'm aware that whole grains are better for you I still more consistently choose white flour, pasta and rice. Does this happen to you too?

I suppose I assumed that although I was eating refined grains I was getting so many other nutrients from plant-based foods that it was no big deal. "Besides, white rice is just brown rice without the nutrients so they aren't having a negative affect on my body." Turns out, I was SO wrong. In Dr. Greger's book he talks about how refined grains do in fact cause a negative affect on health, increasing risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. And while refined grains increase these risks, whole grains actually lower it.

It really resonated with me because it's such a simple switch to make. I was already eating these starches - a baguette with dinner, white thin crust pizza dough, white basmati rice - so why not take the opportunity to easily replace the refined grains with whole grains?!

I was keen to make the change ASAP! In fact, it's a good job Mitch drove home from Archachon because I definitely would have been stopped for speeding. "Sorry officer, I had to pick up some wholewheat flour before the grocery store closed!" Yah...probably wouldn't be able to fight myself out of that ticket!

So as you guessed upon returning I picked up some organic wholewheat flour, buckwheat flour and wholewheat pasta. And OMG it felt great! I hadn't even paid for it yet and I already felt healthier. I was TOTALLY that braggy woman at checkout who thinks she has a one-up because her register is packed with whole foods. Whoops!

So now that I had these organic flours what was I to do with them? Why not make some wholewheat flour pitas! They're super diverse, easy to make, and popular with the new hubby! (I was feeling a little guilty about my whole grain panic attack, and desperately wanted to score some hubby points). I had also been inspired by a new friend Sandra, who used these pitas as burger buns, which shows how diverse these pitas can be. And it doesn't stop there, these pitas are great for tofu breakfast scramble or lunchtime sandwiches. And it's perfect for my Pan Fried Spiced Chickpea recipe, or to dip into my You Need this Hummus recipe. You can also enjoy with some Curried Lentil Burgers (recipe coming soon!).

As for taste, they are much more delicious to store bought because they're SO insanely fresh! You can literally eat them right out of the oven! It doesn't get fresher than that. And, if you prep the dough ahead of time (which takes only a few minutes) you can bake them throughout the week in just 1-2 minutes! Seriously...if you weren't already convinced.

I hope you enjoy these delicious, wholesome pitas. And remember, the next time you reach for that refined flour STOP and grab the wholewheat. It's an easy-peasy switch that gives the same delicious outcome, with an abundance of nutritious benefits!

Wholesome Wholewheat Pita Bread

Makes: 6 pitas| Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 1-2 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups organic wholewheat flour (plus a little extra for prep)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo) (plus a little extra for prep)

Directions:

Mix water and yeast together and stir until dissolved. Then add your flour, salt and evoo. Stir dough until it becomes shaggy in texture. Then, using your hands knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until it's a smooth ball.
Lightly coat a clean bowl with evoo and place the dough inside. Turn the dough until it's entirely covered with oil from the bowl. Cover with a clean dishcloth and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until it's doubled in size.
Lightly flour your countertop and place the dough on top. Smooth the dough out just a little so you can divide it evenly into 6 pieces. Then roll each piece into a ball.*
Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450F. Using a rolling pin flatten the dough balls into disks about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle flour onto the rolling pin and countertop if needed to stop the dough from sticking.
Place disk one by one directly in your oven on your pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake the pita bread for 1-2 minutes or until it has fully puffed out.
Remove pita bread from oven, cover with a dish towel and continue the process with the other flour disks.

*If you prefer to not to bake all 6 pita breads at once you can tightly wrap each dough ball in surran wrap and place in the fridge until ready to use. It will keep up to one week refrigerated.

Approvals: