Whole Wheat Pita Pocket Bread Free PD Recipe

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups organic white whole wheat flour or 450 grams hard white wheat berries milled finely
• Additional ¼ cup flour placed in a small bowl and set aside for rolling
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, optional but recommended
• 1 ½ cups water

Directions:

1. Watch video, read Directions, and Notes and Pro Tips before you begin for outstanding results
2. In a large mixing bowl, that will fit inside your Instant pot bowl, add flour, salt, and yeast; mix dry ingredients with a Danish dough whisk or fork to distribute yeast and salt
3. Add the measured water to dry mixture and combine using the dough whisk or fork
4. Pour dough mixture out onto counter top and knead with hands for three minutes
5. Place the smooth dough ball back into the mixing bowl
6. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap
7. Place into the Instant Pot, secure IP lid, and set to yogurt incubation for one hour
8. Place approximately ¼ cup flour or 2 Tablespoons milled wheat berries in a small bowl for rolling pitas
9. After an hour, place the oven rack and an unlined baking sheet closest to the heat source in the oven
10. Preheat oven and baking pan to 500 degrees
11. Remove dough from bowl and knead again for 3 minutes
12. Cut into eight pieces, roll into balls, and dip each ball into the bowl of flour making sure to coat both sides
13. Dust countertop with flour
14. Using a rolling pin, roll dough balls out into circles
15. Set rolled pitas on floured-dusted counter to prevent sticking
16. Remove preheated baking pan from oven and gently place two pitas onto the pan
17. Return pan to the oven and set a timer for four minutes
18. Remove baked pitas and transfer to a towel-lined bowl to keep warm
19. Repeat baking the remaining pitas

Notes & Pro Tips:

• The heat source in a gas oven is usually at the bottom and at the top in electric ovens
• Don’t forget to preheat your pan
• Flouring the counter isn’t necessary on the first or second knead, but flour is needed when rolling out the pitas

Pita Puffing Tips:

• Knead dough for a full three minutes, and don’t forget to knead again for three minutes after proofing
• Cut and round dough balls as demonstrated
• Dip kneaded dough balls in a bowl of flour and roll thin
• If raw pita sticks to the counter when rolling or when transferring to the hot pan small tears or tiny holes may occur which will release steam when baking preventing your pita from puffing to create pockets
• The steam that builds inside the pita is what makes it puff
• Be gentle when placing raw pita on the hot pan to avoid tears or tiny holes that will release steam
• Happy Pita Puffing!

Proofing Dough:

• The Instant Pot yogurt setting will incubate and stimulate live yeast microorganisms for a faster active rise
• This is also called proofing the dough—some ovens have a dough proofing setting
• This method keeps dough at a warm, even temperature
• Covering the dough with a lid or plastic wrap maintains a moist environment yeast microbes thrive in
• This method eliminates the step of activating the yeast in a bowl of warm water with sugar or applesauce and finding a consistently warm place to proof dough
• If you become distracted and the dough rises for 1 ½ to 2 hours, it will be fine, but longer rise times can affect the texture of your dough
• Choose a mixing bowl that will accommodate doubling of the dough volume while proofing
• Using a mixing bowl inside the Instant Pot insert eliminates having to wash two items, but you may place the dough directly into the Instant Pot cooking insert to proof it

Serving Suggestions:

• Fill the pockets of pita bread with pieces of Falafel and Jerusalem Salad for falafel sandwiches
• Use as a vessel for Creamy Hummus or French Onion Dip
• Fill with salads from the Middle Eastern recipe category
• Fill with Epic Egg-less Salad or Family Sized Mock Tuna Salad
• Serve with The Skinny Big Fat Greek Salad, Get Shredded Carrot Salad, Detoxifying Smashed Cucumber Salad, Shaved Fennel Salad, or a veg-it-up chopped salad
• Leftover Pita Bread can be wrapped or placed into a zipper bag and refrigerated or frozen
• Use leftovers for the PD Baked Pita Chips Recipe
• Pita Chips are excellent in Fattoush Salad

Spotlight on Protective Spermidine:
The top four sources of spermidine are the germ of fresh-milled whole wheat, soybeans, mushrooms, and green peas. Interventions, including spermidine, that delay aging and protect from age-associated disease are slowly approaching clinical implementation. One such agent, the natural polyamine spermidine, has prominent cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects and stimulates anticancer immunosurveillance in rodent models. Moreover, dietary polyamine uptake correlates with reduced cardiovascular and cancer-related mortality in human epidemiological studies. Spermidine preserves mitochondrial function, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, and prevents stem cell senescence. Mechanistically, it shares the molecular pathways engaged by other caloric restriction. It induces protein deacetylation and depends on functional autophagy. Because spermidine is already present in daily human nutrition, clinical trials aiming at increasing the uptake of this polyamine appear feasible.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29371440/
Spermidine and The Microbiome:
As people age lower levels of spermidine are found in the body. This reduction could be due to spermidine’s dependence on the microbiome and autophagy for utilization. Seniors tend to host a monoculture of less diverse resident microbes weakening their immune system and promoting disease. A diversely populated microbiome depends on lifestyle factors often inhibited as we age. Most will develop conditions requiring medication that suppresses the development of a healthy microbiome. This dysbiotic state is associated with reduced activity level, shallow breathing, reduced socialization, reduced natural microbial collection, limited meal variety, and reduced raw, fermented, and plant-fiber intake to develop and feed the microbiome. With The Protective Diet Microbiome Population Project we will adopt a lifestyle to protect, populate and manipulate our microbiome for immunity, metabolic function, and optimal health while eliminating allergies, obesity, disease, and food cravings.