How to Make Homemade Pita Bread and Shakshuka
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- čas přidán 16. 08. 2024
- Test cook Erin McMurrer shows host Bridget Lancaster how to make Pita Bread. Tasting expert Jack Bishop conducts a tasting of international yogurts. Science expert Dan Souza explains the science behind proofing dough. Finally, test cook Keith Dresser makes Julia a showstopping Shakshuka.
Get the recipe for Pita Bread: cooks.io/39hZus7
Get the recipe for Shakshuka: cooks.io/2NF17aY
Buy our winning stand mixer: cooks.io/2tkBbHO
Buy our winning blender: cooks.io/2XWPoVq
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Conversion for anyone who wants a more practical set of units for the Pita recipe:
415g bread flour
300g ice water (72% hydration)
28g honey
60g olive oil
~7g salt (which seems a little low, IMO, should be more like 12-15g to meet the 1.5% to 2% of total bakers weight target but YEMV)
Thank you! They said to use a scale, but gave measurements in cups and spoons. I was sooo confused! Lol.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
Thank you for the formula but she said “one and a quarter teaspoons of table salt” which is 6.25 cubic centimeter or *13.5625* grams.
the problem is, you can't just convert liquid and dry measures to weights, because it all depends on the type and density of the ingredient. Unless having exactly the same ingredients and measuring cups (which can also vary a lot) many things can go wrong. Especially be aware of just treating cups/spoons as x grams, it can really mess things up. Some automatic converters online will just translate 1 cup of anything to 240g or one teaspoon to 5g which is stupid. This is why all recipes should have properly measured weights imho, especially for crucial components in doughs and batters. It makes for objective proportions which are much more reliable and adaptable
Am I the only one that looks forward to watching these at night under the covers before bed?? ( Especially when Dan's featured 😘)
There is something super comforting about ATK's videos I must admit. Sometimes I'll just let youtube go to town and play them for a couple hours while I do stuff around the house or before bed lol I feel ya!
Brian Roof is my favourite. Woof!
@@Matthew4TheWin Brian could get it too indeed yaaaaass but something about Dan and all that science talk gets my bunsen burner going 😁
@@dantefreely5850 I think I’ll order both appetizers. 🍲🍱
100% this.
Making pita was one of most favorite thing to bake watching them puff was so satisfying
My pita is shipped in from Chicago and is first rate in quality and taste. Before Chicago it was New York for 30 years
The animation to help explain what's going on. Is nicely done.
ATK does it with Rose, a food scientists, when they do the 3 Levels of a recipe.
Odd Todd is precious.
I made shakshuka but didn't have all the spices but had salsa and added some roasted red peppers. Turned out really good. I have made it a couple times like that and same results. One day maybe I will get all the spices and try this recipe but till then thank you ATK for the inspiration.
One of my favorite shows! I love all of you❤️
Looks delicious, thanks to everyone at ATK!
That theme music always makes me smile. 😁
right? it reminds me of watching it on the Create network
Gosh, I'm watching reruns and enjoying it, too. Now I am hungry.
Those pitas looked absolutely perfect. Can you do an equipment review on gyro meat rotisseries? (Asking for a friend).
No home should be without one, Mr Popeil.
These pitas look amazing. I have tried to make them before but they never looked like this! Can't wait to make and also the Shakshuka looks devine! Thanks guys 😊
That pita looks AMAZING!
I love almost all those international yogurts. I've had every single brand
Thank you for enforcing proper standards for your pita. They look delicious.
I like the way how the "student" is so attentive. Always looking at the teacher.
I am going to try making pitas with this recipe. My other attempts have never really worked. Thanks!!
FAGE 5% Greek yogurt is sooooo goood!
Jack said “the *whey* its cultured”. He’s making hilarious puns and did not even notice!! 🤣
What's the pun?
@Itamar Olmert Whey over his head
White Mountain Bulgarian is my favorite yogurt of the ones shown here but I do strain it. But flavor-wise, it’s on another level. The only kinds which beat it, flavor-wise, are sheep milk yogurts such as Bellwether Farms or Old Chatham Creamery brands.
I love shakshuka. I prefer the chunky style. It's wonderful at any time of day ❣️
If you get pita bread from the super market, you can usually get them to puff up, by placing them directly on a gas stove for a few seconds, and then flipping them with tongs to heat the other side. I think that you can also get super market pita to puff up by putting them in a microwave for a few seconds.
I make my own yogurt. I started with an heirloom Lebanese yogurt culture. I love that it has the tartness of yogurt but it has a creamy flavor. It's versitle enough to make it sweet or savory. I am not a fan of using processed and pre packaged foods. It's easy to incubate in my instant pot and I just save a couple tbsp of the batch for the next batch.
My grandmother taught me to make Leban 55 years ago and although I have changed the method a few times it remains the same wonderful flavor.
I use fage plain as a sour cream over Mexican food, chili, in dips and sweetened over berries, in puddings. Its versatile & delicious
Giving it a try
That pita recipe is classic ATK. I'm sure those are great. Maybe even The Greatest Pita EVAR!
But do I really want to invest 2 days into 8 pocket breads?
I'll stick with my 3 hour recipe for Pretty Darn Good pitas.
I like ATK in general, but not this episode. They just made a simple process too complicated. Following their instructions, you need the dough to be in the fridge for almost two days☹️ I make pita bread almost every week. It takes about two hours to make them including to let dough rise twice. The key is to let the dough rest for about 10-15 min after the pita dough is rolled out before baking. I use a Cast iron pan to bake them. They all turn out very good, with nice pocket.
The food looks amazing!
True,very amazing
You can saute several whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic in the oil for a minute and then remove them to get a gentle garlic flavor.
Garlic paste from a jar will give milder garlic flavour too because the compound in the garlic which gives the harsh/hot garlic taste starts to degrade as soon as garlic is chopped.
@@whatevil you watch this channel and don’t know it’s called Allison?
I love how your guy's recipies are either considered "quick and easy" or "fun".
This looks like a good recipe, which I will try. But I can't help thinking of a Bedouin woman I saw making pita outside her tent in the heat of the desert. Ice water? No. Refrigerator? 0bviously not. Scale, nuh-uh. Ability to let the dough rest overnight. Nope. Oven? No--she cooked the pitas quickly over open flame. Delicious? You betcha!
Shakshuka! The best version I’ve ever had was in Israel. This recipe looks great.
I'd thought it was an Israeli thing - but now another joins the list of 'regional'
Remember working in Tel Aviv and asking Tripadvisor app to "take us to shakshuka"
Fully aware there might be somewhere better that was less online-savvy, but best meal I had out there. Freshest pillowy bread (and yes you need to order more), red-sauce with a depth of flavour you could dive in, and creamy eggs over it. Tried at home, I got it 'good' - but wasn't the same.
Options were 'heat' (I think I went a perfect 4/5 - never choose the hottest) and optional meat (merguez) - nice, but wasn't what the dish is about.
Really?
There is also my favourite middle eastern pressed yogurt. It is thick, creamy and can be slightly tangy. Have with pita bread.
Yes it’s called Labneh. It’s just yogurt almost fully drained of water. Delicious
@@MrChristian Yes. I would have it breakfast growing up.
@@IruTheday That’s great. It’s delicious w/ plain olive oil, salt optional. Dried mint and/or Aleppo pepper are also added sometimes.
ATK: Use a scale! It's easier!
Also ATK: 14 and 2/3 ounces
For the sanity of everyone watching, use grams lol
Yep, I've never understood it. Most scales include grams. Even if you don't normally use metric, it's far easier to use the gram measurements.
you don't know what the word everyone means, bud. The majority of people who watch America's Test Kitchen live in America, where we use ounces.
@@jbfarley Lol
@@jbfarley The point is that almost every scale you can buy allows you to toggle between grams and ounces. Grams are a smaller unit of measure, so it's just better to use grams because you can be more accurate.
America's Test Kitchen. Imperial measurements.
Love Erin
Can you also use ice water with active yeast? Thank you for your work.
Really nice looking shakshuka recipe.
Yours is the second recipe that uses ice- cold water. I have often wondered why ice water. Thanks for your thorough explanation. What's your suggestion for one without a mixer?
I Luv this show, my own pita fabuloous!
I think I'll be cooking the Shakshuka, I've been cooing curries, Indian, Sri Lankan, and Trinidad, I've learned so much and love the flavor.
Ice Water minus dipples equals Pita perfection. 😍
Bridget looks so beautiful 🤩 makeup and hair looks gorgeous!!!
If you don’t own a pizza stone could you use a large cast-iron skillet in the oven?
Yes but you might need to lower the temperature or the cooking time slightly because the cast iron will transfer heat into your bread more quickly. It's likely that you'll have to adjust temp and time anyway because every home oven is different so it's not a big deal. Probably just try at the temp given in the vid at first, keep an eye on it, if the pita comes out burned or is too browned before it puffs up then lower the temp a bit, but it'll probably be fine.
New intro is fire.
Love Shaskshuka with eggs or Cod (or other fish available). Also love to make Huevos Rancheros with eggs. Similar dishes, different spices/herbs. Next time I make either of these dishes I will try Keith's method using the blender.
Why was there a whole tip and explanation as to why the shakshuka sauce needed to be smooth for even cooking, only to put in chunks of roasted peppers? Does that not negate the smoothness?
No, it doesn't.
How is pita made traditionally? I can’t picture Bedouin Arabs refrigerating dough for sixteen hours.
I'm sure fresh pita is best, but I wish they did a taste test segment for the best store bought pita. There's gotta be a decent one out there that isn't dry and rips too easily for when you don't want to wait for hours for the perfect pita.
For those complaining on the merits of the imperial system, try doing 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc with a metric measurement. Each system has its pluses. There’s lots of measurements that are not base 10 - like time and angles. Also, American packaging features both imperial and metric measurements. Sadly, middle school physics in the US is tougher than elsewhere because it’s done in imperial units (feet, yards and miles, oh my). Let’s appreciate the differences and get baking :-)
Grams are small enough units that you don’t need fractions of grams. I will not appreciate the differences, I will join my fellow bakers (and the majority of the planet) and use the superior system: metric.
@@matthewrick Excellent! Get Baking!
And try baker's ratios for small batches with imperial
Use metric. Grams.
**America’s** Test Kitchen
Yup... Everyone else around the world uses metric.. Cups & ounces are so yesterday!
@@handyvickers
The show is produced by PBS (public television) *in the US* for an audience *in the US*.
So, sure ... if they wanted to *alienate their audience and lose their funding*, they could do what you and Omar suggest ...
A BACON BUFFET???? That's one of my favorite food groups! Along with peanut butter cups.
Home made is the best!
Love the eggs shakshuka?
I miss this format.
ATK,Hello ILL TRY TO MAKE MY OWN PITS, AS THESE REALLY HAVE POCKETS, BUT THERE WAS A BRAND MY SIL IN FLA BOUGHT WHICH DID HAVE POCKETS,SHEBIS LONG GONE BUT I KNOW WHERE SHE BOUGHT THEM,, THE OTHER STUFF LOOOKS REALLY GOOD, HERE ITS 8;36 PM I AM GOING TO BREAKFAST , 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Wallaby yoghurt, I’m Australian and have never heard of this brand nor have I ever heard of an Australian style yoghurt. I find this pretty funny as I mostly eat Greek style yoghurt but do also enjoy the sweeter and vastly thicker yoghurts. My favourite is actually “natural” as opposed to Greek style yoghurt though it’s much harder to get these days, it’s a less sour, more homogeneous Greek yoghurt. One of my favourite yoghurts is sheep’s milk yoghurt but I rarely buy it as it costs a fortune.
All the yoghurts, and all the company's are American.
And an Australian wouldn't call their regular yoghurt "Australian style", just yoghurt. Just like the Greeks don't call theirs Greek style.
Keyword style.
8:28 lol!
❤ Oh, Brother, where art thou?
Looking for that video 😘❤❤😻
Did anyone else notice @:20 it looked like Bridget snuck in there and stole a piece of bacon?
She didn't steal it, it's a bonus. 😉
crazy measurements. i wonder if they were translating from metric measures.
😂,this hilarious
If God had meant us to use the metric system, there would have been ten disciples.
@@whazzat8015 well, then god can come measure out the damn ingredients. lol
@@markevans9188 I don't know. I saw how his bread turned out in Exodus. bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Baking He never seemed to get the knack of it.
@@whazzat8015 strange, I’ve never used disciples to help me add and subtract things in my head. I’ve used fingers, though. Too bad God had nothing to do with anatomy.
I really love making flat breads!
*Even if they can be a Pita sometimes.*
I can tell from your hat
🤣 I see what you did there, lol!
Are you using table salt? I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, which does not measure the same as table salt. Can you please provide the weight of salt in grams?
Most breads have somewhere between 1.5% to 2% salt by total weight. The dough they made was ~715g, which would make ~12g salt appropriate.
@@mereth13 thank you! Good information.
What is the oven temperature?
Pro tip: substitute the boring feta with some Bulgarian white brine cheese - much deeper tangier flavor which goes amazing with the tomato sauce.
On what planet is Feta boring? Lol
Feta is delicious, and white brine cheese is disgusting, sooo... 🤷♀️
The tips for good pita bread is everything 🙌 I'd love it if you're team would do a vegan food's test/compare and contrast, we do exist you know, especially the 'whole food, plant based' enthusiasts. Thanks 😊 😊 😊
No thanks
Would love to make those pita pockets but, living here in the islands, what would be the ideal room temperature of my kitchen to avoid that quick fermentation from happening?
Ideal room temperature is always around 77F ive seen some degrees less but never more. But I’m assuming it shouldn’t matter to much if you’re using ice water
Mid Texanish
If you go to the trouble of using a scale, use grams not ounces.
Why do you decrease the water by 1oz if using bread flour other than KA? Is KA a higher protein than others?
I believe KA does in fact have high protein content: www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/596-a-guide-to-all-purpose-flour-shopping-tips-the-best-brands-and-more
As if KA had the only baking flour.. Dumbest ATK comment I have seen them make.
And this is after poor Helen Rennie's treatise on pasta flour.
What about pita without a pocket?
Extra points for "panoply."
A comparison between kefir and yogurt especially the Bulgarian.
Here is the saner, less pedantic, recipe for the dough by weight that uses zero measuring cups and spoons:
KA Bread Flour: 15 oz.
Instant or active yeast :2 tsp.
Cold tap water 50-60 °F is fine: 10.5 oz.
Honey: 50 g.
EVOO: 2 oz.
Salt: 10 g.
The thing to pay attention to here are the folding techniques, and which side stays up. Good luck!
Whoever did their measurements was using other yeast products at the time.
The folding was done by a three card Monte dealer.
Note that it is not “auto-lease” it is pronounced “auto-lice”. Great show and video. Thanks.
@@sandrah7512 - Thanks for that clarification. This is not intended as a critical comment but the content creator should be aware of the limits of the medium and the use of a foreign idiom in a video that will be viewed by folks of widely varying experience and education. I speak reasonable French and am a career chemist. My comment reflects the limitations of my knowledge. It is of no matter. It was a very good video and I appreciate that you took the time to give me something I strive for each day - a little new knowledge. Thanks Sandra.
Every bread book I’ve seen that mentions autolyse says it is pronounced autoleese.
@@DWRead-ms8wi - Sadly, all of those bread making books are incorrect. The use of -lyse and -lysis comes from biology and the suffix suggests destruction, chain breaking, or other degradation of a biological entity. For example, when wanting to analyze cell contents, the cells are lysed by an enzyme or other destructive material. I think what you may be experiencing is an example of something that one has long accepted but turns out to be incorrect. Being 71 yo, I have experienced it often and still experience it with regularity. It can be disconcerting, but I admit that I still like being surprised by everyday life. To confirm my assertion you can go to the following website:
www.howtopronounce.com/autolyse
I enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
@@sandrah7512 - Interesting except........it is NOT a French bread baking word, it is a biology based word without French roots. It is derived from Greek and Latin. On the other hand, if the channel was presenting to or targeting a French speaking cohort AND presented in French, then the French pronunciation would be appropriate. But it isn’t. It is in English and seems targeted at a English speaking cohort. Prudent practice is to present in the vocabulary familiar to the audience. This is not earth shaking stuff. I merely offered some information to the video source. I don’t care about any further debate as there is nothing to debate. Please fact check me on any of my input or replies.
No salt?
YUM!
Dan! 😍
Wow, you were served this on a plane. First class seats are the only way to fly!
I know this is mostly for a US audience, but baking with imperial measurements when you're dealing with weight is almost as bad as measuring by volume. I have never seen a scale in my life that doesn't measure in metric, and I live in the US. You don't have to switch every measurement you make in the kitchen, but if you have to do any math at all, you will very quickly regret using a system that isn't base 10.
Yup... Metric is sooooooo easy
Im from Israel, and that store bought pita looked awful! Yours looked much better, and your explanation about yeast was excellent.
But I’m sorry, this is not Shakshuka. First of all, a Shakshuka is not smooth, it’s chunky and you can feel all the vegetables. We also use fresh tomatoes and peppers, its much better. And the pita bread in the sauce was so weird! We definitely don’t do that.
While I agree that a smooth sauce is weird, ATK doesn't flout the rules for the heck of it. They explained the problem that a chunky sauce causes (unevenly cooked eggs) and how puréeing it solves the problem. Plus the pita bread in the sauce served a purpose, which is to help thicken the sauce.
I'm not going to argue with tradition. I'm not Israeli so my words carry no weight but show me the science of how something works and I'll be more likely to get persuaded.
@@halfthefiber sure I get the science behind what they do but there’s a reason people make it chunky for years. It’s delicious! People are perfectly happy with what we have. You can change things in the dish, but call it a different name, like “eggs in tomato sauce”. It’s just not Shakshuka anymore.
if you actually watched the video and listed to what they said, you wouldn't have had any need to make the point about chunky vs smooth
Israel isn't the only country in the region. shakshuka isn't an exclusively Israeli dish. this is very much a shakshuka.
Why is the pita method so different from the bread illustrated!? Sugar vs honey, fridge vs room temp rise, 425 vs 500°?
Roasted red peppers - is that something I process or is it available at the supermarket?
Both.
Commonly available jarred in Central Texas, and I think fairly common through out the US. Looked like jarred in the video.
Roast whole peppers over heat source until skin soft and blistered. Cooled and peeled and add garlic, olive oil and snjoy.
This Israeli has a few comments and criticisms:
1) The honey in the pita (don't put "bread" at the end) is a nice touch. Not traditional, but sounds like it might be good.
2) Those pitas are too pale! They should be at least a little darker. They're also not as fluffy as most people prefer. But on the plus side, it means there's more room to fit fillings inside.
3) That shakshuka sauce is TOO THIN! As you mentioned, most recipes have a chunkier sauce. Why? Because it's SUPPOSED to be chunky! That's how we like it. Also, pita in the sauce? What the hell?
4) There should be more than eight eggs in the shakshuka!
5) Shakshuka does NOT have cheese or olives on top. What it can have (sometimes) is raw olive oil.
SMH now zionists are stealing/appropriating our food too
nobody cares
I hope that was a joke for your sake
I have a gas oven both regular and confection which one should I use?
They talked about this in one of their recent QA's. Convection if you want to dry something and make more of a crust, otherwise off.
@@IruTheday TYSooooooo much!💯
@@chefevilee9566 you're very welcome
@@chefevilee9566 I was actually looking for the answer to that question until that video
@@IruTheday Well you sure saved me a lot of time! What I plan on doing is making the famous New York Times and this American test kitchen pita. Then have my family pick which one they like better. I am hoping it is the New York Times pita. It has whole wheat and a lot less oil. But I’m thinking America’s test kitchen pita is going to win because of all the oil.
I just made the best tortillas. Why were they the best? They had tons of lard/shortening which ever you would use in the recipe😂
Any idea how pita was cooked in warmer climates where ice n refrigeration were not the norm?
They made an igloo for them.
If this is the only way to have a great pita, I guess I'll never eat a great pita.
what part makes it hard for you?
@@ginamariakleinmartin6503 all of it. 5 pitas are $1 at store.
@@MisterMister5893 but are they great? Made our first pita over the holidays and will never buy grocery pita again. Just not worth it. (Pita from the Lebanese bakery down the road is a different story)
@@MisterMister5893 none if it is hard
Bridget has a rocking set
Try lebanese bread bigger ,thinner and easy to work with .
“You could put a lot of 🐑 in there. “
Whoever did their measurements was using other yeast products at the time.
I don’t have 16-24 hours to wait for pita bread. I also don’t have room in my fridge for a cookie sheet. Can’t I make this in less time??
Some things just take time
Look on CZcams. Recipes galore. Pick the one that suits your time and taste.
Go to the store.
Yes, this process is ridiculous. Pita has been made for ages and nobody was using ice water and refrigeration when it was started. I've made it lots.
Less thatn 24 hours ? No problem Absolutely . Free recipe is in the Hagadah for the Passover Sedar.
How on earth do the eggs in the shakshuka get cooked to a safe temperature this way? The yolks seem way too runny but I could easily be mistaken.
"I want to emphasize the importance of weighing your ingredients..."
*only weighs 2 ingredients*
The two ingredients that really need to be.
czcams.com/video/ykwldPu_mII/video.html
Very difficult to follow as speech rapid and measurements given in ounces - huh ? A shame really!
Why is there no original yogurt?
When she said, "You need to weigh your ingredients when it ..." I said, "Bless your heart, no, I'm not weighing anything except myself."
I think I'm gonna try making your pita! But really, why call it shakshuka, and more importantly, why get excited about it? It's huevos rancheros that you've run through a blender.
Most recipes I've seen for huevos rancheros include bacon. Shakshuka is vegetarian. Otherwise they are cousin dishes for sure.
what's a huevo rancheros and why get excited about it? it's a shakshuka but with different spice!
see what I'm getting at?
This show just dropped 2wk ago. So why does the Fagre yogurt have expiration date May 2019?
The episodes air on television first, weekly, they are added to youtube after the season is done. Hence the delay.
which yogurt has the most nutrients ?
you tell the world to weigh your ingredients and you use dumb measurements like 14 and 3/4 ounces. Just use grams. Not only will it make your life simpler, it is the right way to do things.
American measurements are just so absurd!