Teff Pitta Breads

These pittas are rich and dark. Teff gives the crumb a sourdough density and tang, and lends the crust a chew. Pecan meal lends it a shortness and opens up the texture to produce a bread that is rich, satisfying and great with both cheese and pickle or creamy butter and honey. Brazilnut meal is also fantastic here, producing a creamier taste - if you're not too keen on pecans. If you can't eat nuts - I guess you'd want to try my sweet potato pittas instead.

I was eating the last of this batch yesterday for an afternoon snack, toasted and split, smeared with butter and honey. As I leant over my book with half a pitta in my other hand, Fin swooped in like a baby seagull and snatched it clean away. Chomp, chomp, chomp and my snack was gone. 'Mmm mmm! That was good! Can you make me one?' said Fin innocently. I went to the 'how do I feel?' chart and chose; 'frustrated'. Opened the fridge and peeled a carrot....

Teff Pitta Breads (Gluten Free - makes 7-8)

I used fast action yeast for these as it's what I had - it's the kind you use in bread machines. If you have another kind then just use the equivalent and take the water needed to froth it from the allowance given in the recipe. If you keep your flours in the freezer or fridge, warm them up before starting or leave for a couple of hours at room temp.

Dry ingredients
4 oz white teff flour
4 oz pecan meal (or ground pecans)
1 oz millet flour
1 oz tapioca starch
2 oz sorghum flour
1 tsp fast action yeast
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp xanthan gum

Wet ingredients
1 tsp lime or lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs date syrup (or 1 tsp honey & 1 tsp molasses)
160ml (2/3 cup) warm water
1 large free range egg

Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl.

Beat all the wet ingredients together and beat into the dry ones until smooth. It will be unmanageably sticky at this point - fear not! Leave to rest in a warm place for ten minutes to let the dough firm up.

Oil a few trays ready for the pittas and flour your work surface with one of the flours above. Scoop off peices of dough about the size of a small satsuma, roll into a ball on the floured surface and roll into a flat oval using a floured rolling pin.

Put these onto the trays, not touching - but they don't rise much so you don't need to leave lots of space. Leave them to rise for at least an hour in a warm place - covered if you have drafts. When the surface looks like it has bubbles underneath it and they appear to have puffed up slightly, put a shallow tray of water in the bottom of the oven and turn to 200C.

When the oven reaches temperature, sprinkle the pittas and trays with warm water and bake straight way for 8-10 minutes, until puffed and starting to take a golden brown colour at the edges.

Cool on a rack and freeze any you don't eat that day. They are great toasted straight from the freezer, with some butter - just shut the door to keep out seagulls.