GARLIC SAUCE (TOUM) AND PITA BREAD
In this video, I show you how to make Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum) and pita bread. The sauce is great served with pita or on top of a variety of grilled chicken dishes.
INGREDIENTS
GARLIC SAUCE
1/ 2 Cup Garlic Cloves (about 1 medium-sized bulb)
1 3/4 Cups Neutral Oil (i.e. vegetable oil or canola oil)
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice (about 1/2 small lemon)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
PITA BREAD
370g Bread Flour
250g Water
7g Salt
7g Sugar
2g Instant Yeast
This recipe makes 8 pita breads, each about 6" in diameter.
STEPS
GARLIC SAUCE
Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the food processor, along with 1 tsp of Kosher Salt.
Process for a few seconds until the garlic is finely minced.
Add 3 Tbsp lemon juice to the food processor and, optionally, allow the mixture to rest for 20-30 minutes to tame the garlic's harshness.
Process the mixture until it reaches a fine paste.
Add oil, one tablespoon or less at a time, making sure to fully process between additions, until you've added a total of 4 Tbsp of oil.
At this point, alternate adding 1 Tbsp of ice water and 1/4 cup oil (slowly drizzling them in as you process), until all of the oil is used up and the sauce has become thick and creamy.
Add additional salt, lemon juice, or oil to taste, and store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to a month.
PITA BREAD
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 370g of bread flour and 250g of room temperature water.
Stir until all flour is fully incorporated, then cover your bowl and allow it to rest for about 30 minutes.
After this time, add the 2g of instant yeast, 7g of salt, and 7g of granulated sugar, and stir using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Continue to knead using the dough hook attachment on a medium speed for about 12 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball.
Transfer the dough ball to a lightly-oiled container, then cover it and allow it to rise until doubled in size, which should take about 1-1.5 hours at 75F (24C).
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, then transfer it to a lightly floured surface, making sure that only one side of the dough comes in contact with the flour.
Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces and form them into taught balls, using the unfloured side of your dough to pick up traction on the work surface.
Dust the dough balls with flour, then cover them with a kitchen towel and allow them to rest for about 25 minutes. At this point, begin to preheat your oven, with a pizza stone or other heavy baking tray inside, to 550F (285C).
After the 25 minute resting period, roll out the dough balls to about 1/4" thick, trying to keep them as round as possible.
Optionally, begin to heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, which we'll use to char the pitas after they're baked.
Once the oven is fully-preheated, transfer the pitas into the oven using a floured pizza peel, and bake them for about 4-5 minutes, until they puff up and start to brown slightly.
Optionally, char each baked pita in your preheated skillet for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until the desired level of browning is achieved.
MY COOKING EQUIPMENT AND RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
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