Nuts are delicious and nutritious, but sometimes we need to make modifications.
We dined out recently with two of our beautiful nieces at a local restaurant, and for a shared appetizer we ordered the meze (mezze) plate. It was beautiful and bountiful, loaded with treats – tasty stuffed grape leaves, marinated feta, mixed olives, cucumber and dill tzatziki, pumpkin hummus, and fabulous roasted red pepper and walnut Muhammara with warm pita and veggies.
They swiped the plate clean
Everything was fabulous, but the muhammara was the first to disappear from the platter, enjoyed enthusiastically by all. It seems to be appearing on many local menus as of late, this thick dip of flavorful roasted peppers and walnuts, onion and garlic, lots of Mideast spices, a little sweetness, and filled out with bread. And who doesn’t love dipping some fresh pita in a smooth and delightful concoction that tastes of nothing we grew up with?
Now, what to do about those nuts?
Since it was so well received, is vegan and dairy free, it would please a lot of my family, and we will be having a large gathering soon. My only problem was the nuts, since we have two family members with severe allergies. Sunflower seeds to the rescue. I chose these because when toasted, they have a distinct nutty taste, and process to a similar texture as the walnuts. I’ve often used them in pesto as well.
We can make pita bread, it’s fun
I also thought it would be fun to make my own pita bread; I’d been meaning to for some time, and how very fun and simple it was. Yes, it takes some time because you use yeast and it has to proof, but it’s mostly hands-off time, and the rest of the process is quite entertaining. Who doesn’t love to see the little flats of dough puff up into balloons in the oven, only to deflate into sweet little pockets that can be filled or cut up for dipping. If you can make these with a kid, even better.
You can fill a pita with just about anything
One of my favorite lunches is a whole grain pita stuffed with salad or greens and falafel. Everyone seems to love them dunked in hummus and other dips, or crisped up in the oven for an even sturdier chip. They are also delicious as a vehicle for a breakfast sandwich, just warm them up and stuff with your favorite eggs or replacers.
Just a twist or two
This recipe started with one from King Arthur Baking, with a couple of modifications. In increased the golden wheat flour and reduced the bread flour just slightly, and used maple syrup rather than the orange juice originally suggested. They came out great, and next time I’m going to try making them 100% whole wheat. By the way, the Golden Whole Wheat Flour used to be called “white whole wheat flour,” and if you can’t find that particular brand, you can substitute a light whole wheat flour with a protein content around 12.2%.
Now, let’s have a party
So if you are having a gathering this spring holiday season, think of making your own pitas and some luscious Muhammara Sauce, guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser, and lots of fun to make.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- 2 cups (226 g.) King Arthur Golden Wheat Flour
- 1 ¼ cups (163 g.) King Arthur bread flour
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 – 1 1/8 cup (227-255 g.) lukewarm water depending on humidity
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup dissolved in 1 tbsp. warm water, OR 2 tbsp. orange juice
- 2 tbsp. (25 g.) olive oil
In the bowl of your stand mixer, or a large bowl if doing by hand, combine all ingredients and mix well. Using the dough hook, knead until you have a soft dough, around five or six minutes. If it is very dry in your house, you will probably need the greater amount of water.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn over to grease all sides, cover with a tea towel, place in a draft-free spot, and let double in bulk, 60 to 90 minutes, again depending on the environment.
As your dough approaches being ready, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and position your pizza stone (or an inverted baking tray) on the bottom rack.
Gently release the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface, no need to punch these doughs they really don’t like it! Divide into eight pieces. I wanted mine uniform, so I weighed the dough and did a little math.
Shape each segment into a ball, cover, and let rest 10 minutes to relax the gluten. Two at a time, roll each ball into a flat circle about 7” (18 cm) wide. It will snap back a bit to 6” (15 cm).
Open the oven door and quickly flop the circles onto the stone and cook for four minutes. They will puff up and look really cool, this is how the pocket forms. Turn, and let cook another minute. Let them cool covered in a kitchen towel, and if you like you can brush them with oil.
Muhammara Sauce
I had a recipe tucked away when I took and on-line course with Yotam Ottolenghi during the pandemic, but it had gone out of my mind. I had to make quite a few adjustments since fresh tomatoes were quite dismal in the markets this week, as were the fresh pomegranates, and I was limited the chilis that were available. I checked out other recipes on line, and liked some of the spicing options, in particular the addition of lemon, and most used bread (Ottolenghi’s did not) which I thought I would give a try, whole grain of course.
Originally from the Syrian city of Aleppo, it is traditional to use the pepper from that region if you can find it for a subtle heat. If not, you can substitute a little ancho chili pepper with a bit of cayenne, or regular crushed red pepper flakes. I used a Serrano pepper here, but you could also tuck in a jalapeno if you like, or skip the heat altogether if you want this mild. So, just pick the heat you like.
Some recipes use Za’atar, others roasted tomatoes along with the peppers. The constants are the roasted red peppers, nuts (or seeds in my case), pomegranate in some form, garlic, and some warmth from a pepper of some sort. The rest is up to your own taste buds, and in a pinch, you can even use jarred roasted red peppers, but it is easy to roast your own and it is worth it to roast the onion and garlic as well.
So I mixed and matched ingredients, and this is a perfect recipe to do so. After making it once, you probably won’t have to follow a recipe, simple use your instincts and tastebuds to come up with something that you and your family like the best. And you can most definitely use walnuts if you like!
It’s tasty, beautiful to behold, and the whole family can be satisfied.
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 1 small purple onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 5 oz. (145 g.) raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ¾ cup (50 g.) whole grain bread crumbs
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
- 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
- 1 tsp. Aleppo pepper
- 1 red Serrano pepper, optional
- Zest of a lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tbsp. dark amber maple syrup or pomegranate molasses
- 4 tbsp. extra virgin fruity olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Slice the onion into rings and add to the sheet. Cut the stem end of the garlic off (easy squeezing later) and toss on the sheet as well. Roast everything for about 20 to 25 minutes.
While the vegetables roast, toast the seeds in a dry pan over medium high heat. Don’t walk away, and keep them moving until fragrant and browning. Immediately place in your food processor to stop the cooking.
When done, cool the peppers and remove the skins, they should slip off easily with a paring knife.
Toss the peppers and onions in the food processor and squeeze out the pulp from the garlic.
Add the tomato paste, bread crumbs, cumin, pepper, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, and olive oil, along with a little salt and pepper. Process, then taste for seasoning. Is it where you like it? More lemon? More salt? Adjust the consistency with more olive oil if you like.
Place in a serving dish and add a drizzle more of olive oil, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley if you have it, or pomegranate seeds if available. Serve with pita bread or crudité, or both.
“If you really want to make a friend, eat with them. The people who give you their food, give you their heart.”
~ Cesar Chavez
Copyright 2025– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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Your dinner out sounded like a culinary adventure, and I applaud your homemade pita bread. Dinner is always good at your house.
Thank you Judy! We always have a good time with the gals!
“Such a heartwarming and flavorful read! The nut-free Muhammara twist with sunflower seeds is genius, and the homemade pita bread sounds like a fun and rewarding project. Perfect inspiration for a spring gathering—thank you for sharing!”
It’s been popular with my brood! So much flavor.
Your dinner out sounds like fun. I enjoy making pita bread. You can cook them on the back of a sheet pan if you don’t have a baking stone or steel.
Yes, that’s a great idea. They seem to be pretty forgiving!
Thank you, Dorothy, for the wonderful ideas!
Joanna
You are very welcome Joanna! I hope you try this one, it’s been quite popular here.
Oh that sounds heavenly! I used to make what I called “flatbreads” which looked similar to your pita bead, however I placed it on a hot comal on top of the stove. I love how you made yours and the Muhammara sauce looks to die for!
Thanks Jan! They were fun to make and tasted great!
As a pita bread connoisseur (at least that how I see it…) I say yours are perfect!
Using toasted sunflower seeds in lieu of nuts in the dip is brilliant. I’ll keep this option in mind for any nut-free requests! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! Making the bread was so much fun.
And the sunflower nuts worked perfectly in this, I adored the toasted flavor.
Love nuts but they don’t love me! I can only digest softer nuts like pistachios and macadamias but I still need to be careful not to over do it. Now pita bread is a totally different story! 😁
Bread! I love bread!
Me too! Any kind, all kinds! 🍞 🥖
A heart-warming read, Dorothy. Food truly brings us together so beautifully. &
This recipe is one for ‘the file’.
Thanks my friend! I hope you enjoy!
Beautiful pita! Muhammara is amazing. It’s such a perfect pairing of ingredients. It would be very different without walnuts!
The sunflower seeds obviously had a different flavor, but toasted they were a superb stand-in.
Always love a meze plate where you can mix and match flavours and textures. Your Mahammara sauce looks so appetising and I love making Pita bread and will try your recipe soon. :))
Thank you! I love a maze too, because I love a meal of varied little bites. I hope you enjoy!
This sounds delicious. I bet the homemade pita is so much better than store bought.
Thank you! Yes, they were so flavorful and soft. Homemade is my go to now!
Thanks for this recipe, Dorothy. I love falafal wraps. I would love to try to make my own. I make some Norwegian lefse in a dry frying pan so I will have to experiment with cooking them that way instead of in the oven.
I think that would work fine, just cover it during the cooking so they can build up steam. Let me know how it works out.
Oh that is a great idea. I haven’t got any yeast in the pantry. I never have luck with it, so don’t keep it on hand. I will grab some from the store next time I am there! Thanks again, Dorothy!
Wonderful! This is as easy as a yeast recipe gets, just toss everything in the bowl and mix. Just remember to have the water ‘baby bathwater’ lukewarm.
I think that is where my error happens. I kill the yeast or don’t have it warm enough to activate.
When I was teaching bread baking classes, I told them to use a thermometer and aim for 110, which is warmer than baby bath water but it’s better to have the water less warm than too warm and kill the yeast. Killing the yeast is probably the biggest reason that it doesn’t work. The instant yeast is more user friendly, you just mix it in with the dry ingredients and you don’t have to bloom it first. But blooming it first tells you right away that your yeast is alive, bubbling, and smelling like bread already! Good luck Amanda!
Thanks for that extra info!
Looks delicious! And what a good idea to substitute sunflower seeds.
Thanks Laurie! Little tricks you learn along the way!
I like the sound of adding seeds!
Necessity….
Absolutely love Middle-Eastern food – your take on Muhammara sauce will be tried and posted. Have not made my own pita bread but eat flatbreads just about every day . . . Don’t know about the States but they are very popular Down Under and available in a big variety. Thanks for a great read 🙂 !
Thanks Eha! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Yes, we have lots of flatbread options, thank goodness! There’s one bakery in particular I love. But otherwise, homemade has the edge.
Thats a great idea to sub with sunflowers seeds I will park that little tip in case I need to make a dip for Aston when he comes back home 🙂
Thanks Carol. It worked like a charm because toasting the seeds gave it a nutty flavor mimicking the walnuts.
Your muhammara looks delicious!
Thank you! It was really easy and fun to make.
You are amazing, Dorothy. One question, though. You mean I have to share?!?!? 🤣🍃😜🍃😋
Well, yes, but you can position the platter close to you with your favorite right in front.
See? That’s what I like about you. Precision and Perfection. ☝️
Are you trying to tempt me into being brave enough to make pita bread? Because that’s totally what’s about to happen.
Yes.
It’s really easy, it’s really fun, and now that I’ve made the leap, I’m sure you can too!
Another smart share! I do love crunchy breads. Nuts do not present any problems for me. Thanks for the healthy recipe shares. Have a wonderful week dear Dorothy. ☕️☕️
Thank you very much!
Hi, Dorothy – I have never heard of Muhammara sauce before. It sounds, and looks, divine. Thank you for sharing it here.
I bet you are going to see it everywhere soon. Yesterday my grand-niece sent me the menu for her upcoming wedding, and there it was on the appetizer menu!
Oh, homemade Pita! How delightful. Thank you always for giving us inspiration to try new things!
Thank you Nancy! I loved making the pita, lots of fun!
I made pita bread once and it was fun. I was so amazed that it worked, never tried to make it again for fear of failure, the sophomore curse. But maybe now…
I found myself staring through the oven door watching the process!
Best show it town!
Your pita Bread looks perfect! I have never made it before. I didn’t know you taught a bread bakiing class. Every year I say I am going to start making bread, gnocchi etc. but the outside work seems to keep me busy.
Oh, you should make time for it! It’s such a nice experience.
Homemade pita bread! That sounds lovely. Thank you so much for sharing. Love the picture of the deer too.
Thank you! I think the deer could smell the aromas from the kitchen!
I’m salivating
Thank you! You’re invited next time!
I’ve never had Muhammara Sauce and never mad homemade pita bread, but I really must try this sometime–it looks delicious!
Thanks Nancy! It was fun to make, and to eat!
Oh my those pitas look delicious! I love Muhammara Sauce, but never made one I need to try it one day
Thanks Magda! I had not made it before either, and it was really simple and quite satisfying and flavorful. Give it a go!
I love to stuff a pita with tuna, tomatoes and lettuce! Yum. I have never thought of making them myself. You are such an inspiration Dorothy, from the glimpse of your spice cabinet, to your love of flavors and tastes unfamiliar. Hope all is well with you, hugs, C
Thanks Cheryl! All is well with us, we are at the Maine coast with the grands, enjoying each other, the sea, the food, and the daffodils that hae popped up everywhere!
I love this sauce! I am a fan of peppers 😁
Thank you Ribana! The sauce is really addictive, can’t stop at one little pit triangle!