okara pita bread •

One dinner that is a favorite at our house is Felafel. Since Okara lends itself to bread so easily, I thought I would try and adapt my favorite pita bread recipe. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Most of the breads formed the necessary pocket for Felafel, those that didn’t— got eaten anyway. The little darlings think it is pretty nifty that you can make a pita bread from scratch. 

Okara Pita Bread •

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup warm wet okara (or substitute mashed soft tofu)

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 to 5 cups unbleached white flour

In a large mixing bowl mix the water, yeast and honey well. Let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Mix in salt and okara. Add one cup whole wheat flour and two cups of the white unbleached flour. Beat well to develop the gluten. Continue to add the rest of the white flour until you get a stiff dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 1 hour. After the hour, punch the dough down, and knead a few times. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 portions. Roll the portions into balls, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes, take a ball of dough, and flatten it to 1/4". Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remainder of the dough, placing two to a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes until browned. Move to a wire rack to cool while you flatten and bake the rest of the dough. Makes approximately 10 - 12 pitas.