Pita Bread with Tzatziki Sauce.
At a young age my Mom introduced me to an eye opening and exotic cuisine, Middle Eastern/Greek food. I grew up in Spokane, WA and Olive Garden was about as far as we’d travel on the global cuisine map. On a sketchy corner somewhere in East Spokane was a divey little drive-in style, fast food joint called Azar’s. Unlike most of the homogenous chain restaurants that pepper Spokane, this place had character; in both grime and flavor.
It was here that I tried my first Gyro or jy-ro as I pronounced them, beef of course (lamb was unfathomable at 10 years old). As a lifelong hater of mayo, I instantly fell in love with it’s older, mysteriously tangy cousin, tzatziki. I had my first taste the strangest and most exotically spiced food I’d ever laid eyes on, falafel. These foreign flavors were all so new and exciting to me, I wasn’t even sure what I was eating but I knew this was something special.
When it came to food preferences as a kid, I had strange taste. I never cared for McDonald’s or hamburgers in general, I liked my PB and J’s sans J, fish sticks turned my stomach, and anything with mayo was enough to make me go on a hunger strike that would last well into the next day. I was often called a picky eater but looking back, I believe I was a conscious eater. I had valid preferences and an underdeveloped palette. Had falafel and freshly chopped Greek salad been on the menu at school, I surely would have licked my plate clean and gone back for seconds.
Over the years I have learned a thing or two about Greek cuisine. Saganaki is the ultimate in flaming foods, pita bread and tzatziki sauce are the best snack ever created, and learning to make authentic Greek baklava, from my dear pal Yiorgi, is one of my favorite recipe memories of all time. In addition the the baklava, he casually taught me how to prepare tzatziki sauce, years ago. I have since developed my own go-to version and now I am excited to share my favorite combination of recipes, Pita Bread with Tzatziki Sauce. The tangy and addictive tzatziki sauce can be whipped up in 8 minutes flat and is heavenly when combined with warm, freshly made pillowy pita bread. The pita bread is less work than you’d think and makes such a big diff. This recipe for Pita Bread with Tzatziki Sauce can be prepared alone as a snack or enjoyed as a base to a gyro, falafel or hearty Greek salad.
While I ate my fair share of white bread and fast food, I am grateful for those special times that my Mom and I would forgo the overwhelming proliferation of chain restaurants and try a local hole in the wall. We had our favorites and some still stand today. Unfortunately, Azar’s as I know it, doesn’t seem to exist anymore. But, it looks like the Azar family has stepped up their culinary game and now have a proper restaurant space. I’ve never been to the new restaurant so I can’t attest to the quality or authenticity of their food but I’d love to give it a try on my next trip to Spokane. It’s been 20 something years since I had the original, and who knows if it was actually good, but the experience of tasting an entirely new and exotic cuisine as a ten year old was priceless.
This flavor story is my favorite book ever.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber and then shred using a coarse cheese grater. I’ve had this ugly old grater from IKEA for a hundred years and I still love it.
Using a cheesecloth or thin flour sack to strain the juice from the shredded cucumber.
I don’t like the garlic to take over , so I only use about 1- 1 1/2 cloves finely minced. This ZHEN Japanese Slicer Chopping Chef Butcher Knife that I got from a buddy for my birthday has quickly climbed to the top of my kitchen tool favorites.
Blend together the yogurt, lemon juice, cucumber, garlic, dill, salt and pepper and boom, tzatziki!
Pita bread is simple with minimal ingredients. Flour, water, salt, yeast and oil. If using a stand mixer, the dough hook will be essential for forming the dough.
I mixed a splash of sesame oil to the olive oil for a more intense flavor.
Shape the dough into a smooth, round ball. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky.
Place dough in a large lightly oiled and cover with a clean towel. It should double in size in about an hour.
Gently deflate and flatten the dough.
Divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces. I like using a kitchen scale to accurately divide the dough.
I like to roll the dough into little round before shaping it into pitas, this way it stays somewhat round when when rolled.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into roughly 8″ rounds.
Place the pita round on a hot, lightly oiled cast iron skillet. I used a cast iron grill pan because I like the look of the grill marks on the pita bread.
Once you flip the pita, it should puff up like a balloon! This only happens when the skillet is hot hot hot, if it’s isn’t warm enough you wont get the puff.
Puff Puff, pass! It’s like magic.
I like the drizzle the top of my tzatziki sauce with a little olive oil and garnish with dill.
Squishy warm pita bread and tangy tzatziki sauce are quite possibly the best couple I know.
Just tear it up and spoon it on. Messy eating is the best eating.
I really can’t get over those grill marks.
A bite of perfection. I could do this all day. Pita Bread with Tzatziki Sauce the best, period.
If you want to get really into, top the pita with a greek salad, feta cheese and pickles. I could eat this for lunch every single day for the rest of my life.
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