The other day, I was REALLY craving a sandwich, or wrap, or gyro — anything along those lines. I felt like getting creative and making a gluten free pita type of bread. I settled on using buckwheat flour for the base, and I went from there. The result is delicious (and nutritious), and it made for the perfect pita sandwich to quench my craving!
I LOVE buckwheat and all it has to offer! Buckwheat is not a grain, so it is fantastic for anyone with gluten or grain sensitivities. Furthermore, the study of the possible use of high protein buckwheat flour in foods to reduce plasma cholesterol, body fat, and cholesterol gallstones is ongoing and promising. Some other awesome health benefits of buckwheat include:
- It’s non-alergenic: Buckwheat is great for people with many different food allergies. It is safe for individuals who are gluten sensitive, candida sensitive, diabetic, etc.
- It may help diabetes: With a glycemic index of 54, it lowers blood sugars more slowly than rice or wheat products.
- It’s great for digestion: it cleans and strengthens the intestines, improves appetite, and is effective for treating chronic diarrhea.
- It’s chemical free: Buckwheat grows quickly, so there is little need for those nasty pesticides we all try to avoid.
- It’s great for when you’re feeling bloated: Buckwheat is good at reducing retained water in the body.
- It is a warming food: Buckwheat is classified as a yang food by macrobiotics. This is excellent, especially for bodies are too yin (which a lot of people are), and yang foods can help to balance this and assist greatly, as a result, with physical, emotional and mental health.
These are just some of the health benefits of buckwheat, but after reading that list, wouldn’t you agree that it’s enough to know that it is an excellent food. The best part is that it’s pretty tasty and it can be used in so many different ways!
But I digress! Let’s get back to this yummy buckwheat pita recipe!
BUCKWHEAT PITAS
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour, plus about 1/4 cup extra
- 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup water
Directions:
1.) Combine 1 cup flour and salt together, then slowly add in the olive oil and water. Stir with a fork until it forms a batter.
2.) Preheat a pan on the oven over medium heat (no oil).
3.) Sprinkle your counter (or some wax paper) with flour. Form a ball with some of the batter (the ball should be a bit bigger than a golf ball). Roll it in the flour, then use a rolling pin to flatten it. Don’t flatten it too much, otherwise it is REALLY hard to get from the counter into the pan (I learned this the hard way). The thicker you make it, the more it will resemble pita bread, and the thinner you make it, the more it will resemble a tortilla.
4.) Transfer the flattened batter from the counter to the preheated pan. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes.
5.) Remove from pan. Repeat until all batter is used.
6.) Place all the fillings in the center of the pita.
7.) Fold sides up and over the fillings. You can use whatever fillings you want – I used spinach, fresh basil, fresh dill, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, goat cheese, and a sprinkle of lemon juice and sea salt.
YUM! Enjoy! 🙂
Loving and Laughing 