Pita bread is a toasted cake. This flour product replaces bread in the diet of the peoples of the Middle East and the Caucasus. Pita bread is fundamentally different from our usual bread, including in its composition. This product can be called universal, as it is eaten not only separately, but also with a variety of fillings. It differs from ordinary bread and its calorie content. Pita thin is recommended even by nutritionists. You will learn about the beneficial properties of this type of bread and possible health hazards later in the article.
What is pita bread and how is it cooked
Pita bread is a fresh product made from wheat flour. Bake it in the form of cakes 2-4 mm thick. After which it is suspended to cool. Then the cakes are stacked and dried in air. Drying allows you to increase the shelf life of the product, as a result, it significantly exceeds the shelf life of the bread familiar to the Russian people.
Pita bread is baked in special traditional ovens. In the countries of the Middle East they are called "tandoor." According to folk customs, the eldest woman from all living in the house should knead the dough for the product. Roll out the dough, then pull on a special pillow and stick on the walls of the oven. The tandoor should be hot. Lavash is baked for about half an hour, pulled out with a metal rod.
Before use, dry pita must be irrigated with water. After some time, it is saturated with moisture and will become a delicious cake.
It consists of only three ingredients: water, wheat flour and salt. No special additives, everything is extremely simple. Sometimes fried poppy or sesame is added to the dough. A traditional pita bread rolls 40 cm wide and 100 cm long.
Calorie thin pita bread
There are different types of pita bread, however, only Georgian and Armenian can be found on the shelves of supermarkets in our country. Armenian lavash is most often called thin. A rather interesting topic regarding this product is its calorie content. Thin pita bread, for example, is recommended to eat even on diets. In addition, it is incredibly useful.
The calorie content of Armenian thin pita weighing 100 grams is about 275 calories. Such an energy value is not inferior to the calorie content of ordinary white bread, which everyone who follows the figure is so afraid of. But why is pita bread considered dietary?
The thing is that a standard cake weighs 250 g, but to prepare a portion for one person, only part of it is taken - 60 g. Therefore, lavash has a thin calorie content of 100-130 kcal, approximately, this is all its energy value. In addition, pita does not contain a drop of fat, in particular animal, which also complies with the principles of dietary nutrition.
In general, the calorie content is indicated on the packaging of any product. Also indicate how many calories contains lavash thin. Calories in 100 grams can scare an inexperienced person. The main thing is to understand that you still can’t eat all in one sitting, unlike ordinary white bread, which weighs more.
Comparison of Armenian and Georgian Lavash
Unlike Armenian, Georgian lavash is more caloric. In addition, it differs in composition, in the way of baking, and in appearance.
Georgian pita bread is not thin, but lush, thanks to the yeast included in its composition. And his shelf life is much shorter than that of the Armenian one.
The similarity is that both of them do not contain fat. There is a lot of controversy about yeast, but at the moment, nutritionists advise excluding them from the diet. Therefore, Georgian pita bread is not a dietary product.
What pita bread is diet
Now compare the energy value of the two types of pita bread in more detail.
The calorie content of Armenian lavash, as already mentioned, is 275 calories. Georgian - 290 kcal. As you can see, the calorie lavash thin shows not much less.
Based on the difference in calories, you can understand that yeast is added to Georgian calories. The calorie content of thin pita bread without yeast is 20 calories less. Although this is not much, it’s better to choose a product with a lower energy value for dietetic nutrition.
Cheese Pita
Pita bread with cheese filling is one of the most beloved and common snacks in Armenian cuisine. In addition to cheese, greens also go to the filling.
Any cheese is suitable for the preparation of the filling, however, it is better to give preference to soft varieties - they are less fatty. These include suluguni, mozzarella, as well as the famous Adyghe cheese. Greens, too, will suit any, to your taste. It can be parsley, and dill, and even sorrel, but keep in mind that it will add acidity to the snack.
In order to cook cheese pita bread, you need to cut the cake into portioned slices and put grated cheese on a not very fine or coarse grater on each. Flavor everything with herbs. The filling is wrapped in pita bread, as in an envelope. Melt a little butter in a pan and fry envelopes for about 3 minutes. So much time is needed for the cheese to melt well. The calorie content of thin pita bread with cheese and herbs fried in butter is 210 calories per 100 g.
Useful properties of pita bread and its harm
The composition of the dough for pita bread is very rich in vitamins. Pita bread contains fiber, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, vitamins B, E, PP. Regular use of this product improves digestion, normalizes stool, strengthens the human immune system. Thanks to magnesium, the eaten pita bread is able not only to satisfy hunger, but also to cheer up, calm nerves and relieve fatigue.
The described cakes have another interesting property - they regulate the balance of carbohydrates in the body. This flour product contains minerals - selenium and calcium, which are so necessary for bones. Folic acid is also present in it.
All in all, this product is very useful. Only excessive consumption and improperly prepared dough can cause harm to health. Due to the fact that this flour product has a rather high calorie content, thin and thick pita bread should be eaten in moderation. However, this rule also works with any other food.
Diet Pizza and Chips Recipe
On a diet, every person wants a tasty meal even more than with ordinary food. In moments of weakness, when you are ready to give in to temptation and eat a fat pie or a packet of chips, diet recipes for familiar dishes, such as chips and pizza, will come to the rescue.
To make diet chips, you will need: Armenian pita bread, olive oil, dried herbs, pepper, salt.
- Lightly grease the pita bread with olive oil, then sprinkle with spices and salt.
- Cut the cake into small pieces and put on a baking sheet, place in the oven.
- You can put it on a plate and cook in the microwave for a minute.
- After processing in the microwave, the chips need to be removed and allowed to dry for a while.
Now about the recipe for diet pizza. You will need: pita bread, chicken, tomato, sweet pepper, hard cheese.
- Cover the pan with parchment.
- Lay out pita bread.
- Lay the sliced vegetables and chicken on the tortilla.
- Grate the cheese on top.
- Bake in the oven for 7 minutes at 180 degrees.
- Remove the dish from the oven.
Pizza is ready. Bon Appetit!