Another bread option

LOOKING for a new snack or bored with white bread? Try out tomato pita bread. Ali Amin, an Iranian, demonstrated the art of making the delectable Middle-eastern fare at the Bread Affair, a community event organised by the Disted School of Hospitality recently to promote wider appreciation of the varieties of bread with the support of the local baking industry, hotel bakeries and home bakers.

“Pita bread, a leavened flat bread with a pocket, is a staple in many Middle-eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.

“You can make pita bread that contains dried tomato skins and eat it with self-prepared tomato spread; hence, it’s called tomato pita bread.

“A pita sandwich too can be made by filling the pocket with your favourite salads and cooked vegetables.

“If you like, use pita bread instead of a bun to wrap around a hotdog and savour a different deliciousness,” said Ali, who holds a Diploma in Culinary Art, and has had working experience in hotels and will soon start his own food business.

“For a healthier diet, use multigrain or whole-wheat flour instead of white flour to make the bread.

“Nutritionally, pita bread adds to our dietary fibre, which is a key to maintaining a healthy digestive system. It also contains protein needed for body growth and repair, besides being very low in fat.

“Pita bread provides a healthier alternative to potato chips. It can be cut into triangles and toasted to become pita chips, and flavoured with some salt or herbs.

“However, for those who need to slash calories, pita bread has its downside of having a slightly higher amount of carbohydrates compared to the same helping of wholemeal bread,” he explained.

“As for storing, pita bread can be kept for about five days in the refrigerator wrapped in storage bags,” added Ali.

Bread maker: Ali rolling a ball of pita dough into a flat circle during the demonstration.

Pita bites: The bread has been cut into triangles and can be easily served as snacks.