Making Pita on a Saj

When we lived in Milwaukee we had an awesome group of people. They weren’t Jewish but they  were very excited about the Israeli food and the Jewish tradition.

Dima wanted to introduce all of our American friends the original pita that you make on a Saj over a bonfire. Well, that’s the name in Hebrew. A lot of people are mistaken to name it Taboon. It’s shape like a wok but it’s heavier and it’s upside-down.

We couldn’t find Saj in the US, we found ridiculously expensive small appliance that only resemble to the original Saj.
When we flew to visit our families in Israel Dima bought a Saj in Jaffa ($15, just saying). Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to introduce it to our friends in Milwaukie because when we returned we moved to Arizona.

Since we returned to Israel, we are constantly doing stuff (when we aren’t in quarantine of course).
Every weekend we are doing something, making sure that our Noam is having fun. One of our favorite activities is to do a bonfire and making pitas on a Saj. The kids have so much fun collect pine cones and wood for the fire, and make their own individual pita. Basically it’s fun spending a few hours outside the house, in nature, in activity that are both enjoyable and inexpensive (let’s face it, all the attractions for kids can easily cost a lot of $$).

Ingredients

540 ml \ 18.25 fl. oz of warm water (about 3 small cups)

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons yeast

90 ml\ 3 fl. oz (about Half a cup of oil)

1 KG\ 2 pound of flour

1 tablespoon of salt

Preparation

1. Place the ingredients in a mixer bowl according the order above – and mix with a kneading hook for about five minutes, until the dough is soft and flexible

2. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap for about an hour until the dough is rise

** We usually take the bowl with us to the forest – and there each child (or adult) can make his own individual pita

3. Take a piece of dough (depends what size you want the pita) flatten it either with your hands on a plate or with a rolling pin – I always prefer to bring a rolling pin for Noam and me

3. Grease the Saj with some Pam and carefully place the pita on top of it. When the pita littel brown on the bottom, turn it over with tongs and when it is ready on both sides, remove it from the Saj

4. Spread whatever you want on top of it- we like Labaneh cheese (you may use greek yogurt or sour cream) with olive oil on top

Notes

–  The Fire should not be strong- so that the pitas won’t burn. On the other hand, making pitas on coals takes quite some time and the children lose patience

– You can add fresh herbs like chopped fresh oregano, fresh thyme or chopped basil to the dough. We do not do this because the children prefer the pita with Nutella, which is not going so good with herbs

– If you don’t have a Saj, you may use cast iron skillet- but put it on the fire upside down

 

How easy was that??? Did you the like this recipe?
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