Pitta ‘mpigliata

Pitta ‘mpigliata

Making the Dough

First we measured out a ¼ cup of sugar, 2-¼ cups of cake flour, and ¾ teaspoon of baking powder. We poured those ingredients into the bowl and mixed them with the standing mixer. Then we added a ¼ cup of water to the mixture. Next we measured out a ¼ cup of wine and added it to the mixture. The next step was to separate an egg which is a lot of fun. Sophie cracked the egg and kept transferring the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until the yolk and egg whites were separated. The color of the dough had a slight pink tint to it and smelled sour. Then we added 1 egg yolk and a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. This caused the dough to become sticky and watery. We have been mixing the dough for about 10 minutes but it is still sticky. The dough is a little sticky but is smooth and elastic.

We then transferred the dough from the mixing bowl to a glass bowl and allowed it to rest for a few minutes. In order for the dough to not dry out we covered the bowl with saran wrap.

Making the Stuffing

Sophie measured out a cup of walnuts and chopped then into small pieces on a cutting board. She kept cutting until the nuts were small and uniform in size. Then she put the freshly chopped nuts into a glass bowl. Meghan likes raisins and Sophie likes dried cranberries, so we decided to add a ¼ cup of each to our stuffing. Sophie then began cutting the cranberries and the raisins into small pieces on the cutting board.

Then Sophie zested the lemon with a utensil. Once the lemon was zested, she added the shavings to the mixture of nuts, dried cranberries, and raisins. Next we added 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey, and l teaspoon of cinnamon.

The mixture was very sweet and tastes like a granola bar.

Now that the stuffing mixture is finished, Megan is lining the two tins with parchment paper and Sophie is sprinkling flour on the table in preparation for rolling the dough. Then she plopped the dough onto the table and began rolling the dough with a rolling pin until the dough was very thin and uniform. Then sophie drizzled honey on the rolled out dough. The spoon was sprayed with pam and sophie spread the honey throughout the dough. Then she sprinkled the stuffing mixture onto the rolled out dough.

Sophie sliced the dough with fluted cutting wheel.

3 to 4 wide strips that are 12 inches long

Folded the stripes on the long egg making them look like hot dogs. Then we rolled the folded strips into roses. Once the roses were formed with brushed them with our egg white wash to help keep the sides together.

Now we preheat the oven to 350oF and wait until we can put our beautiful creations in the oven.

The pitta ‘mpigliatas are now in the oven and will be cooking for 40 minutes. Our roses have been in the oven for a little while and they smell delicious. We can smell the cinnamon, raisins, and dried cranberries. The sides are being to look golden brown.

The final product!

The pitta ‘mpigliata cut in half, showcasing the layers.

1. What is the protein content of cake flour and why is that significant to this recipe?

The protein content of cake flour is 3 grams which is lower than bread or all purpose flour. This makes the dough looser and less stiff than bread and all purpose flour. The cake flour makes the dough more moist because it can absorb water and sugar better.

1. A basic bread recipe involves mixing flour with water. The pitta ‘mpigliata contains ¼ cup of olive oil! But the oil is added shortly after the water and before kneading the dough. What is the chemical effect of this addition of oil to the recipe?

The chemical effect of adding oil to the recipe is the dough becomes shiny and less sticky. Since the oil was added after the water was added, gluten was able to form. A lot of gluten was not made because the oil and water do not mix. The oil prevented some of the water from mixing with the dough.

1. What is the chemical effect of baking powder on this recipe? What would you expect to be the outcome if the baking powder were omitted?

Baking powder is composed of sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid. When these two molecules are chemically combined, the byproduct of the reaction is H₂O(water) and CO₂(carbon dioxide). The carbon dioxide and the water cause the pitta ‘mpigliata to puff and rise. The water also causes the pitta ‘mpigliata to puff because the water evaporates in the oven. If the baking powder were omitted, I would expect the pitta ‘mpigliata to puff slightly because of the water, but not much.