Gyros!

I looooove gyros, the crunch of the veggies and tang of the feta and tzatiziki sauce - oh sooo goood.
I made a stab at attempting to make these at my house and they were a hit!
 
The homemade pita bread was delicious and so easy.
 
 

GREEK PITA BREAD

Ingredients

1 cup hot water, but not boiling

2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast

2 1/2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1.       Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for kneading), salt, and olive oil. If using a stand mixer attach the dough and need the dough on medium speed for 8 minutes, adding more flour until you have a smooth dough. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much.

2.       Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and run it with a little olive oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

3.       At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

4.       Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll to make sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if it starting to stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get the hang of it you can be cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)

5.       Warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (you want a hot pan). Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess.Lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

6.       These are best eaten fresh, but will keep in a ziplock bag for a few days or in the freezer.

GYRO MEAT

(I grated the onion and strained it and then I just mixed the meat with everything using my hands. The meat turned out a little more moist then normal gyro meat, but I liked it)

Ingredients

o    1 medium yellow onion, chopped roughly

o    2 lbs. ground lamb

o    7 cloves garlic, finely minced

o    1 Tbsp. dried rosemary

o    2 tsp. dried thyme

o    1 tsp dried oregano

o    1 tsp. salt

o    1/2 tsp. black pepper

o    2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1.       Preheat oven to 400. Process onion in a food processor until very, very fine.

2.       Dump onto a clean tea towel and squeeze out the juice

3.       Return the onion to the food processor and add the remaining ingredients.

4.       Process until the mixture is a fine paste

5.       Press meat mixture into a loaf pan, trying to avoid as many air pockets as possible.

6.       Bake for 60-75 minutes. (I used 1lb of meat and it took about 45 min)

7.       Let rest for 10 min, Slice into small slices and serve

Other ingredients:
Tzatziki sauce (King Soopers has a good brand)
diced Red onion
Grape tomatoes
Lettuce
Feta Cheese

 

 

Meat recipe from Alton Brown, Food Network
Pita Recipe from Half Baked Harvest