Oh, no! Bad sentence on my part. Southern California. We had a wonderful Syrian bakery that made brilliant pita. I still miss them. My heart breaks for what has happened there, but I've never been to Syria. You haven't said why you're eschewing "enriched flour" and don't need to, but white flour products are required by law to use vitamin enriched flour, and even most home baking white flour (bleached or unbleached) is enriched and has a little malted barley flour in it as well, which has a lot of an enzyme that's needed for rising. Unless you have a specific problem with one or more of the vitamins or the barley, the enrichment shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you're just concerned that there's white flour in there. White flour is often added to whole wheat flour to make the rise spongier. Sometimes vital wheat gluten is added to strengthen the gluten (the bran in the whole wheat can weaken or cut it). Wheat gluten can be isolated by hand by washing the wheat and kneading out the starch, and has been done for centuries, so it's not a weird industrial product. Anything that's made with white flour in the U.S. uses enriched flour. There may be some places that mill and sift their own flours that do not, but that's an extremely rare exception. Therefore, I would guarantee that the Lebanese pita are made with enriched flour. The thinner thing is probably a lack of leavening. Even in the Middle East, nowadays, the pita have leavening and are a bit spongy. That's not traditional. :) I haven't seen Kontos, and I'd guess it's an East Coast brand. I don't doubt that it's good! Whole Foods might be a better place to get 100% whole wheat, however, unless you can find a Middle Eastern or halal store where people are into the "new" kind of dietary laws (no white flour, pasture raise livestock, etc.). Maybe try stores near the colleges? College kids tend to be into better eating. Turlock is from California. I know they freeze to ship it to avoid preservatives, so you might find it there, but more likely the Whole Foods have something local. Good luck on your quest.

I like to add vegetables to rice as I cook it so that I get a rice & vegetable dish together. This way also the vegetables stay hot longer. I do not have a fool-proof method of doing this, but what I'm doing now is starting with one cup of brown basmati rice, which I wash, rinse, and then soak in two inches of water in a sauce pan for about 30 minutes to an hour (obviously I have to start early if using this method). Then I drain and rinse the rice and return it to the pan with two cups of water. If I am cooking hard vegetables, such as broccoli stems (which I slice thinly), I add them at this time and simmer the rice for a total of 40 minutes. If I am adding mushrooms or broccoli florets or any frozen vegetables, I add them just ten minutes before I think the rice will be done. If I plan on adding a lot of mushrooms, I reduce the amount of cooking water a bit - this is not an exact science yet, but I like the results. I often add celery and onion as well and reduce the water when adding those. In the past when I have tried cooking the brown rice with vegetables, the rice did not get done, but when I soak the rice before cooking, it always gets cooked through. I sometimes add butter at the beginning of cooking and sometimes at the end. I don't use black pepper with rice (except when adding mushrooms), but I often add chilies or cayenne. I think I'll try the Alton method, however, because I've never cooked rice in the oven. Lars

Most of this information comes from "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., if you need a good book on the topic. Our ancestors soaked (or fermented) grains/seeds/beans. In India rice and lentils are fermented for at least two days before they are prepared as idli and dosa. In Africa coarsely ground corn is soaked overnight before adding it to soups and stews, and they ferment corn or millet for several days to produce a sour porridge called ogi. Mexican pozol are fermented for several days and for as long as two weeks in banana leaves. Europeans made slow-rise breads from fermented starters (aka naturally-leavened breads). In Scotland it was the custom to prepare oatmeal in large batches and pour the cooked cereal into a drawer in the kitchen hutch or dresser. As needed, squares of congealed oatmeal could be cut out and reheated by adding a little water. This process allowed the oatmeal to ferment a second time. The reason....as you already mentioned - all grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer or bran. When it's not treated (soaked, sprouted, fermented) phytic acid combines with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and blocks absorption. Diets high in unfermented whole grains can lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. Soaking allows enzymes, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. Many years ago there were instructions on the oatmeal package for soaking it overnight and cooked it the next morning. Oats actually contain more phytates than almost any other grain. Back in the oat bran fad, frequent consumption of large amounts of oat bran lead to mineral losses, allergies and irritation of the intestinal tract due to the phytic acid. I also process nuts by soaking them in lightly salted water and then dehydrating them - what we call "Crispy Nuts". After being processed the nuts are much easier to digest and will store much longer. Many people who start a "natural" diet without first treating the grains/seeds/beans/nuts they consume can quickly find they suffer from digestive issues. I don't process 100% of the grains/seeds/beans/nuts we consume, but I do process a large percentage of them. If I consume something that hasn't been processed first, I make sure I take a digestive enzyme after consumption. By sprouting first (which requires soaking then several days of rinsing) I reduce the carbohydrates, increase the nutrition, and make them easier to digest. It's essentially pre-digested food. I am currently using sprouted brown rice, lentils, quinoa, corn (milled into cornmeal), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, nuts, beans (a variety of them). Sprouting beans before consuming them will also make them (ahem) "less noisy" ;-). This is important for my use because a large percentage of our diet is whole grains/seeds/beans/nuts. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Nourished Kitchen

I basically cook all the rice in the same manner: On electric stove, 1 part rice (washed or un-) to 2 parts water, pinch or 2 of salt, bring to a low boil over high heat, then cover tightly & turn heat to low/warm for 25 - 50 minutes. Shorter time for white rice, longer for brown. Remove from heat & let stand covered for 5-10 minutes then uncover & fluff w/ a fork. I often mix in some butter. Best brown or white rice is short grain for sure - lovely soft & chewy texture. Here's yummy brown rice recipe of mine that's not too sweet : Orange Coconut Rice yield: 4 cups 2 cups raw brown rice 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (12-15 oz?) 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (grated OK too) 1-2 tsp. finely grated orange rind - approx. 1/3-2/3 of 1 medium orange water salt In a medium (2 quart) saucepan w/ a tight-fitting lid, place rice, coconut & 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt. Grate rind from orange directly into pan - about 1/3-2/3 of rind. Squeeze juice from orange & add to coconut milk w/ enough water to make 4 cups, then add to pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring a few times, then cover tightly, reduce heat to very low & cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat & let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff w/ a fork. Do not remove lid until done!