Pita Bread

People often fear making bread but I had the luxury of growing up in a home where my mom made all our bread so I know it’s easy!! This recipe is long but only because I wanted to include lots of detail to take the mystery out of baking these wonderful flat breads.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 c lukewarm water
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 3 c all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for the bowl

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Make sponge: In a large bowl mix 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add ½ cup flour and whisk together. Cover and place the mixing bowl in a warm place. Give it 15 minutes or so, the mixture should bubble.
  2. Form the pita dough: Add salt, olive oil and 2 c flour into the sponge. Stir until the flour is mostly incorporated then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.
  3. Knead the dough: Dust a clean working surface with just a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. It it's sticky, work in a bit more flour but it shouldn't need much! The dough should be a little bit moist.
  4. Let the dough rise: Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl in a warm place. Let rise for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size.
  5. Roll the dough: Place the dough on a clean work surface. Deflate it and divide into 7 or 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes to rest.
  6. Shape the pitas: Gently press the balls with your fingers to shape them into discs - the using a floured rolling pin, roll each one into a circle that's 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. It helps to lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll so that dough doesn't stick to your counter. (If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling.
  7. Let the rolled pittas rest about 20 mins. and then bake.
  8. Bake: Heat the oven to 475° F or even 500. Heat a cast iron pan, pizza steel or cookie sheet in the over. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking sheet (I slide them off a cutting board directly into the oven – leaving the baking sheet inside). Bake for about 2 minutes on one side, and then, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side.  The pita will puff nicely and should be ready. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you work on the rest of the pitas. Don’t feel deflated (LOL) if some of the breads don’t puff – no big deal, they still taste great. Also - do not over bake - they don't need to be very brown and overbaked pita will be dry!

TIPS & HINTS

At the lake, bake them on a pizza stone on the BBQ so your guests can see the magic of the “puffing”.