Friday, March 26, 2010

Homemade Pitas Bread

There are a few things that I almost NEVER buy from the grocery store anymore. Pita Bread is one of them . The store bought pitas are tough and flavorless and go stale far too quickly. They just aren't worth the money or calories that you spend on them.

If you have just a little time and a tiny bit of bread making experience you can make tasty Pitas and impress your friends who'll think you spent days in the kitchen.

You'll need:
3 cups Flour (All Purpose works well but 1/2 Whole Wheat and 1/2 All Purpose makes a tastier Pita)
1 Tablespoon Honey or Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Instant Yeast (or 1 packet)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or Vege Oil, or Butter, or Shortening)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 Cups Room Temp Water

1. Mix the Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Yeast together in a bowl.












2. Add Olive Oil, 1 1/4 Cups of Water, and stir together with a wooden spoon. It should form a ball. If all of the flour doesn't stick to the ball, add a bit more water 1 tablespoon at a time.









3. Once it forms a ball, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes. I used my Kitchenaid with a dough hook for 10 minutes on low.









I've never used the mixer before to knead Pitas and threw away my 1st batch before I realized that it was supposed to look like a gooey mess. I turned the 2nd batch out and kneaded it twice with flour and it formed a ball. I still feel pretty dumb.









4. Once you've kneaded the dough for 10 minutes (or until your hands get super tired, whichever comes first), pour 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a bowl and use your fingers to rub it on the walls. Place your dough in the bowl and turn upside down to make sure it is coated with oil on all sides.






Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a wet cloth for 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.











5. After it has doubled, punch it down and divide it into 8 equal sized balls. Cover them with a damp dish towel and let rest for 20 minutes or so.

While you are letting these rest, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven before you preheat. If you don't use a baking sheet turned upside down. I have a baking stone but have always used a baking sheet. I like it that way.



6. After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes or so, place one ball on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll it as thin as you can. You are looking for the pitas to be between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch thick. If they will not stretch enough and keep springing back, cover it with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for a few more minutes.





7. Place as many pitas as you can on your hot baking surface.













They should puff up and be baked through in approximately 3 minutes. We kept forgetting to take pics so the before and after pictures are not from the same batch. They also puff quite a bit more than this but we were so excited to eat them, we forgot to take pictures of the final puff in the oven.






The final products are absolutely tasty and wonderful. I like them hot with a bit of butter. Chris likes them with hummus. Either way, they are so much better than store bought.

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