Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: Makes 8 rounds.
Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 3/4 tsp. instant yeast yeast
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
- 8 8-inch squares of aluminum foil for baking pitas
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer combine 1 cup flour with sugar and yeast. Add the oil, water and salt.
2. Thoroughly mix ingredients using a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer set on low.
3. If using a stand mixer, switch to dough hook.
4. Stir in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is moist, add a small amount of additional flour.
5. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 6 minutes or increase mixer speed to medium and knead for 6 minutes.
6. Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
7. Form dough into a ball then flatten into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
8. Using a large knife or dough scraper, cut the circle as you would a pie to create 8 equal pieces.
9. Roll into balls, dust lightly with flour, and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rest for 30 minutes.
10. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball into a disk. Finish with a rolling pin, flattening the dough into a disk about 6" in diameter and 3/16" thick. Their thinness is more important than making them perfectly round.
11. Place each round on a square of foil, and carefully place 3 or 4 of the rounds directly on the oven rack. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are puffed.
12. When you remove the breads from the oven, stack them up and wrap them in a large piece of foil. This will keep the dough soft while the tops fall, leaving a pocket in the center. Note: one or two usually fail to puff, they still taste good, just no pocket.
These freeze beautifully and will thaw in 5 minutes. Reheat in a 375 degree oven wrapped in foil (best) or wrap in a double layer of paper towels and zap them for 15 seconds.