I found the original for this recipe at greekfood.about.com, and I like how it turns out. It took some experimentation to find the pita recipe we were really interested in eating. We love pita bread as a flat bread, not as a pocket bread so much (although sometimes these will inflate and create pockets as well). Our breads are a little thicker than the pocket breads usually are (1/4″ – 3/8″ or so) and are perfect to use for dipping in hummus or heating up with feta on top.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1/2 cup of warm water
- 4 cups of bread flour
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Preparation:
- Dissolve in the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of warm water and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Dissolve salt in the remaining 1 cup of warm water.
- Put flour in the bowl of an 11-Cup Food Processor
. Pulse briefly to settle the flour. Continue pulsing while adding yeast mixure and salt water in a steady stream. Continue pulsing until dough forms, then turn food processor on for 30 seconds or so. Add olive oil and continue to process until all oil is absorbed.
- Shape into a ball, place in 8-cup measure
, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area to rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and knead briefly.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), and tear commercial-sized parchment paper in half.
- Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. (For larger or smaller pita bread pieces, take more or less dough). Prick the bread with a fork in several places and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Place on parchment paper and bake at 350°F (175°C) on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on another sheet of parchment paper , with a clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.
- Before using, brown in a lightly oiled skillet for a few minutes until browned on both sides or re-heat briefly in the oven.
The Verdict:
We love these pitas. I made a whole mess of them (I think it was three recipes or more) recently to take on family vacation with us. They’re absolutely wonderful. They’re good used to make pita sandwiches, used as thick wraps, or cut into wedges to eat with dip. You may have noticed that the technique I use for these pitas is pretty much the same as the technique I use for pizza crust. That’s just because I’m really lazy. And I don’t enjoy mixing any kind of dough by hand. If it can’t be made in a Cuisinart