Pita Bread

This was probably the simplest bread recipe I have ever made!  They are delicious, fast (except for the rise time) and just plain awesome!

Here is how you make them:

Makes 8 pitas

3 C four

1 1/2 TSP salt

1 TBSP honey or sugar

1 packet yeast (or if from bulk, 2 TSP yeast)

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 C water lukewarm

2 TBSP olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil

For extra flavor, I added  garlic powder, and dried dill weed, or you could use fresh too. ( I didn't put measurements up, cause I didn't measure, I just eyeballed it)

If you are using active dry yeast, follow the instructions on the package to activate it.  (mine said 1/4 C warm water, roughly 110 degrees, and 1 TSP sugar, stir with a wooden spoon, and let rest for 10 minutes, then mix your remaining ingredients).  Otherwise, mix the yeast in with the flour, salt and sugar.  Add the olive and 1 1/4 C water (or just the remaining cup if you used active yeast) and stir together with a wooden spoon until ingredients form a ball.  If some of the flour doesn't stick to the ball, add more water a tiny bit at a time.  However, I found that mine was still too tacky, but I didn't add more yet, cause I just kept flouring my kneading surface.

Once all the ingredients form a ball, place dough on a flat, lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough by hand for approximately 10 minutes, (if you are feeling particularly stressed out, kneading some dough for 10 minutes is a great tension reliever!) or until the dough when pressed in with your finger, the dough springs back.  Once you have achieved this, lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil.  Shape your dough into a ball, and roll the ball around inside you oiled bowl, so as to coat the dough with oil.  Now cover your bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let rest for 2 hours, (or until your dough has doubled in size) in a warm place. 

When it's doubled in size, (ooh boy, this is may favorite part!) punch down the dough to release some of the trapped gases. 

Now divide your dough into 8, somewhat equal pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a ball, cover the balls with a damp, room temperature towel, and let them rest again, this time for only 20 minutes.

While the dough is resting, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  If you have a baking stone, I recommend baking your pita bread on it, it cooks so evenly, and doesn't burn.  So, if you are using your baking stone, put it in the oven as soon as you turn it on to heat.  If you are using a cookie sheet, place it upside down in your pre-heating oven.
After your dough is done resting for 20 minutes, lightly flour your flat surface again, and begin rolling out your little dough balls.  You want to roll it out to about 1/8" to 1/4" thick.  If your dough isn't stretching properly, cover it back up and let it rest for another 5-10 minutes.  It is okay if they aren't perfectly round. (as you can see mine are not round at all)

Now you are ready to bake your pitas!  Open your oven, and place as many pitas as you can on your baking surface.  (If you are worried about excessive browning, you can use a spray bottle, filled with water and mist your baking surface, and the tops of your pitas, but I didn't find it necessary.  Mine were just fine.  So if you don't have a spray bottle, don't worry about it.)  Bake your pitas for 3 minutes, they will get puffy, not all mine did though, but they were just as good as the ones that did.  If you want them crispy, let them bake for an extra 3-5 minutes.  I like mine really soft, so I baked mine for about 2:30.  

Now you are done, and enjoy your pitas! Go make some gyros....I know I am tomorrow, and I will posting a recipe for those as well!