Perfect Pitas. Five Simple Ingredients.
Prep 2Hr | Bake 3M | Enjoy in 2Hr 3M
Whether you’re wrapping up some tasty, golden falafel or just ham and cheese, pitas make an awesome, portable alternative to bread the whole family will love. Even better, they’re easy to make, and you get to watch them puff up, unlike the ones you’d buy at the store. Make these delicious little sandwich pockets on a weekend, or let the dough rise on a weeknight and then store until you are ready to bake. Either way, you can have tasty homemade pitas whenever you need them.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (not boiling)
2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
2.5 – 3 cups all-purpose flour (sub in 1-1.5 cups whole wheat flour for an little extra fibre and whole-wheat goodness)
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
Directions:
- Make the dough: Combine water and yeast, then let sit for five minutes. Add 2.5 cups of flour, salt and olive oil, then stir until a shaggy dough begins to form.
- Knead: Sprinkle leftover flour onto your work surface and knead for about five to seven minutes. Add flour to prevent dough from sticking, but try not to use too much.
- Rise: Spread olive oil in a bowl, place dough in, cover and let rise. Wait until it has doubled in size, about an hour or two. Now you can either proceed to baking, or refrigerate the dough until ready to use, where it will keep for up to a week.
- Cut and shape: Deflate the dough and divide into eight equal pieces. Flatten each into a thin disk. Using a rolling pin, roll each disk into a circle eight or nine inches wide and a quarter-inch thick.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Preferably, use a baking stone, otherwise place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.
Place the rolled out dough disks onto the stone or pan and place in oven. The pitas should start to puff after a minute or two. Continue to bake for a total of about 3 minutes. If you only have room to cook one or two at a time, cover finished pitas with a clean dishtowel while you work.
These fresh-baked pitas are best enjoyed right after cooking, but you can store any leftovers in a sealed bag until you are ready to enjoy them.
