Amanda A-mangia: Make your own pita bread
Is it worth making your own pita bread? Yes! Store bought pita (like store bought sliced bread) is often several days old.
2 tsps active dry yeast
½ tsp sugar
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tblsps olive oil
Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup flour and whisk together. Set aside uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon, stir until mixture forms a doughy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any bits of dry dough.
Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may be refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 250° C. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet or large cast-iron pan. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disc with rolling pin. Roll to a 15 cm circle, then to a 20 cm diameter, about 2 1/2 cm thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
