This simple recipe for puffy, pillowy pita bread is perfected with a little bit of love and patience.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1½ cups lukewarm water, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons of dry active yeast
1 teaspoon of light brown sugar
1 cup of wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of olive oil, plus more for frying
How to prepare:
What you do is mix 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mix. Cover with a dish towel and let sit for 30 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and foamy.
Add 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of lukewarm water, 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, and salt. Mix until you get a sticky dough. Move to a clean floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, gradually adding 12 cup of flour and oil, until dough is springy to the touch. Make a ball out of the dough and put it in a mixing bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in size.
Move the dough to a floured surface and knead it for 1 minute. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces with a sharp knife and roll each piece into a ball with your hands. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes more.
Roll each ball into a flat circle, cover, and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Over medium heat, cook pitas one at a time for one to two minutes on each side, or until they puff up. Warm is best.
