Pita Bread

Finding vegan pita bread where I live is a nightmare. Why does honey have to be in everything? I can't take it anymore. Hummus just isn't the same without the pita! Anyway, I've finally broken down and I'm going to try my hand at baking this ancient, Middle Eastern bread. (If you know anything about me, then you know I have to change the original recipe, but, of course, that does not always work out so well!)
So, that being said, here goes nothing. You need a HOT oven for this.

Whole Wheat Pita

2 1/2 tsp quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water (warm, not scalding! If it stings your finger when you hold it in the water for a bit, it is too hot!)
3 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

First, grab a small bowl and stir the yeast, sugar, and a teaspoon or so of flour together. Slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of warm water and stir until sugar dissolves. Let sit for about ten minutes until the yeast/flour mixture is nice a frothy.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the three cups of flour and salt together. Make a depression in the middle, and when the yeast is ready, gently pour it into the depression. Slowly add the rest of the water and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined and doughy.

Next, prepare the kneading surface (I use a plastic pie-crust-making mat) by covering it with a generous amount of flour. Have the bag of flour ready because you will need to frequently add more to keep the dough from sticking to everything. Transfer the dough to the prepared surface, and knead for about fifteen minutes until elastic and not sticky. If you don't know how to knead, I'll try to explain, but if my instructions don't suffice, google "how to knead bread."

Step 1: First, cover your hands with flour. Using the heel of your hand, compress and push the dough away from you, and then fold it in half back towards yourself.

Step 2: Next, turn the dough 90 degrees, and repeat step 1, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Step 3: Keep repeating steps 1 & 2 (get into a rhythm and put some weight into it!) until the dough is nice and elastic. You'll notice the difference, don't give up.

It will look something like this:



Okay, so once the dough is kneaded, coat a large bowl with oil (vegetable, canola, olive, etc.) and transfer the dough. Turn it gently until coated. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow it to sit and rise for three hours (or until doubled in size) in a warm place.



Now for the fun part.

Roll the dough out into a long rope and divide into 10 or 12 small sections (divide into thirds, then halve, and halve once more).




On a floured surface, form them into balls, transfer to a plate, cover, and let sit for ten minutes. Preheat the oven along with your baking sheet to 500 degrees F. Make sure the rack is at the very bottom of your oven.

With a rolling pin, roll out the balls until they are about 5-6" across and 1/4 inch thick.

Like this:



Place them on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes (they should puff up a bit). Flip them over and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Once out of the oven, gently push the puff down and store in airtight plastic bags. They should keep for about a week in a bread box or for about a month in the freezer. The great thing about pita bread is the little pouch that forms in the middle. You can spread on some quality hummus, stuff it full of your favorite veggies, and devour. Or, dunk it in soups, make chips... whatever you like! Enjoy!



I have so much fruit right now... I'm trying to figure out what to do with it... Smoothies? Fruit salads? Grilling? I'll let you know!