This recipe seems like a lot but it is really quite simple and the dough is fabulous to work with. A really good first time bread making dough. You can work with a starter and get the feel of a soft wet dough with this recipe. I found when I cooked the pita on the skillet that some would puff up and some would not. I then tried pressing the dough so it was a bit thinner and it worked out better. I figured that this recipe would also make for terrific Indian Naan bread too. You could brush them with garlic oil and some spices to zip it up a bit as an alternative if the Pita did not work out. Either way, they are terrific little bread pockets to put a veggie burger or falafel into with a bit of special sauce, you would have a great little snack or lunch.
Pita Bread
18 small Pitas
Ingredients
Starter:
2 teaspoons dry Yeast
1 cup Flour
1 cup warm Water
1 ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Water (optional)
2 teaspoons Salt
2 cups Flour
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (for the bowl and pan)
Instructions
To make the starter, in a medium bowl place the Yeast, warm Water, and Flour.
Stir well with a whisk until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot for ½ to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
In a large bowl add the Flour and Salt.
Pour the proofed starter into the bowl. Add the remaining Flour, Olive Oil, and Salt.
Using a rubber spatula, stir everything together until it forms into a soft dough. Add the 2 Tablespoons of water if it is dry.
Work the dough until it is smooth and shiny but still a bit “wet”.
In a clean large bowl, drizzle a bit of Olive Oil into it and swirl it to coat the bottom.
Add the dough and then flip it so the oiled side is face up.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place up to 2 hours.
Once it has risen and doubled in size, place the dough onto a lightly floured table. Portion out small balls of dough approximately all the same size and set them onto a parchment lined sheet pan. You should have about 18 small pieces of dough depending on how large you want your Pita to be.
Cover lightly with a tea towel for 15 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, form small pizza like disks with the dough pressing lightly down to evenly smooth out the edges.
Heat a large cast iron pan or heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and lightly coat with Olive Oil.
Place 1-3 flattened rounds of dough onto the skillet and cook over medium heat. Flip them once slightly browned and cook for another few minutes. Then flip one more time and the dough should puff up from the steam inside the dough.
Once cooked on both sides and hopefully they puff up, remove from the pan and let cool.
Continue to cook the remaining Pitas.