I am confident the end results will not disappoint you and let you experience a real difference between store bought and homemade pita bread.
Okay - company’s coming, you are planning on having people over, and you want to make a great appetizer (perhaps hummus or eggplant caviar). I'm being a little self-serving on this one but please make this homemade pita bread and serve it with my Eggplant Caviar.
You need a little something to help round out and kick up that pre-dinner nosh a bit while you enjoy your aperitif. So you think, “Let me go to the store but only to find those small round bread discs packaged up in plastic”. They are PSOs - pita-shaped objects! They are not worthy of your homemade hummus / eggplant caviar!
Here’s a recipe for you to try that could be the hit of your dinner - don’t be surprised if you get invited over for dinner and someone says - hey can you bring this / that with your homemade pitas - it’s been known to happen!
Is it worth it? YES YES YES - and its not as much of a pain in the a$$ (thus PITA) as you might think.
Ingredients
1 1/8 Cup of warm Water (Approximately 110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 Cups all purpose flour (AP Flour <-- call it that and impress your friends)
1 Cup Bread flour
1 teaspoon Salt
½ tsp baking powder (optional, for “fluffiness” - I say optional, but choose this option please - I think it makes a difference)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil (I prefer Canola Oil)
Directions
Step 1 - Prove the yeast
Put sugar and yeast into measuring cup of warm water and stir to dissolve the sugar and mix up the yeast a bit. Set aside for 10 minutes until the yeast is bubbling and frothy (so you know it’s happy and ready to go).
Step 2 - Mix the dough
Place AP flour and bread flower into your mixer’s bowl (with the dough hook). Put in salt and baking powder and stir thoroughly with a fork (you don’t want to bite into a bitter morsel of baking powder). Make a small well in the flour and pour in the water / yeast / sugar mixture. Set mixer on the low setting and start mixing. After about 1 minute of mixing - pour in the oil. Continue to mix to knead the dough in the mixer for approximately 10 minutes making sure you scrape the bowl to incorporate any dough that might be sticking in the bowl.
After 10 minutes, remove the dough from mixer and turn out onto a dry surface - continue to knead the dough by hand for a few minutes to really start building that gluten. When done - move the dough back into your mixing bowl and give a couple of light shots of cooking spray to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic and a dish towel and place on the back of the stove (or wherever your favorite dough rising location is - not too warm, but certainly NOT too cool).
Step 3 - Let the dough rise
Grab yourself a drink, go do your errands, clean the house, do your chores, or whatever you want to do - leave the dough alone for a good 2 - 3 hours!
Step 4 - Form the pitas
Turn the dough out again onto a smooth surface (some say it should be floured - however, our countertops are granite and I find I don’t really need them to be floured). Roll out the dough and stretch into a 12 inch rope. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide dough into 8 uniform pieces. Roll each cut piece into a smooth ball (I like to take my fingers and surround the dough with them with my palm just touching the piece of dough - then, with tips of my fingers I make circular motion until a nice smooth ball is formed - lather, rinse and repeat for all 8 dough balls. Then, with a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside onto a nonstick (or nicely seasoned baking pan). Cover with a slightly dampened tea / dish towel (I spritz it slightly with water from a hand sprayer). Let pitas rise for an additional 30 minutes until slightly puffy (I have been known to move right onto the next step also if you are tight on time).
Step 5 - Grill the pitas (You could also do this in your oven, but in the summer why not bust out of the house and use the Grill)
Take one or two of your favorite well seasoned cast iron skilled and lightly spray them with cooking oil (VERY lightly). Place your skillet(s) onto your grill and preheat your grill on high to 550 degrees F (260 degrees C) - making sure to close the lid of the grill. When your grill has reached temperature, quickly and carefully open the lid of the grill and place on of the pitas onto each skillet to bake. Make sure you close the lid of the grill immediately - retaining that heat is key). Bake for 2 - 3 minutes until the top of the pita begins to puff up (magic about how the pocket is created, isn’t it?) and the bottom is a nice golden brown - not too dark - and not too light (resist the urge to keep opening the grill and letting the heat escape). When the bottom side is done, take a spatula and flip the pita and repeat until the pita is done (again another 2 minutes +/-). Make in batches and place the cooked pitas into a paper bag (sealing until you are done cooking all of your pitas).
As Always - Bon AppetIT!
TheITGourmet
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