So, about that pita bread.

At the beginning of the weekend, it was feeling a tiny bit fallish, and I got the urge to make bread. The Husband wasn’t feeling the fallishness quite as much as I was, and suggested I wait a few more weeks on the breadmaking front. So instead, I made homemade hummus for snacking on Saturday. Naturally, my thought process skipped to pitas, so I put two and two together and made my own.

These things are crazy easy to make. And, I was a little tipsy at the time. I only swore once when I set off the fire alarm for the second time. Heating your oven to 500 degrees F can get a little smoky, FYI. But it’s all about the high heat on these things, so it’s a must.

The first two turned out a little too crispy for my liking, so a couple less minutes in the oven for the rest of them. Although, tecnically I stopped keeping track after the second batch (see: tipsy above) and just flipped them after they puffed and browned a tiny bit on one side, and took them out a minute or two later. I also like my pitas a little thicker, so next time I might make a few less to make them all thicker and chewier.

These suckers are to die for straight out of the oven (let them cool first!) dunked in freshly made garlicky lemoney hummus, but they freeze well too. And they are super fun to make, watch them puff up in the oven, and then marvel at the pocket they make naturally! They are awesome stuffed with that same hummus, fresh cucumber and heirloom tomato. I need to make more.

I thought I found the recipe on Angry Chicken, but now I can’t find it again. Good thing I wrote it down the first time. So, here it is.

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teapsoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

PREPARATION:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast water in depression. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic. Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking.
Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags.

Storing Pita Bread

Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.