Pita Bread

Flatbread is key in so many international cuisines, and here in India there seem to be a plethora of flatbreads, hailing from different regions, which people serve with different dishes, and for different meals. That said, although I was recently motivated to make flatbread in part because I love to eat it here with various Indian dishes, I specifically made it to have with hummus, so I decided to make pita bread. I used a recipe from one of my go-to baking books, and was very pleased with the result.

The dough was incredibly elastic and rose well. It was easy to manipulate, and the pitas cooked well both on the stove top as well as in the oven. I just modified the recipe slightly by mixing some whole-wheat flour into the flour mix, and cooked many of pitas on the stove rather than exclusively in the oven.

Pita Bread

Ingredients:

• 7g traditional (active dry) yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl stir together the yeast, sugar and 1 1/2 cups warm water. Set aside for ten minutes, or until frothy bubbles appear on the surface and the volume increases a little. If bubbles don't form after 10 minutes, your yeast is dead and you will have to start again.
2. Place the flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture in, along with the olive oil, and stir to combine.
3. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. 
4. Place dough in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for 20 minutes, or until doubled in size.
5. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, and form each into a ball. Roll out each ball into a circle about 5 mm thick, and let rise for another 20 minutes before you bake or fry the pitas. 
6. If baking in an oven: Place the pitas on a baking sheet, separated with ample distance, and sprinkle the tray with some water. Bake in a preheated oven at 250 degrees C or 500 degrees F for 4-5 minutes. The bread should be soft, still pale, and swollen, with a hollow bit inside.
7. If frying on a heavy bottomed pan: Heat a pan over medium heat, and when ready, turn the flame down to medium-low. Place a pita in the center of the pan and toast it until it has risen and feels baked 3/4 of the way through. Flip to the other side, and finish baking it. The whole process should take only 4-5 minutes. Repeat with remaining pitas.
8. Serve the flatbread with hummus, baba ganoush, kebabs, other dips, or even curries. My mother loves to use flatbread recipes for pizza crust, and I'm sure you could adapt it for that purpose too.

Enjoy!