Pita
Description
Perfect with tea and coffee. I have many relatives who live in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Over the years I’ve visited them, they got me hooked on pita—flatbreads that in many countries take the place of bread. In almost every large family, it’s customary to make pita at home rather than buy it at the store—it’s supposedly a sign that all is well in the family. Still, the pita recipe is so simple that making it yourself is hardly harder than trudging to the store for it :) And homemade pita, made by the hostess’s own hands, tastes far better than anything store-bought. Here goes. Serve warm or chilled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Mix water, yeast, and sugar in one bowl; a cup of flour and salt in another.
- 2
Step 2
When the mixture with the yeast starts to foam, add olive oil to it.
- 3
Step 3
Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix the dough with a spoon. While mixing, add the remaining flour to the dough in small portions.
- 4
Step 4
When the dough has thickened to the point that stirring it with a spoon becomes impossible, start kneading the dough by hand. Knead until the dough is soft and pliable. Shape the soft dough into a soft ball that does not stick to your hands. Leave the dough in a warm place.
- 5
Step 5
When the dough has roughly doubled in volume, roll it into a thick log and cut it into 8 pieces.
- 6
Step 6
Roll each portion of dough into a ball, then roll it out into a round approximately 15 cm in diameter.
- 7
Step 7
Preheat the oven to 260 degrees. Place the flatbread on the rack (two flatbreads fit on my rack). When the oven is fully preheated, put the pita in to bake.
- 8
Step 8
Watching the pita is very interesting—it puffs up. As soon as the pita has puffed up fully (about 10 minutes), take it out of the oven and load the next batch.
- 9
Step 9
Pita is ready.