Pita Bread

I am a carb girl. I like breads of all type and this pita bread is no exception. There is a trick to yeast breads and you must let them rise for a certain amount of time to get the right texture. After making this recipe, I have refused to eat store bought pita bread.

Pita Bread

Yields: 8 pitas

Ingredients:

3 cups flour, an additional 1/4-1/2 if needed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water, room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Mix yeast, flour, honey, and salt in a stand mixer with dough hook. While mixing on low, add water and olive oil. Let mix for ten minutes and slowly add flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. If kneading by hand, knead for ten minutes and slowly add flour. Knead until dough is no longer sticky.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 90 minutes or until dough is double in size. When dough has doubled, punch down to deflate. Remove dough from bowl and divide into 8 equal pieces.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes. Dust work surface with flour. Working with one dough ball at a time, roll out dough with a rolling pin or with your hands to make the piece approximately 6 inches in diameter.

Preheat oven to 450*. Place the dough disks on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and cover with a kitchen towel, let rise for 30-45 minutes.

Bake for 3-5 minutes in preheated oven. I know it seems like such a short baking period but believe me, they are done. I have baked them for as little as 3 minutes and as much as 8 minutes. They are done at and a little crispy on the tops at 8 minutes. It all boils down to a personal preference at this point. Let cool and serve with hummus and vegetables or make some hummus pies.

Source: Annie's Eats "Pita Bread" Originally from The Brown Eyed Baker