Pita Bread

Once I decided to make tzatziki sauce it was a no brainer to also make homemade pita bread. I remembered seeing the most beautiful pitas on one of my favorite food blogs, Food and Whine, so of course I had to steal the recipe for my own pita project. Baking is soooo not my thing, which is why you will not find very many baked goods on my blog. BUT after this pita recipe, I now realize why baking is a stress reliever - you get to punch the heck out of the dough and then end up with something warm, comforting, and satisfying. Pretty fabulous if you ask me. Hubby and I loved these pitas! This recipe makes six pitas, but if you notice, the plate of pitas only shows five. This is because we totally scarfed the sixth one straight out of the oven - it had no chance making it in a photo! These are going to be a regular staple in my house - and next time I will definitely double the recipe!

Pita Bread
Thanks to Megan at Food and Whine


Printable Version


Ingredients
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (I used one packet of Active Yeast)
1/2 tablespoon honey (please notice the amazing pure honey that I used - a gift from my wonderful mother in law)
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
In a bowl or measuring cup combine yeast, honey and water. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine 1 cup all purpose flour, all of the whole wheat flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon add the yeast mixture. Add as much of the remaining all purpose flour as necessary to form a soft dough that is sticky but not wet. Work olive oil into dough, then turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. 

With floured hands, knead dough, adding additional flour as needed, until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes), then form into a ball. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough inside, turning to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a thin towel and place in the oven with just the light on until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 hour).  

Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured surface. 

Divide the dough into six pieces. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand. **If you want really good pockets in your pita, roll them out fairly thin.** Roll into a 4-5 inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Place them onto a baking sheet about an inch apart.  

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. (For a softer pita, bake at 375 degrees). Stack the hot pitas on a towel and wrap them up until they are cool. This makes a softer pita with pockets for filling.