30 Minute Pita Bread Recipe 465 Food

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl.
• Combine yeast, sugar and 1/3 cup very warm water-give a quick stir and set aside for 5 minutes to activate yeast.
• Make a well in the flour/salt mixture and add the yeast, 1 cup warm water and the olive oil.
• Gently stir to gather dough into a ball-you may need a touch more water-depending on where you live, altitude.
• Turn out and knead for 10 minutes.
• Put into a LIGHTLY greased large bowl, cover and place in a warm spot for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down and knead to smooth.
• Cut dough into 12 pieces, form into rounds, roll out and place on a dusted baking sheet, cover and let rest for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 500F degrees.
• I use my large cast iron skillet for this part, so I place it in the oven and when really hot I place in two pitas and let bake for around 3 minutes-you can broil for 1 minute if you like, just to get the tops browned.
• I wrap the cooked pitas in a slightly damp tea towel for a minute or two-then cool and place in plastic bags.
• This process can also be done on a cooking sheet.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir gently to mix. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir the olive oil into the yeast mixture. Sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture. Stir together until a wet dough forms.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough is smooth and bounces back when pressed, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball.
• Oil another large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Set a pizza stone or pizza steel on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 475˚ F. Form the pita: Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log, about 8 inches long; cut the log crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover with a clean towel and let rest 15 minutes. Roll out each dough ball to a scant 1/4-inch thickness, 6 to 7 inches in diameter.
• Brush off any excess flour from the dough rounds. Place the rounds on the hot pizza stone, 2 at a time, keeping the remaining rounds covered with the towel. Bake until puffed and slightly golden, 5 to 6 minutes if using a pizza stone or 3 to 4 minutes if using a pizza steel. Remove from the oven; stack the pitas and wrap in a clean, dry towel so that they remain soft while you make the rest.

CLASSIC PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Place flour in a food processor with steel blade. Add salt and yeast, process for 5 seconds.
• While processor is running, add olive oil and water through the feed tube.
• Process about 30 seconds and remove cover.
• Dough should be barely sticky and in a ball, add water 1 tablespoon at a time if too dry, and process for 5-10 seconds. If dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour and process for a couple of seconds.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface and and knead by hand for about 1 minute by hand.
• Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough in it. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Punch dough and divide it into 6-12 pieces. Keep lightly floured and covered.
• Preheat oven to 500°F, use baking stones, or place a baking sheet on each rack.
• Flatten each ball on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 6-8 inch circle. Lightly flour each circle as finished, cover, but do not stack.
• Starting with the first circles rolled, Place each circle on the sheet or stone and bake until lightly puffed (about 2-3 minutes).
• If bread does not puff up, still remove it at 2-3 minutes, creases in dough may cause it not to puff.

MAKE AHEAD PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute) in the same direction to activate the gluten in the flour. Let this sponge rest for at least 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
• Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add remaining white flour, one cup at a time (more if needed). When the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
• Gently punch down. NOTE: If at this time you want to save the dough in the refrigerator for baking later, simply wrap it in a plastic bag that is at least three times the size of the dough, pull the bag together, and secure it just at the opening of the bag. This will give the dough a chance to expand when it is in the refrigerator (which it will do). From day to day, simply cut off the amount of dough you need and keep the rest in the refrigerator, for up 5 days. The dough will smell slightly fermented after a few days, but this simply improves the taste of the bread. Dough should be brought to room temperature before baking.
• Place unglazed quarry tiles, or a large baking stone or two baking sheets, on a rack in the bottom third of your oven, leaving a one inch gap all around to allow air to circulate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Divide dough in half, then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide dough into eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8" in diameter and about 1/4" thick. NOTE: You may wish to roll out all eight before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do not stack.
• Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on quarry tiles or baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3-4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full "balloon" or until it is starts to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. NOTE: Your bread may not go into a full "balloon" but don't worry, it will still taste great. The more you bake pitas the more you will become familiar with all the little tricks and pitfalls, and your breads will more consistently balloon.
• Remove pitas from the oven and place on a rack for for a few minutes to let cool slightly (I leave them on the rack until the next two are ready to come out of the oven), then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft).

HOW TO MAKE EGYPTIAN WHITE PITA BREAD?

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water, mix with your hand or a dough whisk, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for one hour.
• Set a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven, and preheat the oven to as high as it will go.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover with oiled plastic wrap.
• Sprinkle two pieces of parchment paper with wheat bran. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll each into a ball, and then flatten each into a 5 inch round. Sprinkle the top with more wheat bran.
• Cover with tea towels, and let rest for 30 minutes while the oven is heating, until puffy.
• Using a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet, transfer the parchment sheets to the baking stone, one sheet at a time, and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool briefly, and then serve immediately.

ARABIAN PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix yeast, water and sugar.
• Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, dried milk and salt.
• Pour in the oil and yeast/water mixture and stir well.
• You might need to add more flour or water, depending on the absorbency of the flour.
• Knead dough briefly, divide into 18 egg sized balls.
• Place on a floured surface, cover and let rest for 15-30 minutes.
• Roll one ball out and cook in a skillet until large "bubbles" form.
• Flip pita over and cook the other side for a few more minutes.
• I flatten it out with a spatula.
• Keep bread warm (wrap in a towel or place in a ziploc bag) while cooking the rest of the bread.
• These freeze well.