Greek Pita Flatbread Food

GREEK FLATBREAD-PITA

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the sugar, yeast, water and milk. Set aside for 5 minutes until mixture starts to froth.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and the thyme leaves. Mix well.
• Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.
• Gradually add the yeast mixture to the flour mix. Mix well each time you add the yeast mixture.
• Transfer dough mix to a lightly floured working surface. Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.
• Brush a bowl with some oil and add the dough. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for about 40 minutes, until it rises and doubles in size.
• Cut dough into 6 equal sized pieces.
• With your hands, gently stretch each piece of dough to a circle about 7 -8 inch wide. You can also use a rolling pin.
• Place a cast iron pan over high heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil.
• Cook each pita bread for 1-2 minutes on each side in the pan, until it puffs up a little and starts browning. (Add a little olive oil to the pan after cooking 1-2 pitas).

GREEK PITA FLATBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl (I made this in my stand mixer), combine yeast, sugar and water. Set aside for about 10 minutes so that the yeast can activate and become frothy.
• In another bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, salt and the bread flour. Mix well with a whisk.
• Add the milk and olive oil to the yeast mixture and mix well using the dough hook attachment on the stand mixer.
• Slowly while the mixer is mixing on low speed add the flour mixture and allow the mixer to knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes or until it is smooth.
• Pour some olive oil in a large bowl and coat it. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the warmest room of your house until doubled in size. This can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours...
• Once the dough is ready cut it into 6 equal pieces and form it into round balls.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat.
• Roll out the dough balls on a lightly greased counter to about 8 inches in diameter.
• Cook the pitas about 2 minutes on each side.
• Transfer the cooked pitas onto a plate and cover with a kitchen towel until all of them are cooked.
• The pitas are best served the day they are made, but they can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
• Make delicious sandwiches, open faced sandwiches, pizza or eat with your favorite dip!
• Enjoy!!

GREEK PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Warm the water until it is about 37 degrees Celcius. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add salt, sugar, and oil, and finally flour a little at a time. It is not certain that all the flour will be needed. The dough should be smooth and even, but should not be dry. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
• Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.
• After rising, the dough is laid out on the table.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. If you want to make the pitas a little bigger, you can just divide the dough into 6 parts.
• Roll out each piece of dough into a flatbread 2-3 mm thick.
• Let the pita bread rise for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the non-stick frying pan up to slightly higher than medium heat.
• Place one pita bread on the pan at a time, and bake it for about 3 minutes on one side.
• Turn the bread over and let it bake for 2-3 minutes on the other side until golden and baked through.
• Wrap the finished bread in a tea towel as they are baked. That way, they stay soft and warm until mealtime.

GREEK PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes to proof and ferment it.
• Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water.
• Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the middle and put the dissolved yeast and salt water into it.
• With your hands, blend it into a dough.
• You may need a bit more or less water depending on your flour.
• Knead the dough in the bowl with your fists for 10-15 minutes or until it is smooth.
• Pour the oil over the dough and knead it again until the oil is absorbed.
• Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel and set it in a draft free area to rise to double it's bulk (1-2 hours), then punch it down and knead it again for a few minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Cut pieces of dough, egg size or larger, depending on the size of the pita desired, shape them into balls with your hands and roll them out over a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Set 2 or 3 pites on a lightly oiled cookies sheet and bake them on the lower rack 2 to 3 minutes each side.
• Pitas should be white and soft.
• Wrap the baked pitas in a clean towel until they are cool, then store them in plastic bags to prevent them from drying out.
• When you are ready to use them, heat a bit of oil in a shallow skillet and fry them a minute or so on each side, or until golden brown.
• Use them immediately, because they get hard when they dry out.