Pita Bread Food

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
• Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
• Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
• Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
• Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
• Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

CHEF JOHN'S PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Place yeast into the work bowl of a stand mixer and add 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Whisk together and let stand 15 to 20 minutes for mixture to rise and make a loose sponge. Mixture will bubble and foam.
• Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and salt into sponge; add 1 3/4 cup flour. Mix at low speed, using a dough hook attachment, until dough is soft, supple, and slightly sticky. If dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, a little at a time.
• Knead dough with machine on low speed until slightly springy and still soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a ball.
• Wipe inside of bowl with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Turn dough around in bowl to cover with a thin film of oil; cover bowl with foil and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Remove dough from bowl and place onto a floured work surface. Lightly pat into a flat shape about 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut dough into 8 pieces.
• Form each piece into a small round ball with a smooth top, pulling dough from the sides and tucking the ends underneath the bottom.
• Cover dough balls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a work surface and top of a dough ball; gently pat dough ball flat with your fingers, forming a flat, round bread about 1/4 inch thick. Let dough round rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
• Brush a cast-iron skillet with remaining 3/4 teaspoon olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Lay pita bread into hot skillet and cook until bread begins to puff up and bottom has brown spots and blisters, about 3 minutes. Flip, cook 2 more minutes, and flip back onto original side to cook for about 30 more seconds. Pita bread will begin to puff up and fill with hot air. Stack cooked breads on a plate; when cool enough to handle, break breads in half and open the pocket inside for stuffing.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Add the flour, yeast and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix to combine. With the machine running at medium-low speed, add 1 cup warm water and mix well. Increase the speed to medium to medium-high and continue mixing, adding more warm water if necessary, until the dough gathers into a ball, completely pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the bowl is clean, about 5 minutes total.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Remove the dough from the bowl, sprinkle with flour and knead by hand until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, place in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm, humid place for 1 hour.
• Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface, kneading lightly to deflate it. With floured hands, pull small portions of dough (slightly bigger than a golf ball) and roll them into balls.
• Flatten each ball with your hands, then roll it thin with a rolling pin. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Once heated add the bread and cook until browned and bubbled on the first side, then flip and cook the other side until it puffs and turns golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Serve the bread with the pickles, tomatoes, green olives, mint leaves, zaatar and labneh, if you like.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the yeast and the warm water in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the agave syrup, salt and flour. Mix until well combined.
• Add in the oil and mix by hand or in a food processor for 6 to 8 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 90 minutes in a warm, dry place. Dough should double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and if possible, use a baking stone.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll them into balls, then cover and let rest for 20 minutes to let the dough relax.
• Dust a clean work surface with flour, then roll each ball out to 1/8-inch thick and approximately 6 inches in diameter. Cook on baking stone until puffed and starting to brown about 6 minutes each side. Spritz the oven with water, during baking, to create nice crisp pitas.

PITTA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the yeast with 300ml warm water in a large bowl. Leave to sit for 5 mins until the yeast is super bubbly then tip in the flour, salt and olive oil. Bring the mixture together into a soft dough. Don't worry if it looks a little rough round the edges.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5-10 mins until you have a soft, smooth and elastic dough. Try to knead using as little extra flour as possible, just enough so that the dough doesn't stick - this will keep the pittas light and airy. Once kneaded, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to double in size, approximately 1 hour.
• Heat oven as high as it will go (ideally 250C/230C fan/gas 9) and put a large baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven to get searingly hot. Divide the dough into eight balls then flatten each into a disc with the palm of your hand. On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc into an oval, around 20cm long, 15cm wide and 3-5mm thick.
• Carefully remove the hot tray from the oven. Dust with flour then place your pittas directly onto it - you may have to do this in batches. Return swiftly to the oven and bake for 4-5 mins, or until the pittas have puffed up and are a pale golden colour. Wrap each hot pitta in a clean tea towel once it's baked to keep it soft while the others cook.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Make the dough:In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, yeast, honey, and 1 cup warm water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, oil, and remaining 1 1/4 cups warm water.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead dough, dusting hands and surface with more flour as needed, until smooth and elastic, 10 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Form and bake the dough:Punch down dough, and form into a ball; then turn out onto a floured surface.
• Quarter dough. Working with one piece at a time (drape a kitchen towel over the rest), divide each quarter into 4 smaller pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball and pinch, tightening the ball. Turn pinched-side down and flatten with your palm.
• Flatten each ball into a 6-inch round with a lightly floured rolling pin.
• Transfer rounds to rimmed baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal; drape with kitchen towels. Let rest 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees and set an inverted rimmed baking sheet on rack in lowest position. Place 4 dough rounds on preheated sheet. Bake until puffed, 2 minutes. Flip and bake until golden in spots and just cooked through, 1 minute more. Transfer to a basket lined with a kitchen towel; cover to steam and keep warm. Bake remaining pitas and serve.

EASY PITA BREAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Brush on a little olive oil on the pita.
• Spread sauce on top of the pita.
• Sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
• Sprinkle on pinches of desired herbs and spices, and add any toppings you'd like.
• Place on baking sheet, bake for 5-7 minutes at 400°, or until cheese is melted (times may vary).
• Slice with pizza cutter and enjoy!

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.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, preheat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.
• Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.
• Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the center. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.

FRESH PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Stir the yeast and water together in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon and stirring in one direction, stir in the whole wheat flour about a cup at a time; then stir 100 times or until the mixture look smooth and silky. This is the sponge and it needs to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes, although it is best if it can rest for as long as 8 hours in a cool place, a rest that will give fuller flavor. Sprinkle the slat over the sponge and then stir in the olive oil, mixing well, again stirring in the same direction. Add the flour about a cup at a time, mixing until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it mixing until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be moderately firm and have a slight sheen. Clean the mixing bowl, dry it, and coat it lightly with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn the dough around to oil its surface, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until it doubles in bulk. Turn the dough onto the work surface. Divide it in half and keep one half under plastic or cloth while you work with the other. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and, with lightly floured cupped hands, form the pieces into tight balls; keep the balls under plastic as you work on the other.
• On a well-floured surface, flatten the balls of dough with you fingertips and then, using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. Cover but do stack the rolled out breads. Preheat the griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and lightly oil the griddle. Bake 1 rolled-out circle at a time on the griddle, putting the pita top side down on the griddle and cooking for 15 to 20 seconds before turning the bread over gently. Cook for another minute or until big bubbles appear. Turn the bread again and cook until it balloons fully. Pressing a towel on those areas where bubbles have formed will push air into the flat areas. The breads should bake for no more than 3 minutes. Oil the griddle after every 4 to 5 breads. Pita is best the day it is made, but it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for 1 month

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• You will need a large bread bowl, a rolling pin, and unglazed quarry tiles or several baking sheets, or alternatively a castiron or other heavy skillet or griddle at least 9 inches in diameter.
• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, 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 10 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
• Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add white flour, one cup at a time. 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. Dough can be made ahead to this point and then stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 5 days or less.
• 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 to one week. 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.
• This amount of dough will make approximately 16 pitas if rolled out into circles approximately 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. You can also of course make smaller breads. Size and shape all depend on you, but for breads of this dimension the following baking tips apply:
• 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 to 9 inches in diameter. 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 or 4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full "balloon" or until it is starting to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. If there are seams or dry bits of dough - or for a variety of other reasons - your bread may not go into a full "balloon". 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." But even then, if you're like us, it won't always "balloon" fully and you won't mind because the taste will still be wonderful. When baked, remove, place on a rack for about five minutes to let cool slightly, then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft). When first half of the dough has been rolled out and baked, repeat for rest of dough, or store in refrigerator for later use, as described above. You can also divide the dough into more, smaller pieces if you wish, to give you smaller breads.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Set a pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.
• In a bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. *If you have never worked with active dry yeast before, please read up on how this works.*.
• In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt together. While the machine is on, pour in the yeast mixture through the processor feed/hole. Then pour in the warm milk. Process the dough until it forms a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times. Form the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough ball to the bowl. Turn the dough ball to coat all sides with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Punch down the dough and cut it in half. then cut each half into 8 pieces and roll them into balls. Then flatten them into 6 inch rounds. Arrange the rounds on the work surface, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy - about 25 minutes.
• Using a lightly floured pizza peel (or floured spatula) slide 4 of the rounds onto the hot pizza stone and bake for about 5 minutes, or until the pitas puff up. Repeat with the remaining 4 rounds.
• Serve hot or wrap in foil to keep warm.
• *Note: the flattened, unbaked pita rounds can be frozen for up to 1 month. Let them thaw completely, then let them rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes before baking.

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.

EASY PITA BREAD (NO YEAST)

Steps:

• In a big bowl combine flour and salt. Mix in olive oil and water.
• Knead into a soft and sturdy dough. It should be smooth. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 40 minutes at room temperature.
• Form dough into about 7 equally sized balls. Roll out the balls to 1/2 inch thickness (note: these wont rise much, so make them as thick as youd like them to be in the end.).
• Place on a paper-lined baking sheet, brush with water and sprinkle with the sesame and nigella seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean.