Serves: 4 Easy to make. Prep and Cook time: 4 hours (assuming letting the dough rise for 3 hours – depending on temperature it might rise faster) Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour + flour for kneading
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 packet yeast (1/4 oz)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- olive oil
- optional: 1 tsp sugar
In a small bowl mix yeast, and 1/2 cup warm water and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Some people like to add a little sugar to aid the yeast (about 1 tsp) but I don’t find that is necessary.
In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour with salt and make a hole or valley in the middle. Slowly stir in the warm water yeast mixture and knead until well combined. In a separate bowl, large enough to hold the dough, add a little olive oil and spread all over the inside surface of the bowl, to keep dough from sticking, then place the dough into the oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let sit for about 3 hours in a warm place. After 3 hours, or when the dough has risen sufficiently, pour some flour on a clean table surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes, adding flour to the surface as needed to keep it from sticking. Form the dough into small balls and let sit on a plate for approximately 10 minutes before you place them in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Roll out the balls making them about 1/8 inch thick and place them on flat cookie sheet or pan, or if you have it, a cast iron pizza pan will do nicely. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they turn lightly brown and the dough puffs up. Don’t despair if some of the pitas do not puff up as they should, you will still have a very tasty pita bread – just without the classic big and airy pocket.
