Monday, August 29, 2011

Pita Bread

Here's some great pita bread that I learned to make in class awhile back. It's great for sandwiches or for dipping into hummus or garlic paste. More on that later...

Have a great Monday!!!





Pita Bread
Source: On Baking: A Textbook of Baking & Pastry Fundamentals

1.38 oz. Active Dry Yeast
19 fl. oz. Water (100-110°F)
2 lb. 4 oz. Bread Flour
0.75 oz. Salt
3 fl. oz. Vegetable Oil

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add more flour, if necessary, to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough on high speed until it is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 7 more minutes. The dough should reach 77°F.

2. Cover the dough and rest 15 minutes. Punch down the dough and rest another 10 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 3-ounce pieces. Round and lightly oil each piece. Cover the oiled dough and bench rest 20 minutes. Flatten each dough ball into a 6-inch circle. Place the dough on paper-lined sheet pans. Proof the dough in a warm, dry place until doubled in size, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 475°F until puffed and lightly browned, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on racks to preserve the pocket in the dough.

*I made 1/2 of this recipe and it made 9 pita breads.
at

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 29, 2011 at 8:11 AM

    Thanks! I need this for Davyn's lunch. Can I use wheat flour? Or is there wheat bread flour? Angie

    ReplyDelete
  2. KathieAugust 29, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    Angie - You bring up a great point. It is definitely important to use bread flour. If you just used wheat flour you would not get enough rise and probably no air pocket inside the bread. I just found some Whole Wheat bread flour on Amazon. I'd be interested to know if it can be found at Whole Foods. Give it a try and let me know how it comes out. You could always try 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 whole wheat bread flour too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dentist West HollywoodAugust 29, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    Mmm - I've never tried to make pita bread myself, but it just seems like one of those things that would be exponentially better homemade just out of the oven than anything I could buy at the store.. Might have to try it! :)

    Rosie

    ReplyDelete