30 Minute Pita Bread Recipe 465

30-MINUTE PITA BREAD RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water for about 5 minutes in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add salt and 1 ½ cups flour and with the dough hook, beat to make a batter. Add additional flour until a rough, shaggy mass is formed. Knead 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if it is too sticky. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six pieces for large pitas or ten for smaller. I make all sorts of sizes to suit different snacks and meals. Form dough into balls, then flatten with a rolling pin into ¼ inch thick discs. Try and keep an even thickness as this is what helps them 'puff'. Let rest on the floured surface 30-40 minutes until slightly puffed. Preheat oven to 425F. With a large spatula, flip the rounds of dough upside down on to a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes until light golden. Stick around for the first five minutes of baking when the pitas perform their magic and puff up from flat pancakes to proud, four inch high pitas.

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.