Pita Bread

This recipe makes six soft, homemade pita breads.

Ingredients

• 5 g salt
• 225 g flour
• 10 g fresh baker’s yeast, crumbled
• 140 g lukewarm water
• 10 g olive oil

Method

1. Place the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment.
2. Knead gently until the dough is smooth, evenly mixed, and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
3. Cover the dough and leave it to rise until doubled in volume.
4. Lightly flour the work surface and turn out the dough.
5. Divide it into six equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and let the balls rest for 5 minutes.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball thinly into an oval. Place the shaped pitas on a floured cloth.
7. Preheat the oven to 230°C with a baking sheet inside.
8. Once both the oven and baking sheet are fully hot, quickly place two pitas on the sheet and close the oven. They should begin to puff after about 2 minutes.
9. Continue baking for another 2 to 3 minutes, then repeat with the remaining pitas.
10. Let the pita breads cool slightly on a rack, then wrap them in a clean kitchen towel to keep them soft.

Baking Note

A thoroughly preheated oven and baking sheet are important because the initial burst of heat helps the pita breads inflate.