Date: Mon, 14 Feb 94 17:07:35 EST
From: catsmeow@aol.com
PITA BREAD
(Yield 6 large pitas, or 12 smaller ones)
3-1/2 cups of flour (1/2 cup can be whole wheat flour)
1 cup warm water
1/2 packet of yeast
1 tsp. honey or sugar
1 tsp. salt
Put water in a medium-sized bowl and add the 1/2 packet of yeast. Let it sit
for abotu 5 minutes (it'll become foamy).
Add salt and honey/sugar. Stir until dissolved completely.
Add flour 1 cup at a time, using a wire whisk to stir it up. You'll need to
switch (as the dough gets stiffer) to a wooden spoon, then your hands. You
can knead right in the bowl at this point, adding flour to combat stickiness.
Once dough is smooth, you may want to take the dough out and put it in a
different bowl, or rinse out (and dry) the bowl you've kneaded it in to get
rid of the excess flour. The recipe calls for oiling the bowl and the dough
at that point; I lightly LIGHTLY oil the bowl with canola oil, then put the
dough back in. I refuse to put any oil in the dough!
Next, cover with a towel and let it rise until it is about doubled. (This
will take about 2 hours because there is less yeast in this dough).
Once doubled, punch down the dough, and transfer to a floured surface. Knead
it for about 5 minutes, then divide into 6-12 pieces (balls). Make sure you
have plenty of flour on your work surface at this point. Knead each ball a
little bit, then roll flat with a rolling pin. (Flip it over when you are
working with them so it won't stick to the pin). Flatten until it is about
1/16" thick. (No, don't bother with a ruler, just make sure it's no thicker
than 1/8". I first made them 1/8" and they were sort of dense).
Once you make your 'circles,' let them rest for 30 minutes. It's best to
separate them on a plate with waxed paper or a towel.
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F
Just prior to baking, spray a cookie sheet and put it in the oven for a few
minutes to heat up.
Once your circles have finished 'resting,' arrange as many as will fit on
your cookie sheet without touching. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden
brown. Watch them! They cook fast!
Upon removal from oven, put in a paper bag with a damp cloth and close the
bag. Let them sit this way for about 15 minutes, or better yet, let them
cool completely. This maintains their suppleness. Next, transfer to plastic
bags or whatever.
kwvegan vegan