Pita Bread
Recipe from the Zahav cookbook by Michael Solomonov
Makes 8 breads
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (if using Castle Valley Mill flour, look for hard bolted)
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Mix together ½ cup water, the yeast, and the sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed until blended. Add the yeast mixture, another ½ cup water and the oil and mix on low until the dough forms a ball that pulls clear of the sides and bottom of the bowl. (If after a minute the mixture doesn’t form a ball, add a tablespoon of water.) The moment the dough starts to pull clear of the bottom of the bowl, add ½ cup water and continue mixing until incorporated. The dough should feel tacky when slapped with a clean hand, but it should not stick. (If it sticks, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.)
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about an hour. Alternatively, let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F, with a rack in the upper third. Place a baking stone or an inverted baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.
Roll the dough into 8 balls the size of baseballs. Cover with a cloth and let rise until they are about the size of softballs.
Roll each dough ball to about ¼ inch thickness (about the size on a hockey puck) with a floured rolling pin on a floured work surface. Place one or two at a time on the baking stone or baking sheet and bake until puffed and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately, or let cool.
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