Homemade Pita Bread

Pita Bread also known as pocket bread and made with white or whole wheat flour. Pita can be cut into wedges and served with meals or appetizers, especially dips, or is halved crosswise, and the resulting pockets may be filled with various vegetables, salads to make a sandwich. We love to serve it with traditional hummus, fresh herbs and cucumbers. Pitas are pretty amazing just warm from the oven with a drizzle of your favorite oil.



Note: You may store baked pitas for up to two days well wrapped or keep them in a freezer for three weeks.

Makes: 10 pitas

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp. instant dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with a parchment paper.

Put the lukewarm water in a small bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar. Cover and let stand in a warm place until foamy, about 5-7 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, knead until the dough is elastic and springs back when gently pressed, about 5-7 minutes. Add more flour if it is too sticky.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into ten pieces for small pitas. It is a great size for snacks and lunch boxes. Form dough into balls, then flatten with a rolling pin into discs.

Cover them with kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.

With a large spatula, flip the disks of dough upside down on to a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes until puffed and light golden. Serve warm with your favorite hummus.