The Gourmet Mama

There’s nothing quite like homemade pita bread, fresh and warm from the oven. It goes with pretty much everything and makes for great sandwiches if you aren’t into hummus. The recipes I read always daunted me, but about a year ago, I decided to just go ahead and try it . . . and it turned out to be very easy.

Last week, I had a cooking lesson with my friend Marina and this pita bread is what we made. She was amazed at how simple it was. So, if you’ve been avoiding making your own at home, take heart. It’s really quite simple, though a little time consuming.

Pita Bread

1 T. yeast

1/2 c. warm water

3 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 c. lukewarm water

Mix the yeast and sugar in the warm water, which should be hot to touch but bearable. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes until it forms bubbles.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the lukewarm water, as well as the yeast mixture and stir together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, adding a little more flour if needed. Then cover with a dish towel and let sit for 3 hours.

Punch the bread down and knead again for one minute. Divide into 12 pieces and roll them to form balls. Let them sit for 10 min.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a baking sheet in so it will heat up, as well.

After ten minutes, roll the balls out into 6″ circles. Place them (carefully, don’t want to burn yourself) on the hot baking sheet and let bake for about 6 min. Flip over and cook for 2-4 min. on the other side. Repeat with the remaining pitas.

These are really best served nice and hot from the oven, but can be saved and used cold, as well.

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