I love nothing more than a fresh Pita bread with a large bowl of soup in Winter or with a large bowl of salad in Summer. My girls love eating them plain and fresh out of the oven when they are warm. So when I do eventually get around to making them they do not last for long.
A major bonus of making them yourself is that they are free of preservatives, additives and any of the other junk that gets added to most commercial Pitas.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Yeast
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 1/4 cup room temperature water (between 37-40 degrees)
- 3 1/2 cups of Bakers Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Method
Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a glass jug or in your Thermomix bowl and set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture starts to become frothy.
Once frothy add 3 cups of the flour into the bowl. Combine on speed 5/15 seconds. Then knead on dough setting for 8 minutes. If the mixture is still a little wet after 2 minutes gradually add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until a smooth dough ball is formed. If you are not using a Thermomix knead by hand until smooth or use the dough hook on your bench mixer.
Divide the dough into 10 equal portions. Using the palm of your hand gently roll the dough on a floured surface until it forms a ball shape. With your rolling pin roll the balls into discs no more that 1.5 centimetres thick. Make sure you roll them evenly otherwise you wont get fluffy Pita breads.
Cover the dough discs with a tea towel and rest on the bench for 45 minutes. While allowing the Pita to prove put your baking trays in the oven and preheat to 210 degrees. Having the trays hot is what makes the Pitas puff up so this step cannot be skipped.
Once your oven is preheated and the pitas have risen slightly remove the hot trays from the oven and cover with baking paper. Gently lift the Pitas from the bench onto the trays and get them back into the oven as quickly as possible.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Enjoy 🙂
Pitas can be kept in the pantry in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for 1-2 months.
