Pita Bread.... Tender and yummy!

Sorry, I forgot to post the recipe for Pita Bread. Gave you the filling but you're still missing an important element to make it perfect, and for those of us that tend towards OCD, it HAS to be perfect! Kind of like when having tacos, we say: "la torilla hace el taco" (the tortilla makes the taco), which is very true. You get a good taco but with a lousy tortilla and it's spoiled (at least for us), which is why I make my own tortillas and believe me, once you've had hand-made ones, regular store bought ones don't cut it. Same for bread, right?

Pita Bread is one of those examples, when it's tender and lovely you can eat it alone. You buy those cardboard ones at the market and even if you steam them they're not the same. So please try this and you too will be convinced. Pita Bread is beginning bread, which means it's one of the first breads people try when wanting to learn to make bread. It's a simple process, doesn't take a long time and the results will make you want to keep going onto the other types of breads which take more effort. So here we go:

PITA BREAD.- You know you can use this for almost anything, right? Vegetarian, Vegan or full of meats, it's really good!

3 cups plus 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1 /4 cup water, room temperature

The very best results are when you begin the process 8 hours to 3 days in advance and let it rest, but you can do it whenever it's convenient to you.

If you have a mixer: Combine all the ingredients. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed just until all the flour is moistened, about 20 seconds. Change to the dough hook, raise the speed to medium, and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should clean the bowl and be very soft and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch. Add a little flour or water if necessary.

By hand: Combine all the ingredients except for 1/4 cup of the flour. With a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together.

Sprinkle a little of the reserved flour onto the counter and scrape the dough onto it. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding as little of the reserved flour as possible. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 5 to 20 minutes. (This rest will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.) Allow the dough to rest.

Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is soft and smooth and just a little sticky to the touch. Add a little flour or water if necessary.

Rising: Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 2-quart or larger  container or bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Press the dough down and lightly spray or oil the top of it. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the dough overnight (or up to 3 days), checking every hour for the first 4 hours and pressing it down if it starts to rise.

Preheat the oven to 475F one hour before baking. Have the oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone, cast-iron skillet, or baking sheet on it before preheating so it can get hot.

Cut the dough into 8 or 12 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth. On a lightly floured counter, with lightly floured hands, shape each piece into a ball and then flatten it into a disk. Cover the dough with oiled plastic and allow it to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.  Roll each disk into a circle a little under 1/4 inch thick. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes before baking.

Quickly place 1 piece of dough directly on the stone or in the skillet or on the baking sheet, and bake for 3 minutes. The pita should be completely puffed but not beginning to brown. The dough will not puff well if it is not moist enough. See how the pita puffs, then, if necessary, spray (with a new spray bottle with water) and knead each remaining piece with water until the dough is soft and moist; allow to rest again and reroll as before.

If your bread doesn't puff: I realized I was too lazy to spritz and reroll and rise each remaining pita, I instead spritzed each rolled-out pita with water two or three minutes before baking it. This works like magic and will make the remaining pitas puff perfectly. Try this method first if yours don’t puff, if it doesn’t work to you.

Proceed with the remaining dough, baking 3 or 4 pieces at a time if using a stone or baking sheet. Using a spatula, transfer the pita breads to a clean towel, to stay soft and warm. Allow the oven to reheat for 5 minutes between batches. The pitas can be reheated for about 30 seconds in a hot oven before serving.

To cook the pitas on the stove top: (This is what I do) Preheat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the surface and cook the pitas one at a time. Cook for about 20 seconds, then turn the dough and continue cooking for 1 minute or until big bubbles appear. Turn the dough again and cook until the dough balloons. (This is the same procedure you'd use when making tortillas) If the dough begins to brown, lower the heat. The entire cooking process for each pita should be about 3 minutes.

Whole wheat variation: For a whole wheat version, use half whole wheat and half white flour. If using regular whole wheat flour, for best results, grind it very fine or process it in a food processor for 5 minutes to break the bran into smaller particles. Finely ground 100% whole wheat flour is available in Middle Eastern markets and is the finest grind available. Or, for a milder but wheatier flavor and golden color, try 100% white whole wheat flour. You will need to add 1/4 cup more water, for a total of 1 1/2 cups.

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Now you have the perfect bread for your Shawarma, Gyro or any type of sandwich. Don't 

forget to make the Tzatziki Sauce which completes the whole thing, it's amazing! I love it with a Salad Sandwich with greens, red onion, Kalamatas, chopped mint leaves, green peppers and Oregano Dressing, makes a wonderful lunch full of crunch!