Simple Pita Bread

September 24th, 2008 · 4 Comments · pantry

I’d been wanting to try and make pita bread for a long time. I figured there must be some complicated trick to get it to turn into a clever pocket of goodness. Over the weekend, I did my first batch. As usual, I was amazed at how simple it really was!

The more that I focus on making things at home and using real ingredients, the easier it becomes. I can’t believe that I can usually make a pizza or a delicious soup in the time it would take us to to order in or eat out. Life in the kitchen takes a little planning ahead, but the frugal benefits are outstanding.

If you don’t own Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, it really is the one cookbook that I’d recommend if you’re on a deserted island. His recipes are always simple, straightforward, and delicious. I have several other bread books that seem to want to make bread as intimidating as possible. Not Bittman! I’ve adapted his pita bread recipe after researching a few online. So, this one is highly indebted to the wonder that is Bittman.

When baking bread, yeast is your key ingredient. For the frugal cook, Bittman saves the day. Rather than buying little packs, buy RAPID RISE yeast in a jar. You can keep it in the fridge for several months. The key is to buy the kind designed for bread machines. You can use it in regular recipes, and you don’t have to fuss with mixing it with warm water at the perfect temperature. Just toss it in with the dry ingredients. I usually then make sure that the water is warm (closer to hot) when I put it in, but Bittman doesn’t even specify that. So, for this recipe, be sure that you use the rapid rise yeast. If you get confused at the grocery store, find the jar that says “perfect for bread machines.”

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 TBs olive oil
1 cup of water

I made this in my Kitchen Aid mixer, but you could use a food processor or mix by hand (you’ll just need to knead it a lot longer). We’re lucky enough to have two ovens, so I pre-heat the bottom oven to warm while I’m mixing dough so that I’ll have a warm place for the bread to rise. You could do it in just one oven; just take it out when you pre-heat the oven. You could also use a laundry room or other warm spot. I do find that baking in an air-conditioned house requires a little extra warming for bread.

Mix together the dry ingredients. Using your dough hook, add the oil and water in a slow steady stream. Stop once to scrape down the sides, then continue until the dough holds together in a ball, but is still sticky. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about a minute by hand. If it seems to dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until you get it stickier. If it’s really wet, add a bit of flour. Rub a bit more olive oil in your bowl, dump the dough in, and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours. The dough should roughly double in size.

About twenty to thirty minutes before the dough is done, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you’ve got a baking stone, use it. Otherwise, put a baking sheet on the rack. You want the oven really hot, so don’t skimp on the preheating. Once the dough has risen, deflate it and divide it into six balls. Keep the balls covered while you’re working. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an 8-inch disk. Cover the disks, but don’t stack them.

I got three disks at a time on my baking stone. Only bake them for three minutes (watch for them to puff up). I did them in two batches. Bittman says they’re fine to eat if they don’t puff. The problem might be that you had seams in the dough after rolling the disks out.

We’ve been eating pita bread all week; I’ll use the last of it today for sandwiches. It’s delicious with dip. Last night, we toasted it and tossed it in our soup. I like the recipe because you only have to let the dough rise once. When you’re baking regular loaves, you’ve got to do two two-hour risings, which can get complicated if you plan to be in and out of the house. Hope you enjoy them!

Tags: food·pantry

4 responses so far ↓

1 Caroline // Sep 24, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Good job spreading the word about the joy of baking! It really is so much easier than many people realize.

On an unrelated subject, can you tell me how to get started doing online surveys? I’m running out of ideas for creating snowflakes! Thanks!
2 cindy // Sep 24, 2008 at 3:07 pm

We love fresh pita bread so I’ll be trying this recipe over the weekend. I had always been so intimidated by bread making (I have a bread machine by williams sonoma–anybody want to buy it? Only used a few times), but finally read a recipe in the King Arthur baking book over the winter and opted to try their suggestion to use the kitchen aid mixer. There is nothing to making bread!!!! Homemade bread makes having peanut butter and jelly for dinner a wonderful experience.
3 Kim // Sep 24, 2008 at 4:37 pm

Oh, this sounds so yummy. I will definitely have to try it.

I’m also living in a small rural Ohio town! So, howdy neighbor.
4 mydailydollars // Sep 25, 2008 at 12:10 am

Hi Caroline, here’s how I got started with surveys. PaidTwice’s primer: http://www.paidtwice.com/2007/10/01/surveys-for-fun-and-pocket-change/

Cindy, I so agree. . . making bread is so simple!

Kim, howdy neighbor! I look forward to reading more of your blog.

My Daily Dollars

On the road to financial freedom, one day at a time