Challenge: Homemade Pita Bread

As GirlA and I have agreed to challenge each other in the kitchen! This week I made homemade pita bread. I have a kitchen aid mixer and wanted to give that a try to make the dough. So, first, I must admit I had a tough time getting this dough to turn into a solid-like ball as the directions are not completely clear as to how long you should mix the dry and wet ingredients!

But after adding a little bit of extra flour and scraping the sides of the bowl, I was finally able to get the dough to the right consistency. I was amazed at how much this dough rises, so be sure to put it in a bowl big enough for a lot of dough. I made a couple of breads into a very traditional round pita bread and others I opted for more organic shapes.If the dough is too thin, it won't fluff up but does create a delicious cracker like texture.

I think this dough would be great with added herbs or garlic. If it is plain just dip it in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Challenge: Homemade Pita Bread

Examiner

Ingredients

1. 3/4 cup warm water
   3 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)- I used quick yeast
   6 cups bread flour
   2 teaspoons salt
   1 1/2 cups warm milk
   olive oil to coat bowl

Directions

1. Mix yeast with warm water and set aside for about 10 minutes until it is bubbly.
2. Fit a dough blade into a mixer. Mix together the flour and salt in the processor. Gradually add the warm milk and yeast mixture with the machine running. Continue running until the dough forms into a ball. This can take a while, I probably let my kitchen aid run for 3-5 minutes until the bread was completely combined.
3. Remove dough from the machine. Knead a few times to make sure the dough is smoothe. Press into a ball. Turn into a bowl lightly coated with olive oil. Place in a warm place to rise until double in bulk--about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough and divide into 8 to 12 sections. (The pitas pictured above are from 8 sections, which form a thick and hefty pita. For a thinner pita, divide into more sections.)
5. Form the smaller sections into balls and roll into round flats about 8" to 10" in diameter. (If you can, avoid using a floury surface because that makes rolling the balls out flat more difficult, since they tend to spring back into shape.) Cover the flat dough sections with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until puffy--about 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, place a baking stone or cookie sheet upside down into the oven and pre-heat to 500 degrees. When ready to bake, use a timer, since the pitas will cook very quickly. Carefully place only as many dough sections onto the pizza stone or baking sheet as will fit easily. Bake for about three to four minutes. There is no need to turn the pitas. Avoid over-cooking for a softer pita.
7. After the pita rises in the oven, quickly brush with olive oil if you want a more browned pita bread.
8. Continue cooking until all the pitas are baked. Serve immediately or cool completely before storing.

Information

Category

Breads