Pita Bread

Pita Bread

January 1, 2015

I hate to sound like a broken record, and I promise that I won’t say it again, but bread is so f—ing amazing when one considers that almost all breads are different ratios of the same ingredients. I enjoy working with it so much. Watching these pitas puff on the baking stone left my mouth hang open and my eyes wide with wonder. Ridiculously fun. I so wanted to share this with someone. Anyone really. Just drag some hapless guy off the street and say: “Hey! Wanna see something cool? Watch this!” If I lived in a nice suburban neighbourhood, maybe this wouldn’t be such a risky move, but being that I live in a rather questionable area (hurry up already with the gentrification) deep in the city, maybe I should gush by myself. That being said, Rick and I had them for dinner that night with hummus and a movie. Simple is what the doctor ordered for my flu-ridden husband. Yes, Captain Canada is sick. It’s a perfect time to wash his cape.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • This is a rather straightforward process. When the dough is first mixed, it looks a mess.
The dough just mixed.
The dough just mixed.
  • After it’s been kneaded for 10 minutes, it transforms to a smooth, elastic pliable dough.
After 10 minutes on the dough hook.
After 10 minutes on the dough hook.

LET THE PITA DOUGH RISE

  • I set it in the container and put it in the fridge for about 2 days. It rose enthusiastically in spite of the coldness.
Easy does it.
Easy does it.
Cold pita bread dough.
Cold pita bread dough.

SHAPE THE PITA DOUGH

  • I found the instructions at this point confusing. Roll the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.
The dough pieces being rolled and flattened.
The dough pieces being rolled and flattened.
  • Then roll to ¼ inch disk. Huh? I suppose I was having a dense moment, but I didn’t realize Rose meant to roll them with a rolling pin. It hung me up. I read it over and over.
  • Then I questioned whether I should let the dough come to room temperature. Sometimes I wish she would give us that kind of information. (She teaches us to think like this!) The resting times she gave didn’t allow for that, so I worked with it cool. It was still soft and pliable and easy.
  • Instead of oiling a sheet of plastic wrap, I oiled the baking tray and rolled the dough pieces in the oil. Then I covered it with dry plastic wrap. I just couldn’t see “oiling a sheet of plastic” without having a blonde moment (remember that commercial of the blonde and the plastic wrap). Keeping the dough moist is critical to the pita puffing. This is what the book says.
This rolling pin was a gift from my sister. I hardly use it because it’s so small, but for this application, it worked well.
This rolling pin was a gift from my sister. I hardly use it because it’s so small, but for this application, it worked well.

BAKING THE PITA

  • Well I could have done this all afternoon. I took a picture of each pita in the oven. It was a fun afternoon.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.
Pita Bread, The Finer Cookie.

WHAT ARE THE ALPHA BAKERS? : Here’s how it works: once a month, for the next two years, 25 Alpha Bakers commit to baking their way through every recipe of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread BibleEach month we post our experiences on our blog sites: our successes, our failures, our likes and dislikes. The recipes are scheduled in advance so that everyone is baking the same recipe at the same time. No recipes can be shared in my Alpha Bakers The Bread Bible posts due to publishing restrictions enforced by the publisher, but if you love to bake bread, this is a must-have book. You can see other tutorials for the same recipe at the following link: http://breadbiblealphabakers.blogspot.ca.

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