You know, it never ceases to amaze me at how many different kinds of bread there are. How just a few basic ingredients—flour, water, salt, yeast—can be transformed into such a huge variety of different breads, all by altering the amount, the rise, the shaping, or the baking time or method.
I finally decided to try my hand at making pita bread. And this recipe turned out really well, though I must admit it’s not my favorite type of bread. I prefer a nice, soft whole wheat sandwich bread. However, my sandwich bread recipe calls for eggs, milk, oil, and sugar or honey. And you know what? Eggs are skyrocketing in price due to the avian flu resulting in the destruction of millions of laying hens. Sugar ain’t cheap, either, and neither are milk and oil. I’d better learn how to make some breads that make do with the barest of ingredients. Pita bread satisfies that demand nicely, it’s easy to prepare and cook, and doesn’t really take that much time.
Pita Bread
2 ½-2 ¾ cups flour, divided
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil, optional
Combine 2 ½ cups of flour, water, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring until a sticky dough forms. Sprinkle a little of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface and place the dough on the flour. Knead 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. If you’ve used up the extra flour, smear 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the work surface and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Keep in mind that it is better to use too little flour than too much.
Oil the work surface again and place the dough on it to rise, and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in volume, 1-2 hours.
Divide the dough into about 8 pieces, and flatten each. Roll each into a circle about 7 inches wide and ¼” thick. Cook/bake immediately.
Oven baking. Preheat oven to 450°F and place a large baking sheet or baking stone on the middle rack to heat. Place the rolled out pitas directly on the baking sheet or stone, and bake for 3 minutes. The pita will start puffing up about 1-2 minutes and is fully baked when it has ballooned.
Stovetop. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium (if a bead of water sizzles immediately upon contact with the skillet, the temperature is just right. Lay the pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, just until bubbles start forming. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more on the other side. At this point, the pita should start to puff up. If it doesn’t, or if only small pockets form, press the pita surface gently with a clean dishtowel. If the pitas refuse to puff, it is most often because the oven or skillet isn’t hot enough. And even if a pita doesn’t puff, it can still usually be split using a knife.
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Good post Jennifer. Bread is important.
ReplyDeleteFolks that choose to adapt to WHAT IS do far better than those that keep trying for "Normal" or more desired until failure.
Waiting until you HAVE TO is often ugly stressful.
For example, I gently brought in the weekly bean pot to my beloved wife. Navy Beans goes with almost everything, very mild flavor. Prices for Chicken getting high try a little less chicken and a side of navy beans.
She's a picky eater but she adapted. Complained a while until her bowels adapted and less flatulence occurred :-). She's also discovered we both lost a little weight.
Supply issues, money losing value as prices climb IS reality.
We've been looking at our cable bill and such Now to see what to drop-reduce today before money issues really bring it home.
Proverbs often speak of the wise looking ahead and avoiding troubles.
It's definitely important to have options. And ideally, we choose to adapt to reality. Personally, I find it far easier to deal mentally with what I see coming in our future before I have to live the reality of it. I need to know that I am prepared for whatever comes. My husband, on the other hand, can very easily adjust to any new reality and doesn't feel the need to prepare every little detail. Like I've said many a time, the kids do not know how we ever got together. But it works for us--we balance each other pretty well.
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