Homemade Pitas
I often find myself going down kitchen “rabbit holes” where I become obsessive about certain culinary idiosyncrasy to the point where it borders on compulsion. Sometimes this results in delicious outcomes and other times my family is left eating what was intended to be homemade kimchi but is really a ziplock bag of off-coloured cabbage that has spawned its own ecosystem (and not in a good way for those who love to ferment). I have already spoken at lengths of my quarantine bread obsession, but the craze went a step further where I began making my own hamburger buns, flour tortillas, and pitas. I will look back at this time and wonder did I think that all of the bakeries were closed? As though this was part quarantine part time-warp and I was suddenly on a prairie?
Good news is, making all of your own bread products passes the time and is a delicious home project. So, I share with you another carb-induced wonder. In fact, this recipe was so easy and so much better than purchased pitas that I feel like declaring from the rooftops “I will never buy pitas again”. Ok, this is probably the obsessive part of me talking, but I feel strongly that homemade pitas are the way to go. The recipe is as easy as pizza dough, the pitas puff up beautifully in the oven and rival your favourite Middle Eastern Restaurant (I miss you Mazaar!)
One again, a pizza stone is crucial to perfectly puffed pitas that can be stuffed with delicious falafel or shawarma. It you don’t have a pizza stone, you could use a cookie tray, upside down in your oven, or cook the pitas on a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, approximately 30 seconds per side. The pita will not puff, but they will still be delicious.
Homemade Pitas
The Kitchn
Makes 8 small pitas
1 cup warm water (not boiling, approximately 110F)
2 tsp active dry or instant yeast
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp olive oil
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, pour the water into the bowl, sprinkle the yeast on top, and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough is formed. Kneed the dough for about 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Note: This can be done by hand. Sprinkle a little dough on a clean work surface and kneed by hand, adding small additions of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the counter. Use the flour sparingly.
Clean a large bowl and spray with cooking spray (or oil). Set the dough in the bowl and cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
When you are ready to cook the dough, place a baking stone in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 450F.
Gently deflate the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour and cover them with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap while you roll.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle, 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. As you roll, lift and turn the dough frequently and sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Once one pita has been rolled, place it directly on the baking stone and bake for about 3 minutes. The easiest way to carry the pita is to lay it on the palm of your hand and flip it over onto the baking stone.
Repeat with the remaining pitas. Once you get into a rhythm, you can roll out a pita while another is baking. The pitas should puff up in the oven. If they are not puffing, make sure that your oven has a chance to re-heat in between pitas.
Pitas are best eaten immediately after cooking. The leftover pitas will keep in an airtight bag for several days.
Note: You can make the dough up to the point of dividing/shaping and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or the freezer for several months. You can also bake a few pitas at a time and store them remainder of the dough for future use.