Pita Bread

That looks easy

To be honest it is probably easier to buy pre-made pitas. Of course these taste much better once you perfect how to roll them.

After a night of fermentation

Make the starter the night before. In a large bowl mix 1 1/4 tsp yeast with 2 1/2 cups warm water. Let yeast dissolve and begin to bubble. Add 2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour and mix well. The starter will be the consistency of thick batter. Cover with a wet towel and let ferment over night, or at least 5 hours.

You need to knead by hand

Mix 3 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp salt into starter and form a rough dough. Knead for 10 minutes adding more flour slowly until dough is smooth and still slightly tacky to the touch.

Time to rise

Heavily oil a bowl with olive oil and place dough in. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

I like to beat the dough to show it who is boss

Punch down dough and flour the counter.

They should all be roughly the same size

Cut the dough into eight pieces.

The size is very important

Roll out each piece on a floured counter to 8″ round. Too small and the pita will separate poorly, too big and it will not separate at all.

Almost done

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal and bake pitas for about 8-10 minutes. Remove pitas from oven and place on a plate covered with a towel. Continue rolling and baking all the remaining dough. Slice in half and serve warm or cold.