Pita Bread

I am not in the habit of writing deep theological blog posts - I'm a food blogger.  I operate under the assumption that my blog readers come to my website looking for great recipes with a few humorous anecdotes from my crazy life thrown in.  I like to keep my posts light and fun without a lot of political satire or fictional drama BUT ... since I write this blog about my recipes and my LIFE, my opinions and my personality are inevitably going to creep into my writing.  I'm not out to convert you to my republican Christian conservative views - I'm simply sharing my story with anyone who might be interested.  

If I'm being perfectly honest, the thought of sharing my innermost thoughts and feelings on the internet for all to read and criticize, is terrifying.  So why in the world would I subject myself to such scrutiny?  Quite simply, I'm not a good at writing in a journal but I want to record all the stories and memories that I'm likely to forget.   I have loved going back and revisiting some of the blog posts that I wrote over 10 years ago.  So much has changed since then and I'd already forgotten some of the hilarious stories about my kids.  

I'm also grateful for a place to store all my recipes.  I am super forgetful and I rely on my recipe index more than anyone else.  I browse through the index frequently to jog my memory about the delicious recipes that I've made but had forgotten about. 

My pita bread is going to go down and one of my favorite bread recipes.  I loved this bread and it's super versatile.  I could eat a pita round by itself but I also like to open it up and stuff it for sandwiches. I loaded this one with chicken, spinach and avocado and it was amazing.   

Pita Bread
2 2/3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water
1/4 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons honey
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
​

Whisk together flour and yeast in bowl of stand mixer.  

Add ice water, oil and honey.  Mix 2 minutes with dough hook. 

Let dough rest 10 minutes.  Add salt and knead dough 6-8 minutes. 

Knead dough 1 minute by hand. 

Divide dough into 8 pieces.  Shape each piece into a tight ball.  

Place on silpat lined baking sheet and spray tops with cooking spray.  

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 16-24 hours. 

Preheat baking stone in a 425 oven.  Coat 1 ball at a time with flour.  

Place seam side down on counter and using heel of your hand, press dough into a 5" circle. 

Use rolling pin to roll to a 7" circle.   Brush each circle with pastry brush to remove excess flour. 

Bake dough rounds, 2 at a time, 1-3 minutes.  Flip and bake 1 minute longer. 

Transfer pitas to wire rack to cool.  Cover with a clean dish towel.  Cool  10 minutes before serving. 

You can let them cool OR you can dive right in while your pita is still warm.  Trust me - warm pita are BOMB!  

Slice in half. 

Stuff and enjoy. 

I'm kind of obsessed with warm sandwiches so I also like to warm these stuffed pita sandwiches - panini style.  I don't have a panini press but I put them in a skillet with a heavy cast iron pan on top and cook them until browned and toasted.  A perfect lunch for a cold November day.  

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe