Easy Peasy Pitta Bread

By krystallondon

I love Pitta Breads. Actually, thinking about it, I don't think I've ever met a person who doesn't love pitta breads. I mean, think about it - they're damn tasty, they're the perfect recepticle for scooping up great blobs of hoummus, and you can toast 'em, split 'em, and fill them full of nice things like salad and feta cheese and olives or even tasty Lamb Kebabs. All in all, they're the perfect recepticle for divine culinary experience.

However, I must admit that I've always been a bit scared when it comes to making them - whilst my baking skills aren't too shabby (even if I do say so myself), I've never been entirely confident in my ability to create little puffed up doughy pockets of perfection. Then one day (whilst skint with only a bag of bread flour and some yeast in my cupboard), I decided to finally bite the bullet and attempt to make them for myself. And you know what? You will be genuinely surprised at how easy they are to make. Seriously! All you need to do is make sure that you have a very hot oven at your disposal, as this - and the process of rolling the dough until it's paper thin - are what create the 'lift'. If you don't have a hot oven at your disposal, borrow a friends!

Because, take it from me - these babies knock the socks off the chewy, slightly stale imitators you get in the supermarket. Make these once and you'll never look at pitta breads in the same way again. Ex-Girl-Guides honour.

Ingredients

• 300 g strong white flour
• 200 g plain flour
• 1 level tsp easy-blend yeast
• 1 level tbsp caster sugar
• 1 level tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 325 ml warm water

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Scald a large mixing bowl with boiling water. Measure the two flours, yeast, sugar and salt into the bowl, then add the oil and water and mix to a soft sticky dough. Cover and leave the dough for 10 minutes, then rub a tablespoon of oil on the work surface to cover an area about the size of a dinner plate. Place the dough on the oiled surface and knead it lightly for just 8-10 seconds until smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover again and repeat the light kneading twice more at 10-minute intervals. Then leave the dough for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to at least 250C (Gas Mark ). Place a clean baking tray on a rack in the oven and leave it for 20 minutes to get very hot. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into pieces weighing roughly 100g. Round each into a ball and leave covered for 15 minutes to rest. Roll out each ball into an oval roughly 5mm thick (if you don't have a rolling pin, a wine bottle works just as well). Leave to rest for 2 minutes.

Quickly lift the tray out of the oven, shut the door, lay one or two pittas on it and return the tray to the oven. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until risen and barely coloured. Immediately remove with tongs and leave to cool under a cloth, to keep soft and moist. Repeat with the remaining pittas. Serve with Hoummus, Tzatziki, salads, couscous, kebabs, or anything you fancy really!