Shameless Pita Bares All on a Shoestring

By awright0511

These directions assume a stand mixer. If you do not have one do not despair. Use a large bowl and a spoon, and just do your best stand mixer impression. You can also use a food processor.
For the love of Mike, please don’t use Pamela’s mixes (bread mix or baking mix). They are not designed to be all-purpose flours. They are multi-ingredient mixes.
If you use bean flour, you’re (sadly) on your own. I can’t work with that stuff.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour, divided (I use Better Batter)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons instant yeast (if you have it – if not, active dry is fine)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola (or vegetable) oil, plus more
• 2 1/2 cups warm milk, about 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (low-fat is fine, non-fat is not) (nondairy is fine provided it has some fat)

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

You’ll need a pizza crisper, or some other pan to put in your oven that has enough holes to allow air to circulate on both sides of the pita. As long as you have the crust on top and the crust on the bottom of the pita, you can split it open and make a pocket. That’s your fail-safe.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place 3 cups of flour and the xanthan gum, along with the salt, and mix to combine well. Add the yeast and sugar, then the oil, mixing well to combine after each addition.
With the mixer on low speed, add the milk in a slow pour. The dough should begin to come together. Continue adding the milk until it’s all in there.
Add enough additional flour so that the dough is thick and kinda creamy looking – not dry, and not really sticky, but tacky so if you touch it some of it sticks to your finger. You can always add more flour. As a guide, I almost always have to add at least 1/2 cup more flour.
Dump the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over a few times to coat with oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm, humid place for about an hour, or until nearly doubled in size. It will look dimply, and will be a bit tough to handle.
Once the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (if you have a silicone mat, this would be a great time to break it out). Divide the dough into 12 to 15 pieces.
For each piece of dough, roll it into a ball and press it together, squeezing out the air. Then, with the heel of your hand, press it into a disk. Press from the inside out, taking care not to make it too thin (especially at the endges). Sprinkle flour lightly on any sticky spots. Rotate the round of dough on the floured surface, and flip it frequently. If you have added too much flour at any point, drizzle in some canola (or vegetable) oil. And don’t be afraid to oil up a piece of dough and start again. It’s more forgiving than you think. They should be about 1 1/2 times the thickness of a pancake.
Place only as many pita-to-be rounds on your pizza crisper (or pizza screen) as can fit without touching. Stepping lively, place the crisper in the preheated oven and shut the door right quick. Bake for between 5 and 8 minutes, taking care not to allow the pita to burn. It will be darker on the underside than on the top.