Olga's Pita Bread

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Olga's Pita Bread
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Makes: 16 servings adjust
The best tasting home-made pita bread I've ever had. The recipe is similar to that for Olga's Kitchen, but the pitas are more traditional (i.e., with a pocket instead of used as a wrap). You will need a bread stone (aka pizza stone) for this recipe to work perfectly, but can try a cookie sheet in a pinch.

Directions

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Milk

Step 1

Scald milk (bring close to boil), remove to bowl of stand mixer.

Ingredients

  • 1⁄4 cup Honey
  • 1⁄4 cup Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Step 2

Add honey, butter, and salt to the bowl, stirring until butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm.

Ingredients

  • 2 1⁄4 teaspoons Dry Active Yeast, (one packet)
  • 1⁄4 cup Warm Water, 100 - 120 degrees
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar, granulated

Step 3

Combine yeast, warm water, and sugar in a separate dish. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to 'proof' (allow the yeast to start bubbling the water)

Ingredients

  • 1 1⁄2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Step 4

Add 1.5 cups of the flour to the milk mixture, and beat on speed 1 ("stir") with dough-hook attachment until thoroughly mixed.

Ingredients

  • 1 Egg

Step 5

Add egg and yeast mixture.

Ingredients

  • 2 1⁄2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Step 6

Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until incorporated thoroughly. Turn stand mixer to speed "2" (Knead) and knead for 2 minutes. Dough will still be sticky, so flour your hands before removing it.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Step 7

Use a towel to apply olive oil to the inside of a bowl ("Oiling the bowl"). Turn out the dough into the oiled bowl, turning once so that the dough ball is oiled over its entire surface. Cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 90 minutes). To make a warm place even in a cool climate: Turn the oven to 400 degrees for one minute, then turn off.
 

Step 8

Remove dough from warm place, and preheat oven to as hot as possible (usually 550). Punch down dough, then divide it in half. Divide each half in half, until you have sixteen equally-sized balls (four iterations). Use a rolling pin to roll each ball to a thin rough circle about 6 inches in diameter, and about 5mm thick (slightly less than 1/4 inch)
 

Step 9

Bake each circle for 2 minutes, flipping over with a flipper/turner after 1 minute. The bread should puff up as it cooks. Because the oven door will be opening and closing, allow 10-20 more seconds per side for the last 6 pitas, if you cook them two at a time.
 

Step 10

After removing pitas from the oven, gently push down the puff with a flipper/turner to release the steam inside. Cover with towel to maintain their warmth until all are finished cooking. Pitas can be stored for up to a week in a pantry/bread box and up to a month in a freezer.
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