They supposed to be white on top and just very slightly golden on the bottom. Otherwise, they come out crunchy. But if you leave them covered, after a couple of hours, they soften up anyway. They are able to open and be stuffed with your favorite things. I drizzled mine with olive oil and put a sliced pickle (form my mom's pantry) inside. Hania is eating one just plain...too lazy or tried after school to put a tomato in. I'm lazy and/or tired too.
The recipe is basic. The dough is very much like for a pizza, but the final brushing with oil/water mix makes a difference. It keeps the dough down and moist. The time in the oven is minimal, from 5-7 minutes.
Only 2 to 3 pitas will fit on one baking sheet. I used the oven 3 times. And every time, baking was happening faster. The first three baked 6 minutes and they are white. The last two baked 7 minutes and they are burned. I had a serious discussion with Julian during the process. It's better not to have serious discussions with a significant other while you're baking pita breads. You'll mess up your pitas, your day and your relationship will remain... a mess.
The funny thing is that Julian is enjoying the burned pieces. He probably thinks I made chips. I guess he wasn't listening.
Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 20 min preparation + 2h 40 min rising + 5 min baking = 3h 5min
ingredients
500 g (3 1/3 cups) flour
12 g (.4 oz) fresh yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
12 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) salt
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) tepid water + more for finishing
30 g (3 flat Tablespoons) olive oil + more for finishing
directions
In a small bowl, crumble yeast, add sugar and about 50 ml water (4 Tablespoons, taken from the whole amount) and mix till all liquid.
In a medium jar, mix together the rest of the water with salt, add olive oil.
In a bowl of a standing mixer, sift flour. Add the yeast mix and combine it just a bit with your fingers. Add the water mix. Attach the needle end to the mixer and knead the dough for about 5 minutes till smooth. Take it in your hands, form a ball. Oil the mixing bowl (extra oil), put the dough back in the bowl. Cover it with a plastic wrap and put it in a warm place (oven, turned off) for 2 hours, till it doubles in volume.
After the dough has doubled, dived it in 8 pieces (100 g/3.5 oz) each. Form balls in your hands. Roll them till about 2 mm (.08 inches) thin and 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. Place them on parchment paper (cut to fit a baking sheet). Brush them with a mix of olive oil and water (about 1 Tablespoon of each). Cover with a wrapping paper and keep them in room temperature for 40 minutes. At the end of 40 minutes, spray them with some water. I forgot.
Preheat the oven to 250C/480F (static function) with 3 baking sheets in it. Take a hot baking sheet out, place pitas with the parchment paper on the first baking sheet. It's a bit hard with one set of hands. Call for help if available. Put it back in the hot oven and bake for 5 -7 minutes, one sheet at the time, till slightly golden on the bottom and white on top. If not used right away, put them in a glass container or a glass baking dish.
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