Pita bread is a staple of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. This flatbread, slightly leavened, has the particularity of swelling when cooked to form an interior pocket ideal for garnishing with meats, falafels, raw vegetables or sauces.
Ingredients
- Wheat flour: 500 g (fluid wheat flour (type T45 or T55) T55 or T65)
- Lukewarm water: 300ml to 320ml
- Baker's yeast: 1 sachet of dry yeast (approximately 7 g) or 15 g of fresh yeast
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon (to activate the yeast)
- Salt: 1 and a half teaspoon
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
Instructions
1. Activate the yeast: In a bowl, mix the lukewarm water, baker's yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
2. Prepare the dough: In a large container, pour the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, pour in the water and yeast mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous paste.
3. Knead: Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is smooth, supple and elastic.
4. The first shoot: Form a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes in a warm place, until the dough doubles in volume.
5. Divide and shape: Gently turn out the dough onto the work surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces of dough and ball them. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes under a cloth.
6. Lower the discs: Using a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough into a disk approximately 15 to 18 cm in diameter and 4 to 5 mm thick. Do not spread them too thinly to allow the pocket to form.
7. Pan frying: Heat a heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat without any fat. Place a disk of dough. Cook for about 30 seconds until small bubbles appear, turn it over, wait 1 to 2 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula: the bread will completely inflate like a balloon. Turn it over again to brown each side well.
8. Preservation: As soon as they come out of the pan, wrap the hot pita breads in a clean cloth so that they remain perfectly soft.