squishy yeasty moist pita bread
hi friends!
where do i even begin…how are you doing? i hope you’re holding up alright and thanks for coming to the blog even when there’s so much uncertainty of how the next day will unfold.
dearsaturdays has been a corner of the internet over the past two and a half years where i’ve been able to share everything and anything going on in my life, and i would have never believed that i’d one day be talking about a global pandemic over a pita bread recipe.
like a lot of you, i’ve been trying to be a responsible citizen by staying indoors and limiting contact with other human beings besides merman. after working from home, virtually meeting with friends, going for walks in the park, and doing random housework for the past two weeks, i have to report back that now i know why dogs get so excited to step outside or even go for a car ride. there are other things that i learned in the past two weeks too, and what sticks out most to me is that the internet has transformed into a better and more helpful place.
every time i see non-asians and asians standing against the racism that’s running rampant nowadays, the outpour of support and love for small businesses and hospital workers, the drawings and illustrations to ensure that people are getting the right information to share the correct perspective on how we should be conducting ourselves, it makes me a believe more and more that there is untapped human kindness all around.
for me, i know that i’m in a very privileged place to have security with where my next meal will come from, when my next paycheck will be deposited, and that my day to day will not be impacted beyond having to stay indoors. i sent thoughts to what the realities of hospital and service workers are, and wonder how i can do more to help. in my safe shelter, i’ve signed petitions and donated to small businesses that i hope will make it through this, but it just doesn’t seem like enough.
i’m taking it each day as they come, and hopefully new ideas of how i can further lend a hand will sprout (please send me your ideas if you have any!). today is saturday and today, i’ll do what i know how to do best on saturdays, and that is sharing ideas and recipes with you who are probably stuck at home.
i made pita bread with my friend amy who is obsessed with pita before social distancing was a thing. i dreamed of pita that i had in france at miznon and another that i had in new orleans at saba and wondered why the pita at grocery stores are so bad. why are they not airy floofy stretchy and moist? i wanted to bring paris and new orleans into my apartment by way of pita so got to work with testing this recipe until those pita memories came back to life and into my mouth.
making pita dough is v appropriate for these times when we have the glorious luxury to spend four hours indoors. why not spend the time making delicious warm squishy fresh pita bread (that can also be used to make pizza!) for you and the others that you share your home with? it’s super straight forward, and all you really need to do is spend five to ten minutes of active work between each hour of rising the dough. what you decide to do between each hour is up to you - but if i were to choose, it would be testing chocopie recipes :O *hint hint*
stay healthy friends and hope you give this recipe a try!
xo, christine
squishy yeasty moist pita bread
yields 8 6-inch pita breads
time: 4 hours; ~1 hour of prep time, 3 hours proofing time
ingredients
yeast starter
1.5 cups warm water
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1.5 teaspoon activedry yeast
pita dough
3.5 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
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special equipment
rolling pin
grocery store list
baking: bread flour, activedry yeast, cane sugar, kosher salt
other: extra virgin olive oil
notes
yeast proofing
dissolve cane sugar into warm water, stir in activedry yeast and set aside for 15 minutes until a foam layer forms on the surface.
pita dough
using a stand mixer: prep a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, toss in flour and pour in proofed yeast into the bowl. mix on the low speed for 3-4 minutes until a shaggy dough forms. using your hands: in a large mixing bowl, toss in flour and pour in the yeast starter. combine with your hands and knead for 4-5 minutes until a a wet shaggy dough forms.
fold in salt and oil into dough, knead/mix for 2-3 more minutes.
first rise and fold (~1 .5hour total): place dough into an oiled bowl, cover with saran wrap and allow it to rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. *if you don’t have a warm area in your house* (80-100 degrees fahrenheit), place a baking dish on the bottom rack of your oven and carefully fill with boiling water. set the bowl with the dough on the rack above and shut the oven door.
after 30 minutes have passed, remove the bowl from the oven, and then thinking of your bowl as a clock, stretch the dough at 12oclock down out to 6, turn the bowl 90 degrees to the left, stretch the dough again at 12oclock down to 6, turn the bowl to the right, and repeat the steps (2 more times) until you’ve returned back to the original 12oclock position.
cover the bowl with saran wrap, place back into the oven, and let it rise for 1 hour.
second rise (1 hour): remove bowl from the oven and toss the dough out onto a floured working surface. using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half, then quarters, then into eighths. carefully roll them into a ball shape, line them up next to each other, and then cover with saran wrap, and allow them to rest and continue fermenting for another hour.
final rise and proofing (30 minutes): flour your working surface and a rolling pin. roll each ball out into a disk (around 6 inches wide), cover with saran wrap, and allow them to proof for a final 30 minutes.
baking: remove baking dish with water from oven, set in your pizza stone on the bottom rack, and preheat your oven on to the broiler setting (500-550 degrees fahrenheit). once oven is heated, toss one pita dough onto the stone, close the oven door, and bake for 4-5 minutes on the first side. the pita should puff up. using tongs or a spatula, flip the pita, and bake for another 4-5 minutes. i’m not sure how hot your oven can get, but you can tell that your pita is ready once golden brown spots appear on the surface.
