Pita

After reading several posts by fellow bloggers who had all had success with making Pita bread, I decided to give it a go too. I tried a couple of recipes and ... no success, no puffing, no browning, too much browning ... cardboard discs that we could've used as frisbees at the park.

The recipe I did have some success with was from Sugarlaws. Four out of six pitas were perfect, and I figured that was great - better than the luck I'd had so far. And I also realized it was something I wasn't doing right. The oven has to be really really hot - with the baking sheet heated with the oven. I use a small toaster oven and it definitely doesn't get as hot as a regular oven.


Having said that, I loved these and it was so good to be able to eat pita again after ages - since we just can't get them in the grocery stores here.

Pita Bread
(original recipe from Sugarlaws)

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Warm Water
2 tsp Yeast
1 pinch Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Mix yeast, water and sugar and allow it to rest for 10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, oil, sesame seeds and yeast mixture until combined. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth and not sticky.

Divide the dough into 6 parts. Roll each part into a ball with slightly oiled hands. Cover with saran wrap and allow to double in size (approximately 1-2 hours).

Preheat oven to 220 deg C.

Punch down the risen dough to flatten and press the dough into the desired thickness (I used a rolling pin to make them the same width - this helps them to puff up uniformly).


Bake for 12 minutes until puffed and golden. I served it with stuffed with a sprouted lentil and chutney salad.


My fellow marathoners have been running non-stop! Here's what they've been up to - check out the links:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika and Pavani.