Photo: jimmiehomeschoolmom / Flickr

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as eating your own home-made bread, even if it isn’t as perfectly shaped as the mass-produced bread on supermarket shelves. Yeast bread does require some time, though, as it has to rise and be kneaded and shaped. Pita bread is a ‘pocket’ bread that originates from the Middle East. It can be filled with all sorts of meaty or vegetarian fillings. Don’t be put off by what may seem like a complex process – pita bread isn’t difficult to make.

Ingredients

Use one and a half teaspoons of dried yeast (or 12.5 grams of live yeast), one and a half cups of warm water, one teaspoon of sugar, 500 grams of sifted flour, half a teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Method

Use half a cup of the warm water to dissolve the yeast, then stir in the sugar and let the mixture stand for ten minutes or until such time as the mixture looks frothy.

Place the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the yeast mixture and stir it in gradually with the rest of the warm water –then mix in the oil. When the dough is firm knead it for about a quarter of an hour. This can also be done in a food processor in a few batches.

When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Place a cloth over the bowl and leave it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size – this will take one and a half to two hours, depending air temperature and humidity.

When the dough has properly risen, punch it down and gently knead it on a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into eight pieces and roll each piece out into a round shape about 5 mm thick.

Place the pita shapes onto a floured cloth and lightly dust them with flour before placing another dusted cloth over them. Leave them to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes or so.

Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees Celsius. This temperature should be maintained for 15 minutes or more before the bread is baked. When the bread is close to ready, oil some baking sheets and place them in the oven until they are very hot. Don’t let the oil burn in the process.

Gently transfer the pita breads to the hot baking sheets and give them a light spray of water (or sprinkle water over them). Don’t open the oven for the next six to 10 minutes while they bake –when they have puffed out, but are still pale in colour, take them out of the oven.

Allow the pita breads to cool on wire racks. Slice an edge open to fill with your filling – the bread will be hollow inside.

Tags: baking, bread