Pita Bread

Pita bread is one of those things, like ketchup, that many of us never think about making at home. Try it once, though, and you’ll be loath to go back to store-bought. The texture and flavor are worlds apart. It’s also one of the simplest bread recipes to make, with very short second rise and baking times, so you can prepare it without a lot of advance planning. And yes, it really does create a pocket! If you have an oven with a window, it’s great fun for kids to watch (from a safe distance, of course).

Here’s a version I like, modified from the latest edition of the venerable Joy of Cooking.

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 cups unbleached white all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (You can use all white flour if you prefer, but I like the nutty taste of a little wheat)
• 1 1/2 TBS sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp active dry yeast
• (Optional) 2 tsp seeds of your choice: sesame, poppy, or caraway work well. My preference, however, is for kalonji seeds, sometimes known as black onion seeds or nigella seeds. You can find them at most Indian and Pakistani groceries. They’re slightly sharp in flavor, like a peppery sort of caraway seed.

Add:

• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 2 TBS oil or melted butter

Mix into a rough dough with a rubber spatula, then turn out onto a floured board and knead for about five minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel.

Let rise for about an hour, or until doubled. Divide dough into eight balls, cover again, and let rise for about 20 minutes.

While the balls are rising, place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 450°. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a heavy cookie sheet.)

Using a rolling pin, flatten one ball into a round about 1/8″ thick and 8″ across. Open the oven door and quickly place the round onto the pizza stone or cookie sheet. (If you leave the door open too long, you’ll lose heat and the pitas won’t puff.) At this point, roll out another round.

In a minute or two, the first pita should start to puff. After another minute or so, when the pita has stopped expanding, remove it quickly (it will deflate as you do so) and place the second round in the oven. Continue rolling and cooking until all the pitas are done. (As you remove them from the oven, wrap them in a towel or cloth napkin to keep warm.)

Even if one or two don’t puff as expected, they’ll still taste good. Wonderful with homemade hummus or baba ganoush (grilled eggplant spread), or even peanut butter and jelly. I’d share my recipes for hummus and baba ganoush, but I always make them by feel more than measurement. Google “recipe: hummus” or “recipe: baba ganoush” and you’ll get plenty of ideas. I will advise you to cook your own chickpeas rather than use canned, however. Both the taste and texture are greatly improved.

The recipe can be halved if you only want to make four pitas at a time.