Whole Wheat Pita Success!

The thing about living in California is that it is a cultural melting pot. Growing up I was exposed to so many friends from different backgrounds. It was awesome because I learned about food that I would otherwise never see in my humble home. Their parents made dishes with ingredients I had no idea existed. I think it helped fuel my love of travel and tasting the wonders around the earth.

In East Tennessee, I expected to be able to buy the same things in a grocery store. I was wrong. Case and point; Frog Legs are readily available, Pita Bread is not. How this is possible baffles me. While I can admit that I had Frog Legs once as a child in a fancy restaurant, I don't plan on making them myself. I'm actually concerned being a single woman that the massacre I witnessed in the grocery store has severely hurt my chances of finding Prince Charming. I'm a bit traumatized by it.

Not being able to locate pita bread was odd. They do have 5,000 varieties of ready to use biscuit mixes here. I was whining like a little girl to my mother which I can still do at my age because I am the baby of the family and refuse to grow up. Her response was , "Manda, just make it yourself." Why didn't I think of that? It seemed complicated in my head, I mean, how do you get the pouch in the middle? Don't you need a brick oven? Can I really do this?








I consulted my other BFF Google and he said yes! It's possible to make at home. I read through several recipes and they all ended up being the same. I'm not one for following what everyone else does, so of course I had to make mine with whole wheat flour because I prefer whole wheat pitas. King Arthur to the rescue. I have to mention that the variety of flours you can find in a store here is astounding. Every brand I have ever loved, and all the types. It overjoys me to not have to order it online. If you bake as much as I do, you learn that there actually is a difference in the flours and sugars you use. I have become a snob. Just like my salt, I prefer to use particular brands. White Lily makes an awesome AP flour, King Arthur has a killer organic white whole wheat flour.

I found the proportions in the recipes I found online to be a bit off so I will post what worked for me. If you like bread at all I want you to try this recipe. It turned out far better than I imagined and is pretty easy. It makes the pita that has been sitting on the shelf of your local super market for three weeks taste like cardboard. You can freeze it also.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1 package Rapid Rise yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (just hotter than a spa)
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cup AP flour
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp good salt
1 cup lukewarm water
Oil

Mix the yeast in the 1/2 cup of very warm water with the sugar. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or until it has become frothy. Place the flours and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast water. Mix with a spatula and then pour in the 1 cup of warm water slowly while mixing. Turn it out onto a floured board and knead for 20-25 minutes, until shiny. This is kind of a sticky dough. Place dough in a bowl with some oil to coat it. Cover and place in a warm place for 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 550 degrees or as high as you can before the broil setting. Place a parchment lined sheet pan in the oven and allow it to heat up. Make sure your rack is as close to the heating element as possible, top or bottom.
Form the dough into 12-15 balls and flatten with your fingers using extra flour if necessary. You want the discs to be about 1/4 inch thick. Size is up to you. Place in batches on hot pan and bake 2-3 minutes then flip the pitas and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and place in an air tight bag to store.
These are worth the work and can be enjoyed by filling them with whatever you like or cut up to serve with hummus. They also can be frozen for future use.




Bon Appetit!