Pita Bread

Long time no blog... Apologies for the lack of blogs in the recent months, but with assignment deadlines and other things I have struggled to find the time to write a blog...sorry. But better late than never!

I have recently been on a trip to Israel and Palestine, and one of the many highlights of the trip, was the food, in particular the Pita bread! I enjoyed Pita bread with most of the meals I had in Israel, but this authentic Pita was far superior to any Pita bread I had ever had in the UK, so when I returned back to England I craved the soft, light and fluffy Pitas I had eaten in Israel. I therefore decided to develop a Pita recipe of my own, and here it is....

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tsp Dry Active Yeast
• 2 1/2 Tsp Caster Sugar
• 60ml Warm Water
• 500g Plain Flour
• 2 1/2 Tsp Olive Oil
• 240ml Water
• 1 Tsp Salt

Method

1. Mix together the yeast, sugar and warm water and then leave to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add half the flour, then add the oil and the other half, and then gradually add the water and salt until a dough is formed.
3. Once a dough is formed remove from the bowl onto a clean surface and knead until the dough is elastic like in texture, then place back in the bowl cover in cling film and leave to prove for 1-2 hrs or until doubled in size. Alternatively place in an oven preheated to 50℃ and leave for 30 minutes.
4. Once the dough is proved it should of doubled in size, knead the dough a little, and then separate into 12 equal parts, and shape them into golf ball sized balls. Leaving space between each ball, place them on a tray and cover with a wet cloth, then let them sit for 15 minutes.
   
5. Once rested roll each ball out on a lightly floured surface into circular Pita shapes, about 1cm thick, and dry fry in a heated frying pan on a medium to high heat.
   
   
6. Fry on one side until large air bubbles start to form (this is the Pita Pocket being made), then flip and fry on the other side. Fry until both sides are lightly browned, then they are ready to eat!!

Enjoy!!