easy homemade pita bread.

preparation: 2 hours

Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 35 grams whole-wheat flour (1/4 cup), preferably freshly milled

• 310 grams unbleached all-purposed flour (2 1/2 cups)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

Make sponge:

• Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl.

• Add yeast and sugar.

•  Stir to dissolve.

• Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together.

• Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.

• Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass.

• Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.

• Turn dough onto work surface.

• Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth.

• Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes.

• Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may be refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight.)

• Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.

• Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it.

• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel.

• Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place.

• Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

• Heat oven to 475 degrees.

• On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile.

• Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball.

• Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.

• Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disk with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet.

• After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

NOTE:
You can make your homemade shawama, using the pita bread.its easy to make. In case you don't own a gas cooker,the pita bread can also be made with coated frying pan using a little drop of oil to grease the pan surface and the fry,make sure to keep turning it.