Whole Wheat Pitas

What’s that?  Two 30x30 recipes in one week?  Why yes, yes I did.  After starting off strong and then slacking off for the entire month of May and most of June, I figure if was high time I got back on the 30x30 horse.

So today is all about pitas!

So pitas.  I’ve had them at my favorite pita place.  And I’ve bought them at the grocery store.  But homemade.  Oh my.  These just don’t even compare.  They are so soft, and tender, and delicious!  And they’re whole wheat!   

I served these with a super amazing Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (I’m making you wait for next week’s vegetarian Friday for that – tee hee!) last time we had company over and the entire batch was gone in a flash.  And frankly, I was a bit disappointed, I really really wanted to have one for lunch the next day!  Luckily they bake up in a flash, so pitas can become part of our regular bread rotation.  So go forth and make some pitas!  (Oh and maybe this salad – can you even imagine homemade pitas with this salad.  Holy smokes – I think I need to make it!)

Whole Wheat Pitas

Recipe from Tammy’s Recipes

1 ¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

2 ¾ cups whole wheat flour

Combine the water, yeast, oil, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the vital wheat gluten and 1 cup of flour; mix with the paddle attachment. 

Slowly add the remaining flour.  Once the flour is incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead for 3-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Spray a bowl lightly with cooking spray, add the dough and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel.  Set in a warm, draft-free place to rise; about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.   Cut the dough into equal sized pieces with a bench scraper or knife. 

For 6-inch pitas, use 2 ½ - 3 ounces of dough per pita, yields 8 pitas

For 8-inch pitas, use 4 ounces of dough per pita, yields 6 pitas.

Once the dough is divided, roll each piece into a ball.  Roll each ball of dough into a very thin circle.  Place the rounds onto a lightly floured surface and cover with a damp towel.  Let the rounds rest for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet in the oven on a lower rack.  Cook the pitas, two at a time on top of the wire rack.  Bake for 5 minutes, or until the pitas are puffed and lightly browned.  Carefully remove the pitas from the oven with a pizza peel. 

Place the cooked pitas on a damp towel and wrap.  Continue cooking the remaining pitas in the same fashion.  Cool the pitas completely before enjoying.  Note: the pitas are full of steam, pressing down on a hot pita will release the steam and may cause burns.

Makes: 6-8 pitas