Pita Bread (Arabic bread)
Pita bread is something that I enjoy making at Friday's early mornings with my little daughter watching how they are so fun to make and puff up nicely, getting to much excited, grabbing one while its is still warm, she smell it happily and enjoyed her first bite!
Pita has different names depending on the country: كماج (kmaj) or خبز عربي (Arabic bread) in Arabic, питка in Bulgarian, Հաց պիտա (Hats pita) in Armenian, pita in romanian or pide in Turkish. It is popular in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Pita is a Greek word that literally means “flat”. Its round and flat shape,but the main distinguishing characteristic of this bread is that it has an air-filled pocket between two layers. It puffs up just like A balloon! ( this is the fun part to watch) :)) , and it deflates as soon as it cools.
Falafel /Hummus sandwiches are served in pita bread as they are a stable in Middle-Eastern Arabic countries.
Here's my favorite hummus recipe, if you like to try it with pita bread! :)
Usually Pita bread dough is baked in the oven,but this time I chose to cook it on a non sticking pan on a direct heat, and the result was perfect!
Pita bread
Ingredients :
3.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup olive oil
warm water for dough
Directions:
-In the bowl of an electric mixer, add all the ingredients except the warm water,and with the dough hook, beat on low speed for a half a minute.
-Begin to knead with the dough hook and incorporate warm water gradually until obtaining a smooth and homogeneous dough.(amount of water depends on kind of flour used).
-knead for 10 minutes until reaching a soft elastic dough.
-Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
-Punch down the dough on a work floured surface and divide into 9-10 pieces (75gm for each piece) . Form a ball with each piece and let rest for 15 minutes.
-Roll each dough piece using a rolling pin, to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.
-Preheat a non-sticking pan over high heat flame, and Spray all the loaves with warm water and place one at a time on the hot pan.
-Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until you see little bubbles showing, using a large spatula flip the rounds of dough upside down on,turn heat high and Stay tuned for the pitas to perform their magic and puff up like a balloon!
-After it gets a golden nice color,transfer each pita bread piece on a separate plate and cover with a cloth to remain soft.
-This bread can be stored in plastic bags.
