Pita Bread!

Pita Bread
Makes about 8 pitas

• 3 cups flour (white or whole wheat)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar or agave nectar
• 1 packet yeast (2 teaspoons yeast)
• 1 and 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Follow the instructions on the packet of yeast to activate it.

Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir everything together.

All of the ingredients mix and form a doughy ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add a little more water as needed.

Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. I've been told that the secret to great pita bread is in the kneading. So don't skip out on this step and knead it well (fold over, press down, repeat).

Roll the dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl and coat with a light coat of oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for an hour and a half.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel again and let them rest for another 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. I don't have a baking stone so I simply turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. I use the bottom of the pan to bake my pitas!

After the dough has chilled out for about 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough.

Next take the flattened pita and place it in the oven on top of your baking stone/cookie sheet. Let cook for about five minutes or until it has puffed/poofed up. Leave the oven cracked during this process. Depending on your baking surface, you may be able to cook multiple pitas at a time. The first time through, cook just one to figure out how long it needs to stay in.

Let cool, Nom, Enjoy.