Sprinkle yeast
into water and wait till foamy. Add sugar or
honey and salt and stir to dissolve. Beat in
1 cu flour for a smooth batter. Add rest of
flour gradually for a fairly soft dough.
Knead till smooth. Cover with damp towel;
let rise till double. Punch down and knead a
few minutes. Divide in 6 or 12 pieces. Knead
each unit and roll into 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick
circleoids (my word :). The shape and size
don't matter so much as thickness. I found
it's better to err on the side of too thick,
as too thin makes them burn easily and be
cracker-like. Use lots of flour when
rolling. Let circleoids rest at least 30
minutes covered with damp towel. (I rest
them on placemats.) Heat oven to 500�F and
heat baking sheets. I use just one sheet and
bake pitas two at a time. Brush hot sheets
with oil or sprinkle with cornmeal. (I have
used sesame seeds successfully.) Place
(slide) pitas on hot sheets and bake just 5
to 8 minutes until puffed like blowfish and
perhaps very slightly brown. Watch closely;
they bake fast. Wrap pitas in damp towel and
put in paper or plastic grocery bag for 15
minutes. This important step keeps them
supple.
These are
easy to make, very good, and fat-free. They
freeze well and thaw fairly quickly. |
