Pocket pita bread

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 teaspoons Active dry yeast
½ cup Warm water
6 cups Whole wheat flour
2½ teaspoon Salt
2½ cup Water
1 tablespoon Honey
2 tablespoons Non diastolic malt syrup
¼ cup Sesame oil

Directions

OPTIONAL FOR

FLAVORING PURPOSES ONLY

Here in the southwest, I am fortunate to get tortillas from "factories" where they are handmade and hot when you buy them. They are more flavorful, pliable and thinner than the supermarket variety. If you can't get good tortillas, the chicken and salsa will taste wonderful in good, homemade pita bread. If you've never made pita, it is fairly uncomplicated. Not all will puff to form a "pocket", but they will taste wonderful nevertheless.

These are sturdier than the white, supermarket kind and the whole wheat flour gives them a tempting nut-like flavor.

from a cooking class, but taken from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Cook Book Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Mix the flour and the salt and make a well in the center. If you are using the sweeteners and oil, stir them into the 2½ cups water; pour the liquids and yeast mixture into the well in the flour, and stir from the center outward, making a smooth batter. Fold in the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly. Check to see whether the dough requires more water or flour, and add what is needed to make a soft dough.

Knead very well. Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in the bowl. Cover and keep in warm, draft free place. After about an hour and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about ½ inch deep with a wet finger. If the hole doesn't fill in at all or if the dough sighs, it is ready for the next step. Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise once more as before. The second rising will take about half as much time as the first. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees when the second rising time is nearly finished. Turn out the risen dough and press flat on the board. Divide it into 20-24 pieces and shape them into smooth rounds.

Let the rounds rest about ten minutes. Protect from drafts to keep the surface of the dough from drying out (I cover with plastic wrap to keep moist). Use as much flour on the board as needed to keep dough from sticking. Roll several rolls into flat circles about as thick as a wool blanket and about 6 inches across. If they are too thick, they will make nice buns, but won't puff; if they are too thin or if you are too rough with the rolling pin, they will puff in places, but will not balloon up.

Put the rolled breads on a cookie sheet and place in oven. Continue to roll out dough, but check those in the oven after 3 minutes. They should be puffed and may be slightly brown. Remove one and open to see if the insides are done. It should look moist, but shouldn't be shiny wet. Bake more if need be. Do not let them get crisp as they will break when you fill them.

The steam inside bakes them extremely fast and they will stay soft and flexible when cool.

Posted to KitMailbox Digest by ehgf@... (Ellen) on May 26, 1998

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