Making your own flat bread is so easy and the reason I started experimenting was because I wanted to cut down on plastic bags. I know it’s not much but one less bag is one less bag in the landfill.
This is a recipe from zero waste chef – Anne Marie Bonneau. I didn’t want to turn on my large oven for just this one thing but even on stove top, they are incredibly soft and moreish. Normal bread making is an exact science but I think you will find pita bread is more forgiving with relaxed measurements!
INGREDIENTS
380-390mls warm water (about 42 degrees C)
1 and ½ teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for greasing the bowl and for frying if cooking pitas on the stove
1 packet instant dry yeast (7g)
3 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided plus more for rolling out dough
¾ cup whole wheat flour
METHOD
Combine the warm water, sugar, salt, olive oil and yeast in a large bowl. Add half of the all-purpose flour and all of the whole wheat flour and stir until well combined. Add the remaining all-purpose flour, half a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Form the dough into a ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour or more as needed. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Wipe out the bowl and oil it lightly. Place the dough in it and turn it over to coat the entire ball. Cover bowl with a wet muslin cloth. Let dough rest for an hour or hour and a half until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough. If you won’t bake the pitas immediately, store the dough in the refrigerator for 5 days. Choose an appropriate container to allow further dough rise.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and cut it into 12 pieces. Roll into balls and with a rolling pin, roll balls into 14-16 centimetres disc about ½ centimetre thick.
Oven method:
Place your baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 230 degrees.
Once oven has heated, arrange a few of the rolled discs on the hot surface at least 5 centimetres apart. Bake for a minute and flip over with tongs and bake for a further minute. Repeat with remaining discs.
Stove top method:
Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat and brush on a thin layer of oil. You’ll know the pan is hot enough when it sizzles after you’ve sprinkled a few drops of water.
Place a disk in the hot pan. Cook until you see bubbles begin to form, about 1-2 minutes. Flip the disk over and cook for 1 minute. Flip over again and cook for 1 more minute on the other side. Transfer to a towel lined basket or bowl to keep warm. Continue to cook the remaining pitas, brushing a thin layer of oil onto the pan in between cooking.