Pita Bread

First thing I will say in making these, allow yourself 3 to 4 hours to make them.
Secondly - they are well worth the time and energy making!
Third - the link to the original video and recipe is at the bottom of this post. 

Ingredients for 8 pita breads:

For the sponge mix:

1 pkg dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 cup warm water (about 90-100 degrees F.)

1 cup (4.5 oz by weight) all-purpose flour

Mix all together - and let sit 15 minutes to make sure the yeast is active/alive.
You should see little bubbles and maybe some foam on top of the mix to let you know that it is alive and ready for use. 

Then:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 to 2 cups all-purpose flour, or until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms (about 8-9 oz by weight)


To the sponge mix: Add in the olive oil and salt - mix well. Then add in a little flour and start working it into the dough. Mix in a little flour at a time until you have 1 3/4 cup into the dough. You might need the last 1/4 cup if too wet. The mixture should pull away from the bowl.  Then turn out onto a slightly floured area and knead until smooth and elastic - about 5 to 6 minutes.

 Mixing in flour by hand - OR you can use machine.

 Oiled bowl - coat all sides of dough. Cover with a cloth.

 *Let rise about 2 hours, 
or until doubled in size in a warm, draft free area.

Dough now doubled in size. Punch down.

With your hands, press dough out on lightly floured surface.

You want it just enough flat that you can cut 8 pieces, roughly the same sized.

Roll each piece into a ball. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. 

Again, on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick.
Don't flatten pita bread too thin - you won't get your pockets
 -- but if using for a simple wrap then you can roll out thin.

Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes when all is rolled out. 

And heat a cast iron skillet with a little oil brushed on to it
on medium-high heat - get the pan hot!

When skillet is hot, add one pita to pan and cook about 2 to 3 minutes. 

You may and should see the bread having bubbles in it
 - that is exactly what you want to happen.

Flip the pita and cook on that side another 2 to 3 minutes longer.

NOTE: you may have to brush the pan with more oil in between cooking each piece of bread.

NOTE: Some of them will give you a full puff like this one did for me. 

That is good - it's not a bad thing - this is what you want to happen.

Keep bread warm by putting in a bowl with a towel and 

wrapping the bread while cooking the next piece of bread.

When bread has cooled down but still a bit warm:

tear bread in half and with your fingers open the pockets.

Your pita bread should have formed inside pockets on their own. 

If not, that's fine - you can still use them as wraps.

Now your bread is ready to eat!

Stuff with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce or other foods!

Enjoy!

NOTE: Remember homemade bread has zero preservatives in them. 

Best to eat them in a day or two or freeze them for future use. 

NOTE: For using the pitas the next day,
you can simply wrap all the bread with a towel, 

place in a bowl and keep overnight on kitchen counter
- but no longer than the next day.
These should be eaten right away - again, by the next day.

NOTE: Once all the bread has cooled off completely you can freeze them.

You will need a ziplock bag for this.
Place them in a ziplock bag - making sure all the air 

is out of the bag, seal and toss into the freezer.
To thaw, simply pull out the number of 

pieces you want and wrap in a clean dry towel.
Allow to thaw completely - 

takes about an hour or so to thaw. 

To re-heat: can heat on stove for a minute or two.
Or microwave wrapped in a damp cloth for a few seconds.

Source: Food Wishes