Pita Pita

When I was in college there was a place called the Pita Pit that I got food from a lot. It was the only place where I felt I could get something really healthy either picked up or delivered to my door. It was more like a wrap than an actual pita pocket and I liked that. Anyhow it has been a long, long time since I ate there because I avoid campus like a nail in the foot after I graduated, but recently I thought it would be fun to try and make my own pita-like-wrap to fill with yummy things.

I turned to pinterest, where I had already seen several pita recipes posted. The difference between a  pita and a tortilla is that the pitas have yeast in them. I used this recipe to make my pitas. They are more like wraps than the kind you get that are really poofy and have a little pocket. I just can't eat those - they fall apart on me every. single. time.

Making this is a lot like making pizza dough. Only you dry-cook the pitas in a frying pan. I used my stand mixer, but you could easily do it by hand.

Here is my nice ball of dough after proofing the yeast in water, and then adding the flour, salt, and olive oil.

After letting it rise I made my little balls of dough - 8 total. You only see 7 here because a certain little toddler decided he was going to take his pita making into his own hands.

I rolled them out pretty thin, because I did want them more like a wrap.

Then I just put them in a pan heated on medium high heat and cooked them until they started to get all bubbly on one side, flipped them for a very short amount of time on the other side, and they were done!

See the bubbles? That is how you know it is working

I filled my pitas with a greek dip I made using hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and kalamata olives. I'll post the hummus and dip recipe next!

Homemade Pitas

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 packet active dry yeast
2 1/2-3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water and let sit for 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Once the yeast is proofed (getting a little fizzy) pour it in the machine along with the olive oil and turn the machine on a setting of 2 or 3. Once it is combined turn the mixer to its lowest setting. You want your mixer on the lowest setting for kneading the dough because if you go to fast you will actually work air into the dough which you don't want!

You may have to add more flour so the dough isn't very sticky anymore. Then coat with oil and let it rise for an hour or so. Once risen, divide into 8 portions and roll each portion pretty thin - maybe about 1/8" in thickness.

You can coat your pan with some EVOO for the first one to ensure the pan is prepped and that the pita won't stuck. Don't go nuts though, you don't want it fried. Let it cook on one side until you see little bubbles all over the surface, and then flip it over. Cook a little while longer until there is some color on the underside and then take it off and set it aside so you can do the next one. These are best fresh but we were still eating them 3 days  later and they were still good!