Pitas
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tsp active yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil +1 tsp for proofing + 1 tbsp for frying later
In a large bowl, whisk the yeast and water together. Let sit 10-15 minutes, or until the top is foamy with yeasty goodness.
Slowly mix in the rest of the ingredients, knead together until the dough cleanly pulls away from the bowl. You might need to add 1 tsp warm water if the dough is *very* dry, or 1 tbsp flour if the dough is *very* wet. Before adding anything, knead it for another 1-2 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball, coat with 1tsp oil, cover with cling wrap or a lint-free towel, and let it sit in a warm place (80-95F) for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
Punch down the dough, cut into 8 pieces of the same size.
Roll these into balls, and pull dough from the sides and tuck into the bottom.
Cover the balls with lightly oiled cling wrap, and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
On a floured board, roll out the dough into circular pieces approximately 1/4″ thick.
After you have your second one made, it’s time to start cooking the pitas!
Put some oil on a non-stick pan and medium-high heat.
Cook for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes – the bottom should look firm, have brown spots, and the top should be puffing up (gently squish these down with a spatula). Flip and let cook for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. If you want to make stuffed pitas, flip one more time for 30 seconds, and this is where the rest of the inflating will happen if it’s not puffed up enough already. I don’t like stuffing pitas for gyros.
Wipe down the pan, add a few drops of oil, roll out the next pita, and cook the one that’s been resting.
Repeat 6 more times.