Quick and Easy Syrian-Lebanese-Pocket-Pita Bread!

Submitted by ValFosburgh

"I've tried lots of recipes and this one is my family's favorite! Using instant yeast, you can make 20-22 "pitettes" or 8 medium bread rounds in about 90 minutes, including baking time! There is no fat or sugar added (except for the sugars in the dry milk powder)."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 20-22 Mini pita rounds
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 3 1⁄4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (not active dry)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons instant dry milk powder
• 1 cup water

directions

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large sturdy bowl (hard plastic or stainless steel). Form a little well in the center.
2. Heat the water in a microwave safe dish for one minute.
3. Pour the water into the flour well and mix the ingredients with a spatula as far you can. Place a dish of cool water in a bowl next to you as you begin to knead by hand.
4. Knead the dough in the bowl by hand for at least 5-10 minutes, dipping your fingertips into the bowl of water as you knead. This will help create a smooth, elastic finish. You know your dough is ready when the surface is smooth and doesn't have pock-marks. The dough will feel slightly sticky as you knead it, but should not stick to your hands.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut with a knife (or separate by hand) into equal sized pieces - 8 for larger rounds or 20 for small pitettes. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and lay on clean dish cloth or floured cutting board or surface, keeping them covered with another cloth.
6. Once all of the balls are rolled and resting, cover them with a clean cloth and lightly pat the cloth with water on your finger tips to keep them moist, or spray lightly with a water mister. Let the balls rest for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes rest, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone or pizza pan on bottom rack inserted.
8. As the oven preheats, roll each ball on a lightly floured surface into a flat round, no thicker than 1/4". The thinner the round, the better your pocket. Turn them over to roll them, trying to keep the round as best you can. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, dip your finger tips in a little flour and coat the surface of the round as you roll. Make sure the edges are rolled out equally and not thicker than the center. Lay each round on the cloth or floured surface to rest again as the oven preheats. Keep them in the order your rolled them.
9. Once the oven is ready, bake each round (or several at a time depending on size) on your baking stone, being careful to place them BOTTOM SIDE UP for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The rounds should start to bubble on top and will "poof" up with the pocket. Once the pocket is formed, remove them from the oven and place onto clean surface to cool. The bottoms will be just starting to brown as you remove them from the oven.
10. Once completely cooled, they can be stored in a freezer bag and frozen until ready to use - they will thaw quickly on the counter.