PITA BREAD

PITA BREAD

Ingredients:

250g PLAIN FLOUR (=8,82oz=2 ⅛ cup)

160g WATER (=5,64oz=⅔ cup) 

8g TABLE SALT (=0,28oz=½ tbsp)

50g LIQUID SOURDOUGH STARTER (=1,76oz) or 10g PURATOS O-TENTIC MEDITERRANEO (=0,35oz=¾ tbsp)

(1 tsp EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL)

Method:

Melt sourdough in a bowl with water (room temperature in summer or lukewarm in winter). 

Add flour and salt and mix. 

Let the dough rest for about 12 hours in a hermetic bowl with enough room for the dough to grow (keep it out of the fridge, unless temperatures are too hot: in this latter case, let it rest 4 hours out of the fridge, then 4 hours in the fridge and then other 4 hours out of the fridge again, always kneading the dough before each step).

Lay the dough on a floured pastry board and divide it into 2 or 3 parts.

If you are using a powdered leavening (like Puratos), cup your hand over one piece of dough and rotate it in small circles to obtain 1 round ball. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Roll them round-shaped with a floured rolling pin or with your hands. The thickness should be about 5mm.

If you are using a liquid sourdough starter, flatten the dough with your hands up to a thickness of about 8mm.

If you prefer a flat bread (like the one in the picture), pour a little oil in a non-stick pan and rub it on the pan surface with kitchen paper in order to grease it. Put the pan on the stove and once the pan is warm, lay one dough disc in the pan and cook each side for about 2 minutes at medium-high heat. The flat version can be enjoyed as bread with hummus or as a wrap.

If you prefer the puffed up version that can be stuffed with cheese, ham, veggies or pulled meat, cover a baking tray with baking paper and lay the bread on top (you do not need any oil in this case). Let it rest for about 30 minutes before baking pita in a preheated fan-assisted oven for about 10 minutes at 250°C (482°F).

This is not the original recipe of pita bread, I’ve just invented this one trying to obtain a result similar the lovely pita bread I’ve been eating abroad… the good thing is that I’m satisfied with the result and now we often bake it instead of piadina romagnola as it doesn’t contain any fat!