Pita Bread

Pita bread is actually quite simple. I had a recipe long ago that I am certain cooked the pita in a skillet but this oven recipe worked nicely. This recipe has you raise the pitas after shaping them but I found that it took up too much counterspace and worked fine baking them right after shaping. Also, I skipped the step of placing them in a paper bag or draping with a towel and just stacked them on a plate. After baking you can eat them or cool them, butter and fry in a skillet.

Pita Bread
1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Add yeast to water and let ferment for 10-15 minutes. Mix all remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add yeast water and oil. The dough will be slightly dry but mix well. Knead in bowl or on countertop for several minutes. Let rise in a warm location. When it has risen to twice it's size, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.