Pita Bread

Sometimes when flipping through a cookbook, trying to find one recipe you stumble upon another. For instance, I wanted to know how to make pita chips. I figured it couldn't be too difficult. Instead I found a recipe for pitas themselves. This didn't look too difficult. So tonight I made pitas.

First of all, the dough is tough. So all this nonsense about getting the dough smooth really means if you can get it to stick together and have the strength to knead if for ten minutes go ahead. I thumped it for ten minutes-ish.

You're supposed to let it rest in which time it's supposed to get puffy. Mine didn't. (See above. Tough things tend not to get puffy.) I decided the room wasn't hot enough so put it in a warm oven for a few minutes before getting impatient. It helped. There was a definite increase in puffyness.

Next you split it up and roll it into circles. My last one was approaching a circle. Apparently, rolling balls into circles is a skill. I have not yet developed it. I am very good with oblongue and odd-shaped.

Lastly, you put them into a 500 degree oven. I didn't know ovens went that hot. What they don't tell you is that you should only do this if your smoke-alarm is turned off. Mine wasn't. I think it's hardwired into the building. This meant that everytime ,and I mean everytime, I opened the oven door longer than two seconds the firealarm went off. The recipe said if they didn't start to puff after the five minutes, then you should turn the oven up. I really should have. However, my kitchen already had mirages forming in it and I was getting scared the fire department was going to show up. The last one puffed up wonderfully. By then the oven was really hot.

The recipe also said that the result was far superior to the shop bought ones. This is true. Despite not puffing correctly and not being round, they are fabulous. If I didn't have other plans for them, I would probabely have eaten through half of them by now. No sauce or dressing needed.

If you can disengage your firealarm, aren't paying for your electricity, and have some spare time, I highly recommend making pitas. It's just plain fun.