Pita Bread

1 cup tepid or lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
½ tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups bread flour, you can use wholemeal bread flour or a combination of white and wholemeal
1 to 2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for frying

Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup flour and gently whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add salt, remaining flour, olive oil and yeast mixture. Stir with the handle of a wooden spoon until combined into a shaggy dough.

I use the following folding dough technique rather than a kneading technique with a highly hydrated dough such as this one.

Cover the bowl with plastic or place the bowl inside plastic bag and leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Wet your fingers in a bowl of water or under the running tap.

Gather underneath a portion of the dough and fold it up and over itself towards the centre of the bowl. Rotate the bowl 1 quarter turn (90 degrees). Keep repeating the folding and rotating until you have worked your way around the bowl and each portion of dough  (more or less) has been folded towards the centre of the bowl.

Place the bowl inside a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to sit for 5 minutes. Room temperature is fine, you want to avoid drafts.

Repeat the folding described above (remember to use wet fingers).

Place the bowl back in the plastic bag and leave in a warm place to sit for 5 minutes.

Repeat the folding described above (remember to use wet fingers).

Place the bowl back in the plastic bag and leave in a warm place to sit for 5 minutes.

Repeat the folding described above (remember to use wet fingers).

Cover the bowl with plastic (I cover the bowl with glad wrap and then place the bowl in a plastic bag) and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.

Divide the dough into 6-8 even pieces and roll them into balls. Place the balls on a floured surface, dust with flour and cover with a towel and leave them to sit for 10 minutes.

Working with one ball at a time, dust the ball with flour and place on a floured work surface. Roll your rolling pin in flour and roll the ball into a 20cm disc. Keeping dusting the dough, the work bench, the rolling pin with flour to prevent it from sticking. You don’t want too much flour though because you want to keep the dough hydrated.

Leave the disc to rest for a few minutes.

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat, drizzle a little olive oil, add the disc to the pan and cover. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until brown and slightly crisp. Cooking with the lid on is important, make sure you do this.

Repeat with the remaining dough.

This dough works without salt or a minuscule amount of salt for people who need to restrict their salt.

You can make smaller and fatter pita bread by using less dough and rolling less.