Pita bread created

[altivo]

This isn't new. We've had lots of practice, but I'm always delighted with this stuff when it turns out properly.



Above: Here are half a dozen individual pitas in the last rise stage, after being pressed out flat by hand or rolling pin.




Above: View through the oven glass, more or less. The loaves are puffed up and browning nicely. The sudden inflation in size causes the gluten strands to separate, leaving a large pocket in the center of each pita.




Above: Finished pita loaves cooling after baking. They turned out to taste even better than they look. We filled them with home made hummus, chopped tomatoes, and diced Vidalia onion.

Comments

[hrrunka]

Another case where the store-bought product bearing the name ino no way resembles the real thing...

Fascinating. :)

[altivo]

Yep. At least over here, the commercial product is pretty disappointing. Undercooked, often stale and brittle, and paste-like in taste and consistency.

These are real bread, although thin. Because I use about a third whole wheat flour, they have flavor, aroma, and consistency. The pocket walls are thick enough to absorb the juice of tomatoes, or a drizzle of olive oil, or whatever else you might want to load in there. My favorite part of most breads is the crust, and these have a nice toasty crust all over where the commercial ones are pale and sickly looking, sometimes even sticky to the touch like raw dough.

Best of all, they are quite easy to make. The only trick requirement is the pizza stone in the oven.