Method
Att: This is an under mixed dough, the gluten is formed through the
rolling of the Pita and not completed in the initial micing process.
- Add salt and a few drops of water at the same time and
continue mixing for 4 minutes. Pull dough from bowl.
- Cover dough. Let rest, at room temperature, for 45minutes.
(Do not round dough)
- Knock down and let rest for an additional 15 minutes.
- Scale dough at 0.20 lb. (90 g) for medium size pita, sized can vary
depending on the use. For wrap sandwiches, scale dough at 0.40 lb.
(181 g) and cut with scissors after baking around the sides so that one
pita yields (2) wraps.
- Mold into balls, cover and let rest for 15 minutes at room
temperature
- If you find problems in molding try a damp cloth wiped on the
counter where the rounding is taking place; this will yield more
traction in the rounding process.
- Using a French type rolling pin or a regular or two stage Pita
sheeter, roll each ball into a 7 inc (175 mm) flat circle.
- The thickness will be a scant 1/4 inch (6 mm).
- It is important if hand rolling that you do not roll off of the
sough as the edge must become the hinge in the oven when inflating.
- Place rounds between two floured cloths; make sure the circles of
dough do not touch.
- The pita should be stacked one on top of the other, separated by the
floured cloths. They can go 10 high.
- Let rest 15 minutes.
- At the end of the rounding, the first pita will have been proofed
the needed 15 minutes.
Use either several pans stacked together, turned over (to maintain
more heat) that have been preheated in the oven, or use a clay baking
surface i.e. a pizza stone, a clay deck oven or a wood fired oven that has
been pre-heated.
- Pre heat oven to 475 to 550 degree F. (246-287 C).
- Place a sheet pan on top of the pan of pita and turn sheet pan over
containing the flour dusted cloths with the pita breads stacked up.
This gives access to the first pita that have proofed the longest.
- Stack 6 to 8 pita on your opposite arm than the one you will use to
place the dough pieces in the oven. They will not stick together
because of the light dusting of flour on the towels.
- Open oven door just long enough to place 6 to 8 pieces of
dough flat on the heated baking surface as quickly as possible.
- Bake until egg shell colored an inflated; do not bake to a brown
color.
- Baking will take about 2 to 3 minutes, or sooner if the pockets have
completely INFLATED.
- Remove baked pita with long metal tongs and repeat the process.
- Only the TOTALLY inflated pitas are good. Which means:
They must have a distinct usable pocket.
- Cool pita in a basket or on a cooling rack.
- Deflate the pita after cooling completely, which takes place very
quickly.
- Package pitas by deflating and stacking one on top of the other in
6's or 12's, flat.
- Package in a plastic bag with a twist tie.
Important! Make sure the "How to use" information is available on each
package, as well as how to store, freeze and re-heat.
Pitas should be frozen if 3 days or more storage is required.
Non inflating pita are usually due to:
- Poor rolling methods, with too thin an edge to give a good hinge
for inflation.
- Oven not hot enough or the baking surface no pre-heated
sufficiently.
- Over mixing, creating good gluten development in the mixing
process.
- Wrong flour, with too high a gluten content and not enough starch
damage.
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