Pita

​4 servings

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Sponge: 30 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (1/4 cups)

Dough: 120 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoons olive oil

Make sponge: Put 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/8 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/4 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.

Turn dough onto work surface.

Food Processor: use metal blades. Knead for ~20 seconds. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for ~20 seconds.

Kneading by hand: Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)

Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)

Stovetop: Brush cast iron skillet with canola oil, and heat over high heat. Place 1 dough circle on skillet. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until pita is puffed, pushing on puffed pita with spatula to cook edges. Repeat with remaining dough circles, oiling skillet as necessary.

Oven: Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.

Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016071-homemade-pita-bread