By request from Jeremy, here's my current go to pita recipe:
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2.5 cups lukewarm water
5 to 6 cups flour (I usually use regular all-purpose, but try to mix in some whole wheat with it)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, then stir 100 times in the same direction to start developing the gluten. Cover this and let it rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours (longer the better).
Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic but not overly sticky. Clean and oil the bowl and return the dough to it. Cover and let rise until at least doubled in size, around 1.5 hours.
You can either cook them on a baking stone/quarry tile/inverted baking sheet inside the oven, or on a hot, flat surface on it. I personally just use an electric griddle. Either way divide the dough in half, and then divide the uncovered half into 8 even pieces (or fewer for larger pitas). Roll out each piece into a circle less than a 1/4 inch thick (diameter will depend on how you divided it) and cover until you're ready.
For the stove:
Preheat the oven with your choice of baking surface inside to 450ºF. Carefully place 2 or so discs onto the surface and bake for 2-3 minutes. If you've got them rolled out evenly they should balloon at this point.
For not in the stove:
Heat your griddle/pan/whatever to a decent heat. I go around 350-375ºF, which I believe would be a little over medium, maybe medium high. Place a round on the surface and cook for 15-20 seconds, then flip. Cook on that side for around a minute, at which point large bubbles should start to appear in it. Flip it back to the original side and cook until the bread balloons fully, or both sides are lightly browned.
Repeat this process with the rest of the dough. Keep the cooked pitas wrapped in a lightly damp towel to keep warm until you're ready to serve. These are generally best fresh, but probably keep for a couple days if they're in an air tight container.
As you get the hang of it you should be able to get your work rate up to a much faster pace.
Vittles And Mangia
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