Greek Pita Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Directions

1. 1

   Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl.

2. 2

   Add 1/2 cup of the warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes to proof and ferment.

3. 3

   Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water.

4. 4

   Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the middle and put the dissolved yeast and salt water into it.

5. 5

   With your hands, blend it into a dough. You may need a bit more or less water depending on your flour.

6. 6

   Knead the dough in the bowl with your fists for 10-15 minutes or until smooth.

7. 7

   Pour the oil over the dough and knead it again until the oil is absorbed.

8. 8

   Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel and set in a draft free area to rise to double it's bulk (1-2 hours), then punch it down and knead it again for a few minutes.

9. 9

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

10. 10

    Cut pieces of dough, egg-size or larger, depending on the size of the pita desired.

11. 11

    Shape them into balls with your hands and roll them out over a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/4" thickness.

12. 12

    Set 2 or 3 pitas on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake them on the lower rack 2-3 minutes each side.

13. 13

    Bake longer for pita pockets.

14. 14

    Susie's note: Pitas should be white and soft. Wrap the baked pitas in a clean towel until they are cool, then store them in plastic bags to prevent them from drying out. When you are ready to use them, heat a bit of oil in a skillet and fry them a minute or so on each side, or until golden brown. Use them immediately, because they get hard when they dry out.