Homemade Whole Wheat Pita Breads Recipe

Ingredients

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1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (white)
1 1/2 cups bread flour (unbleached)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 to 1 1/8 cups water, lukewarm (Refer to Note)
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Olive oil (plain or herb/spice-infused, to brush on finished pitas *NOTE: Use the greater amount in winter or in a dry climate; the lesser amount in summer or a humid climate.*)

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (173.8 g)
Calories 398
Total Fat - 9.2 g
Saturated Fat - 1.4 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 943.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 71.3 g
Dietary Fiber - 10.7 g
Sugars - 1 g
Protein - 13.5 g
Calcium - 39.5 mg
Iron - 3.7 mg
Vitamin C - 2.6 mg
Thiamin - 1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Combine all of the pita ingredients (except the oil for brushing), and mix and knead to make a soft, smooth dough.

Step 2

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes, till it's just about doubled in bulk.

Step 3

Towards the end of the rising time, start to preheat your oven to 450°F, with a pizza stone on the bottom shelf, if you have one.

Step 4

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, cover them, and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Step 5

Working with two pieces of dough at a time, roll each into a 6" circle. If you roll the dough about 7" wide, it'll shrink back to about 6".

Step 6

Carefully place the dough onto the hot pizza stone. If you're not using a pizza stone, put it on an ungreased baking sheet, and put the baking sheet on your oven's bottom rack (if the heating element is close to the bottom rack [electric ovens tend to burn bottoms quickly], use double or triple baking sheets to prevent the pitta bottoms from burning. It also works to turn, bottom of the sheet facing up, and placing the pitta on the bottom side of the sheet).

Step 7

Bake for 4 minutes. The pitas should rise enthusiastically. If they're on a stone, they'll probably puff up like balloons; if they're on a baking sheet, they'll still expand; just not as vigorously.

Step 8

Turn the pitas over, and bake for an additional 60 seconds.

Step 9

Remove them from the oven, and brush with your favorite olive oil, plain or flavored. Wrap lightly in a cotton towel, to keep them soft. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.