Peppy's Pita Bread

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/8 cups water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Recipe

• 1 place all ingredients in bread pan, select dough setting and start. when dough has risen long enough, machine will beep. turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. gently roll and stretch dough into 12-inch rope.
• 2 with a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. roll each into a smooth ball. with a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7-inch circle. set aside on a lightly floured countertop; cover with a towel. let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
• 3 preheat oven to 500°f place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. place cake rack directly on oven rack. bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. once pitas are softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. they can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or freezer for 1 or 2 months.
• 4 avoid using too much flour while rolling them out. keep unrolled balls covered to prevent drying out.
• 5 handle with care while rolling and transferring. tears or creases cause them not to puff up while baking.
• 6 avoid overbaking - they will turn crisp and brittle.