Make Your Own Whole Wheat Pita Bread
1 teaspoon maple syrup or alternative
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon dried yeast
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1. Dissolve maple syrup in the boiling water. Once the mixture has cooled to be slightly warm to the touch, sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit until frothy, approximately 10 minutes; do not stir.
2. Add flour and salt. Knead well to form a soft dough. Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 to 15 balls. Roll each ball out on a floured surface, keeping a round shape as much as possible, until dough is approx 1/4" thick. Rise on ungreased, lightly floured oven trays for 20 minutes.
4. Turn carefully and rise another 25 minutes. Preheat oven to a little over 400 degrees F.
5. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Wrap in a tea towel to cool.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This worked great! It's much cheaper than buying whole wheat pitas, and it's nice to have fresh from the oven food! They fluffed up wonderfully ;)b
Has anyone tried to make pita pockets with these? I'm gonna try this either way, but it'd be even better if I could do pockets for sammiches.
I'm going to try this recipe tonight, so I'll let everyone know what I think. To perhaps answer your question though, I have another recipe for pita pockets and it bakes them at 475F (for 10 minutes on the lowest rack of the overn) and says that the high temperature is what makes the pockets. It also says to wrap the pitas in a towel and put them in a brown paper bag for 15 minutes after they are done cooking so that the keep the pockets while deflating and prevent them from turning into crackers.
Has anyone tried to make pita pockets with these? I'm gonna try this either way, but it'd be even better if I could do pockets for sammiches.
I'm in the middle of making these right now... had to sub in sugar for maple syrup, and some white flour for the wheat. I think I may have made the batter a bit too wet... I hope they still turn out. ??? ;)
Very good recipe, thanks! Puffed up perfectly and had a nice texture. Easy and delicious!
PS. i should also add that the rolled dough thickness should be closer to 1/8". my metric/imperial measurement conversion was not very accurate.
Adagio
ah, bunbury, you discovered Saturnino's question before me. thanks for answering so comprehensively. i do not use a rapid-rise variety of yeast. also, i suggest storing the yeast granules in the fridge. in new zealand it is available in jars. follow this link for a photograph of dried yeast granules: http://spice-master.com/images/yeast.JPG
cheers!
Adagio
Please excuse my interruption. :)
From www.joyofbaking.com: "Dry yeast is fresh compressed yeast that has been pressed and dried until the moisture content is only about 8% which makes the yeast dormant. The granules only become active again when mixed with a warm liquid. The advantage of dry yeast is it has a much longer shelf life than fresh yeast and does not need to be refrigerated. This makes it a favorite among home bakers. The tiny, dehydrated, bead-shaped, sand colored granules are most often sold in convenient small foil-lined packages weighing 1/4 ounce (7 grams) that have been packaged under pressure. Always check the expiration date on the package before buying. It is also sold in 4 ounce jars but once opened, the yeast needs to be stored in the refrigerator away from moisture, heat, and light because once yeast is exposed to air it deteriorates rapidly.
There are two types of dry yeast: regular active dry and rapid-rise. The two types of dry yeast can be used interchangeably. The advantage of the rapid-rise is the rising time is half that of the active dry and it only needs one rising. However, you do sacrifice flavor and texture in order to save time as the yeast does not have time to develop its own flavor."
What exactly do you mean by "dried yeast?"
Thanks :)
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