Puffy Pitas

I adapted this recipe from Farm Girl who adapted it from Bernard Clayton. My version makes a bigger pita which you can fold over taco style or slice in half and down the center if you want to stuff it. Just a warning, you will never buy pre-made pitas again. They will be ruined for you. I cannot apologize.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup wheat gluten
1 Tbs salt
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs active dry yeast
3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 squares aluminum foil

Directions
Mix dry ingredients together and add water and olive oil. Mix until dough cleans off the side of the bowl and knead for five minutes at medium speed. I use a Kitchen Aid to do this. If you don't have one, ask Santa. If you don't believe in Santa, then you can knead by hand for six minutes.

Dump dough out onto a floured surface and form into a ball. Divide eight ways (I use a pizza cutter, but dental floss or a knife will work too) and let rest under a towel for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500.

Roll out dough until it is about six inches in diameter and place on a foil square.

Bake for 5-8 minutes until they start to puff and turn golden on top. I cook mine four at a time in two rounds.

If you are stuffing them, wait until they can be handled and then cut them in half, and then split them open.

Dough is Dough is Dough

I know a person who uses the same dough recipe for pizza dough, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, and bread loaves. He says that doughs are all the same. He's right, to a point. They all call for flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil. The basic ingredients are the same, but the way you handle the dough makes a huge difference in the end product.

Pizza
Do not let pizza dough rise. You want a dense chewy crust. You let the dough rest for just a few minutes after mixing and then you shape it and put it in the oven for a few minutes before pulling out and topping. This is for two reasons. 1) the bottom doesn't cook as well once all the good stuff is on it so it needs a little prep and 2) the temporary heat kills off the yeast. It stops the dough from rising because if you let the dough rise you will get Oakwood Elementary's signature dish: Barf on a Sponge. Okay, so maybe I'm the only one that called it that, but there was always plenty of it in the garbage on the way out to recess, so I know I'm not the only one who hated it.

Bread
Most breads have two rises. This allows the gluten to form long strands that make delightful, fluffy air pockets when the moisture escapes during baking. Also different to a bread recipe will be the water to flour ratio. The more water the lighter the bread. The more flour the denser the bread. If it doesn't stick to your fingers a little while kneading it, most likley it will be pretty heavy when you bake it. Also, the more you knead it the more you develop the gluten strands. Under kneading won't allow for a full rise, and over kneading will make your creation tough. Follow your recipe! 

Dinner Rolls and Dessert Rolls
These recipes differ from the others because they often call for eggs. This makes them softer and chewier and lighter. And delicious. Yay for rolls! Eggs cook easily, so make sure you follow your recipe and don't dump the warm water and the eggs together before mixing them with other ingredients first. Unless you like egg flecks in your cinnamon rolls. I won't judge you if you do. I just won't eat them with you, that's all.