Pitas can be prepared in a variety of ways. Anyone who has spent some time in the countryside, remembers that the best bread had a crispy crust and a very soft inside.
Usually most of us came back from the shop with only half the bread, because when warm, it was even more delicious and the temptation was too great. Nowadays, we can buy a breadmaker, where we can prepare different types of bread - white, black, with seeds, sesame seeds, spices, even vegetable. It mimics the old school bread nicely.
But there is another bread creation from dough that is delicious and brings us back to a different time. In restaurants, they are quite a hit. We're talking about pitas. You can order them plain, with cheese, garlic, etc. – there are many varieties.
It looks like a kind of pancake made of dough that is baked. It turns out like bread, except that it is crispier and very similar to pocket bread. To prepare one at home, you do not need any kind of special products. We are presenting you with the option to make a garlic pita with oregano. If you prefer - just change the topping, the dough is universal for any types of pitas.
The first subtlety in the preparation is related to the number of eggs - you can add 1 egg, as in most recipes, but feel free to make these without it. Now let's see what the necessary items are, what the technique is and where craftsmanship comes into their making:
Pitas
Ingredients: 1 egg, 1 2/3 cups of yoghurt, ½ cube of yeast, 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 4 tablespoons of oil, 2/5 cup of water, a pinch of baking soda.
Preparation: Start with the yeast - it's nice for it to be in cubes, which you will need only half of. If you use powdered yeast - it takes 1 1/3 tbsp. Knead a dough using the ingredients, with the most important thing being for the flour to pass through a sieve.
It is also good to have more than a pound of flour - the proportions of flour, when it comes to dough are not always accurate. It depends on many things, such as the size of the egg. If you do not have as much milk, you can put 4/5 cup only, and supplement the rest with water.
Furthermore, all the products removed from the refrigerator have to stay out for at least half an hour at room temperature. Start to prepare them - first put baking soda in milk and add the egg in a large bowl, whisk. Gradually put in flour. The yeast should rise with the sugar, add it along with the oil, salt and water. Then continue with the flour.
Get a nice soft dough - knead it to not be "shaggy". Leave it in the bowl in a warm room - cover the bowl with a towel. Let it stand there for 30 to 40 minutes. Then tear balls out - the same size as tennis balls and stretch them with your hands to get a sheet of dough. Size actually does not matter, you can make them as big you want.
If you want, use a rolling pin to stretch out the balls, but pitas are just that - large chunks of bread with irregular shapes. Their appearance will not matter after you try them.
Spread them with the following mixture - 3 pressed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of butter and oregano. With these products, make a sauce and spread it on each pita before you bake it. Then put it on a ribbed grill, grill pan or regular pan without using oil. Bake or grill quickly, the pan must be heated. Cook for about 4 minutes each.
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