Whole Wheat Pita Bread

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, salt, all-purpose flour, and listed amount of the whole wheat flour. With the dough hook attachment, mix to combine all the ingredients. The dough should come together and start to clear the sides of the bowl quite quickly. If it remains really sticky after about a minute of mixing, add more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time until it clears the sides of the bowl.

Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes with a machine, or 8-10 minutes by hand, until it is smooth and elastic, and just tacky to the touch, but not overly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top and divide it into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover the dough pieces with a clean towel and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a round disc, about 1/4 inch thick, keeping it as even as possible. If you end up with really thin sections they probably won’t puff as well in the oven. Leave the discs on the counter, covered with a clean towel, to rest and rise slightly, for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven to heat up at the same time. If not, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When you’re ready to bake, carefully pick up one pita at a time and flip it onto the hot stone, turning it so the drier side (the one that was facing up) is now on the stone (or lined baking sheet). The side that was on the counter will be more moist and the pita will puff better if this side is facing up. If it’s really dry too you can spray them lightly with some water but I didn’t find this was necessary.

Bake the pitas (I baked 3 at a time, the others are fine resting on the counter a little longer) for 8-10 minutes until they are lightly browned and puffed up. Sometimes a pita doesn’t puff up, but it is still ready so don’t leave it in longer. It can still be used as flatbread!

Let the pitas cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat baking the rest. They keep well at room temperature for a couple of days, or can be frozen once they’ve cooled.

Adapted very slightly from Under the High Chair via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.