Ingredients
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 35 grams whole wheat flour (1/4 cup)
- 310 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (2.5 cups)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
- Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and
sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose
flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered,
until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
- Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2
cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a
shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1
minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
- Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth.
Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add
too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this
point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several
hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball
and proceed with recipe.)
- Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with
plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place.
Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking
sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and
divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place
dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10
minutes.
- Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with
rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8
inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit
while baking.)
- Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After
2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula
and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown
speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread
stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.