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PITTA BREADS
Organic Strong White flour
Round or oval, these are flat breads with a pocket. They are easily split and can be filled with falafel and salad, or cheese, or cut into wedges and used to scoop up dips and accompany mezze dishes. They are great fun to make as they puff up like balloons in the oven.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours in total
Baking time: 3 minutes
Makes 12
450g Marriage’s Organic Strong White flour
1 teaspoon salt
7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
275ml lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Combine the flour, salt and dried yeast powder in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre then pour in the lukewarm water and the oil. Using your hand gradually work the flour mixture into the water and oil to make a soft but not sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes until the dough is silky smooth and very pliable. The dough can also be kneaded in a large freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook; use the lowest speed for 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size - about 1 hour.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and punch down to deflate. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, and shape each into a neat ball. Cover with a sheet of cling film or a clean, dry tea towel and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out each ball to a saucersized circle, or slight oval shape, about 5mm thick. Arrange the breads on a well-floured, dry, clean cloth and leave to rise until doubled in size - about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile heat up the oven to its maximum setting and put a baking stone or a well-used baking tray into the oven to heat. Bake the risen breads in batches; protect your hands with thick oven gloves and quickly transfer the batch of breads to the hot baking stone or tray. Lightly splash or spray them with water then bake for 2 minutes. Check to see they are not browning too much or unevenly and turn the tray round if necessary. Bake for a further minute or so until lightly coloured and firm. If necessary, turn down your oven if they are cooking too quickly.
Remove from the oven as soon as they are firm and transfer to a wire rack, then cover with a tea towel to keep the crust soft. Eat warm or lightly grilled as soon as possible after baking. The cooled breads can be frozen for up to a month but are best warmed through before serving.
