Mom on a mission : Greek Pita made on stove-top!

Griddle cooked Greek Pita

Of course I forgot to take a picture of the pile of finished pita, I'll try to remember to add it next time I make these.

My husband loves pita, but the stuff you get in the store just doesn't cut it for me, so I found a recipe and adapted it to my own tastes. These are great with hummus, you can use them as Greek fish taco shells, or they are awesome on their own! Surprisingly easy to make, they are cooked on the stove in about 2 minutes! This recipe has stand mixer directions, since my in-laws got us one for our wedding that I use daily, but it is very possible to make these with a hand mixer, or mixed by hand! This recipe is a yeasted dough, so remember to leave time for the dough to rise!

Makes 8 pita

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup hot water*

2. 2 tsp active dry yeast

3. 3 cups flour

4. 1 tsp salt

5. 1-2 tbsp olive oil

* Most recipes call for the water to be 110 degrees F, but who checks that? My way of telling is that the water be very warm or slightly hot to the touch, but not so hot you can't keep your hand comfortably in it.

Directions:

Add the yeast to whatever bowl you are using to mix and pour water over, letting it mix together. Wait 5-10 minutes for yeast to activate, then add in your flour, salt and olive oil. You can use whatever olive oil you like, on this instance I used a special basil infused olive oil my sister sent me from Italy, where she is stationed. If you are using a stand mixer, using your dough hook, let it mix and knead for about 10 minutes, until it comes together in a ball. If it doesn't quite come together, add a little more olive oil, then hand knead. If you're using a hand mixer, mix until combined, then using a floured surface, knead for about 7 minutes until you have a soft, non sticky dough. Clean the bowl you mixed in and pour a little olive oil on the bottom. Place your dough ball in the bowl, turning to coat in the oil, then cover with plastic wrap and put someplace warm to rise for about an hour, until doubled.

At this point, get your griddle, or pan heating up to medium high heat. You really want a uniform heat, so cast iron is best, or some pan that doesn't have hot spots. When the dough is doubled, punch it down and roll back into an oblong ball. This is the point where you divide the dough into 8 pieces. I am not very exact, I just tear the ball in half, then that in half, then those in half until I have 8 somewhat same size pieces. Flour whatever surface you will be working on and roll out the pita to what size you want. The thinner and bigger, the tougher and crispier the pita. I usually roll mine out to about 5 inches diameter, that leaves it nice and pillowy. You can roll them all out at once, however I like to do it 2 at a time, since that's how many I cook at a time.

Pour a little bit olive oil (I use regular as opposed to extra virgin because you can heat it hotter before it starts to burn) on your pan and spread it evenly over the surface with a paper towel. Add your pita, cooking it on that side about 30 seconds, or until bubbles start to form. Flip over to the other side and cook about 1 minute. The pita may start to balloon up in spots, that's ok! Flip back over and cook another minute. While these 2 are cooking I like to roll out my next 2 pita. When both sides have cooked brown spots on it, it's done! Re-cover the pan in oil and cook remaining pita until all are cooked. Then enjoy!