Shareen’s Whole Wheat Pita Bread

-EXCEPT-
3 ts Yeast for 1 1/2 pound
-Panasonic/National machines
2 ts Yeast for 1 1/2 pound
-Welbilt/Dak machines

FOR 1 POUND LOAF
7/8 c Water (for Welbilt machine
-add 1 tablespoon more
-water)
2 c Whole wheat flour
1 ts Salt
2 ts Oil
1 ts Sugar
1 1/2 ts Active dry yeast (not
-quick-rise) for all
-machines

Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Dough setting, and press Start.
When dough has risen long enough, the machine will beep. Turn off bread
machine, remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a floured countertop or
cutting board. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12-inch rope.

FOR 1 1/2 POUND: With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces.

FOR 1 POUND: With a sharp knife, divide dough into 6 pieces.

Roll each piece into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into
a 6- to 7-inch circle. Set aside on lightly floured countertop; cover with
a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy. (I go a
little longer – they should look puffy or the top & bottom won’t separate
in baking, causing flatbread, not pockets – great with hummus, though)

Position oven rack in middle of oven; preheat to 500 (yep – 500). Place 2
or 3 pitas on wire cake rack. (This is tricky – you must be VERY gentle so
the dough doesn’t fall. One technnique is to place one hand over the dough,
use the other hand to lift up one edge, bringing it up to your other hand,
then kinda roll your top hand over, picking up the dough, then gently
rolling the dough back onto the rack. What I do now is put the dough on
floured brown paper to rise. I pull the paper over the edge of the
countertop so the dough comes gently off the edge and into my waiting hand,
then gently lay the dough on the rack.) Place cake rack directly on oven
rack; bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown.
Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or
cover them with a damp kitchen towel (the latter is preferred) until soft.
Once the pitas are softened, either cut in half or split open the top edge
for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.