Whole Wheat Pita Bread

The first time I attempted to make homemade pita bread was a failure.  They tasted great, but there was no pocket in the middle.  I wanted to try again, but was a little gun-shy.  Finally, I decided to try again.

These turned out great!  I don't remember exactly what I did the first time, but I think I had the oven hotter for this second attempt.  Plus, I kept them warm like I do with homemade tortillas, with a warm, damp towel.

Now that I have mastered the technique, I'm going to experiment with different flavors. First up, rosemary & garlic!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread (for the bread machine)

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup gluten*
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Set on Dough setting.

After the dough has finished, use floured hands to punch dough down and turn out onto floured surface. Lightly dust with flour. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Flatten each dough ball and roll into a 6 or 7 inch round. Lay the rounds on a floured surface and cover with a towel.  Allow to rest for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lay a metal cookie cooling rack over the oven rack; you will bake the pitas on the rack.

Bake two pitas at a time for 4-5 minutes.  You don't not want to overbake, as they will get brittle. Remove from oven, cover with a warm, damp towel so they will soften & stay warm while you are baking the others.

Cut pita rounds in half and open the inside pocket.  Fill with whatever sandwich fixin's you have!

* If you don't gluten, you can use whole wheat pastry flour or a combination of half whole wheat/half all purpose flour.  Gluten helps to soften the whole wheat texture and the result is a less dense bread.

Don't forget to visit my main blog, Not a DIY Life, to follow my journey of healthy living!