Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Source: adapted from tammysrecipes.com
1 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 T oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar or honey
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1. In a large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Add the gluten and 1 cup of the flour, along with the yeast, and stir to mix. Add remaining flour and knead to make a soft dough. (Add additional flour if necessary during kneading.)
Alternately, if you have a bread machine, you can put the ingredients in the pan in the order listed and use the dough cycle. Skip to step 3 if using your bread machine
2. Put dough into a bowl, lightly oil the top, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise, until almost double (about an hour)
3. Punch dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and let rest, covered for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a 6- or 7-inch circle.
4. As you roll the rounds, set them aside on a lightly floured countertop or table, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven and baking stone to 450 degrees. Place 2 rounds, side-by-side, onto stone. Bake for 5 minutes, until puffy and just slightly browned. (If bread is too browned, it will be dry and not pliable.)
6. Layer pita breads on top of each other to cool. Store pitas in a plastic zipper bag in the fridge for a few days, or place in the freezer for longer storage. To re-warm pitas, wrap them in a damp towel and then wrap in foil. Place in a warm (200-250 degree) oven for about 20 minutes.
7. Cut pita breads in half, or split the top edge, and fill as desired.
Makes 8