Since my last post was about hummus (a Greek dip), it seemed fitting to me that this post be about hummus' favorite companion, pita (a Greek bread!) Those chewy, delicious pockets of bread are also useful for more than just dipping in pureed beans. They are delicious when made part of a sandwich, or just eaten by themselves while they are still warm. The recipe that I have isn't my own (It comes from the book Bread by Eric Treuille,) but it is simple, and the results were even better than I expected.

Pita Bread
Makes 8 servings

Oven temperature- 425 degrees

2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for coating a medium-sized bowl

Sprinkle the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the water in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast and the olive oil.
Mix in the flour. Stir in the remaining water, as needed, to form a firm, soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth, supple, and elastic, about 15 minutes. Initially, the dough will be quite stiff. It will soften and stretch gradually as you continue kneading.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to coat evenly with the oil, and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball to form an oval, 9 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
Cover with a dish towel and let it rise slightly, this takes about 20 minutes.
Dust two baking sheets with flour and preheat in the oven for 5 minutes. Place the dough ovals on the hot baking sheets and return immediately to the oven. Bake for 5-10 minutes until puffy. Wrap in a clean, dry cloth to keep bread soft and to prevent drying out.

* I used the dough to make 4 large pitas instead of 8 smaller ones. This makes using them for sandwiches easier. I also made mine round instead of oval. These minor differences didn't alter the recipe, so you should feel free to use them.

Tonight for dinner I am going to be making asparagus. I do not like asparagus, so I am not sure how to cook the stuff in order to make it more palatable. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, or if I even decide to eat any of it!

-Happy Cooking!-