Pita Bread — Shalom Sisters

I'm having trouble coming up with a sentence that describes how much we love this pita bread. It's hot, soft, chewy, and delicious. We typically eat it with shredded chicken out of the crockpot and whatever toppings we want! Matthew prefers bbq sauce and I love to pair it with hummus. I originally made it to pair with Greek chicken and then started making the pitas to go with lots of other things! Once you make it, you will understand!

I combined a few different recipes to get one that really worked, but for the most part I got my tips here.

Who knew 4 ingredients could make such a tasty treat!

Let the yeast and the hot water do their thing for 5 minutes before adding the oil, salt, and flour!

After kneading the dough for 5 minutes, lightly oil then place in a clean bowl.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean towel then let it rise for  an hour. — Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean towel then let it rise for an hour.

Now the dough has risen and is ready to become pitas!

Pita rounds waiting for their turn in the pan!

Some pitas turn out fluffier than others, but they all taste the same!

1 1/4cups warm water I use hot water from the tap)
2 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 tbsp EVOO (plus a little more for coating the dough before letting it rise)
2 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour (fluffed)

Add your 1 cup of water to your bowl then sprinkle in the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Now add your EVOO and salt to the bowl and mix.
Slowly begin to mix in the flour. I start with two cups, turn on my mixer for a bit, then add the rest. You may or may not need to add the extra 1/4 cup of warm water at this point. I usually do.
Let the dough knead for 5 minutes. Then lightly oil it and place in a clean bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel then let it rise for an hour.
Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a floured surface and divide into 8 smaller dough balls.
At this point I like to go ahead and heat my skillet. Set it to a medium/low heat so it will be ready once you have rolled out each round.
Roll out the pieces individually, but keep them pretty thick. The thicker each round is, the puffier it will be.
Once rolled out, place on a clean surface (I use a cookie sheet) and re-cover with a clean cloth. You can either let them rise some more (about 10 minutes) or go ahead and cook them.
When you're ready to cook, you want the "top side" of the pita round to go onto the skillet surface. So essentially, you're making what was the top after rolling it out, the bottom. Let it cook for approximately 30 seconds or until you see some bubbles start to appear on the surface. Then, flip and cook for 1 minute. When that minute is up, flip again and cook for another minute.
When you remove the pitas from the skillet, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. The steam them warm and soft. It also helps them retain some of that chewy goodness pitas are famous for.
If your pitas turned out fluffy enough, make a little pocket and stuff it full of your favorite hummus, sandwich meat, or that shredded chicken. If you can't make a pocket, don't worry! They taste just as good topped with all those same additions.

WARNING: There is a tendency to over eat when it comes to fresh pita bread! =D

If you want to make shredded chicken, keep reading!

4lbs Chicken (breast or thigh)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place your chicken in your crockpot.
Salt and pepper it to your preferred taste
Cook on low for 8 hours and check halfway through to make sure it isn't dried out. If it looks dry, add 1/4 cup water.

This simple recipe is great for weeks when you're taste-buds don't seem to be on the same page! You can take this chicken and make just about anything!