members recipes

These breads can be stuffed with falafel, spicy meatballs or whatever you fancy really ! They\'re also lovely served with Middle Eastern dips (eg.hummus, aubergine dip,muhammara etc)

Ingredients
500g strong bread flour
approx 300ml of lukewarm water
1 small packet of instant yeast
1.5 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of olive oil

Extra flour for kneading

Method
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour,yeast,oil and salt.
2. Add the water bit by bit , stirring together with a fork.
3. Once you\'ve added all of the water, begin kneading the dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little extra water (only 1 tbsp at a time !).
4. Remove the dough from the bowl then continue kneading on a lightly floured work surface. The finished dough should be soft and elastic.
5. Wash the bowl, then coat with a little olive oil. Brush the dough with a little oil then place in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel.
6. Place the bowl in a warm room/cupboard and allow to rise for about 1 hour (it should double in size).
7. Punch the dough down and divide into 8 -10 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a circle (approx 4mm thick) then place the pitta on a floured tea towel. Cover with a damp tea towel whilst you finish making the rest of the pittas.
8. Once they\'re all done, cover with the damp towel and leave to rise for another 30mins.
9. In the meantime, preheat oven to it\'s hottest setting (usually around 250C) and place a baking tray in the oven to preheat.
10. To bake, open the oven door, pull out the baking tray and quickly place 3 or 4 pitta breads onto the tray. Spray the surface with a little cold water (or use a brush) then place the tray back in the oven .
11. Bake for approx 4 mins, without opening the oven door. They should puff up after a couple of minutes.
12. Remove from the tray and place on a grid to cool down.

If you want to reheat the pittas, brush/spray with a little water and bake in a hot oven for a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you can pop them in a toaster for a few minutes.