Pronto Pita Bread
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- knead :
to work dough by pushing, pulling, and folding it by hand or with a stand mixer.
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- mix :
to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.
- rest (dough) :
to let bread or pastry dough relax, allowing the dough to absorb more liquid and become more pliable before shaping it.
Equipment Checklist
- Skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Kitchen towel or plastic wrap (to cover dough)
- Heat-resistant spatula or pancake turner
Ingredients
Pronto Pita Bread
- 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour **(for GLUTEN ALLERGY sub gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour)**
- 1 tsp dry active or instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 C warm water
- 2 tsp olive oil
Food Allergen Substitutions
Pronto Pita Bread
- Gluten/Wheat: Substitute gluten-free/nut-free all-purpose flour.
Instructions
Pronto Pita Bread
measure + mix
Measure and combine 1 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl. Carefully add 1/2 cup warm water and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Mix by hand, kneading about 50 turns.
cover + rest
Place the dough (it will be sticky) on a floured surface and cover. Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes.
preheat + divide + shape
Preheat a skillet on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Divide your dough into about 8 to 12 pieces, depending on how large you like your pita bread. Have your kids shape each piece of dough into a ball and then flatten each ball into a circle.
cook + flip
Cook the dough on your hot skillet, about 1 minute on the first side, and then flip to cook the other side for another minute. Pita is great served with hummus, or try it with Middle Eastern Shakshuka Poached Eggs!
Hi! I'm Baker's Yeast!
"Did you know that I'm a living organism? If you add baker's yeast to dough, it will cause your bread, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, and more to rise up! Just add me to warm water with a little sugar (which I love to eat) and wait at least five minutes until I burp some gas bubbles (excuse me!) and get foamy at the top before adding me to your flour and other ingredients!"
- Yeasts are single-celled, microscopic members of the fungus kingdom. Baker's yeast is from the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is the strain of yeast used to leaven (or raise) bread and other types of dough. It is also used in beer and winemaking.
- There are several varieties of baker's yeast: active dry yeast, compressed yeast, cream yeast, deactivated yeast, instant yeast, and rapid-rise yeast. Home bakers and Sticky Fingers Cooking chef instructors generally use active dry yeast, instant yeast, or rapid-rise yeast when baking.
- Active dry yeast must be activated by adding a warm liquid, like water or milk. Its granules are larger than the other dry yeasts, instant and rapid-rise, which do not have to be rehydrated (or proofed).
- The word "yeast" comes from the Old English "gist," of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root "yes-," meaning to "boil," "foam," or "bubble."
- Baker's yeast has some protein, fiber, B vitamins, and potassium; however, the amount you would get from a packet of active dry yeast distributed throughout a dough would be minimal.
- Nutritional yeast, a deactivated yeast, contains more protein, fiber, B vitamins, and potassium than active dry yeast. People who eat a vegan or vegetarian diet often add nutritional yeast to foods to supplement these nutrients and add a nutty or cheesy flavor to foods.
History of Flatbread!
- Flatbread was one of the earliest foods produced by humans. Crumbs dated to be over 14,000 years old, found in Jordan, were likely from a flatbread made of grains like wild barley, oats, and wheat. Archaeological evidence has also been found from ancient civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley.
- Flatbreads generally consist of flour, salt, and water. They can be unleavened or leavened (with yeast or another raising agent) and originally may have been baked on a hot stone and later in clay ovens. Today, flatbreads may be cooked in some type of frying pan, on a griddle, or in an oven.
- Flatbreads are present in many countries and cultures. They vary slightly and go by different names, including Native American frybread, North American johnnycake, Indian naan, Scottish oatcake, Filipino piaya, Turkish pide, Greek pita, Italian pizza, Salvadoran pupusa, Spanish torta, and Latin American tortilla. We feature many of these in Sticky Fingers Cooking recipes!
Let's Learn About the Middle East!
- The Middle Eastern region sits in Western Asia and includes the following countries: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
- Several bodies of water border some of the countries, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Red Sea.
- People have lived in the Middle East for thousands of years, and they may speak one of the six major languages: Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, or Turkish. In addition, there are about 20 minority languages in the region. It is common for Middle Eastern people to speak more than one language.
- The total area is 2,782,860 square miles, and the population is over 371 million. Saudi Arabia is the biggest in size, but Egypt has the most people.
- The climate is hot and dry, with little available water beyond several rivers, like the Nile and its delta and the watersheds of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
- Family is very important to the people of the Middle East. Food culture is rich and varied, with many recipes and methods overlapping.
- Middle Eastern art forms are stunning. Think handmade carpets, henna, marbling, glazed tile works, pottery, motifs, and embroidery.
- A typical meal in the Middle East is meat, fish, or stew, and various vegetable dishes or salads. Meals are served with bread or rice and often start with a salad, appetizers, dip-like spreads such as hummus or baba ganoush, pickles, and bowls of olives, dates, and nuts. Middle Eastern meals are feasts!
The Yolk's On You
"Knock, knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Yeast."
"Yeast who?"
"At yeast I knocked!"
The Yolk's On You
What did the yeast confess to the bag of flour?
I loaf you dough much!
That's Berry Funny
What did the yeast say to the bag of flour?
Come on, we knead to be serious!
THYME for a Laugh
Pita is one of my favorite breads.
But it's second to naan!
The Yolk's On You
"Have you ever heard a flatbread sing?"
"No, but I have heard a pita wrap!"
