Homemade Cypriot pitta - Σπιτιάσιμες Κυπριακές πίττες
Ingredients
- 2 cups hot water, boiled using the kettle or pot
- 3 cups cold water, from the tap
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tbs salt
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 3 Tandaco dry yeast sachets, 7g per sachet
- ½ cup milk
- 500 g plain wholemeal flour
- 2 kg Weston’s Special White flour
- 500 g Weston’s Special White flour, for dusting
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix the cold and hot water, sugar, salt, olive oil, yeast and milk. Then slowly add the wholemeal and white flour, while constantly mixing and kneading with your hands. You may need to add a bit more flour than stated as the dough should not be wet at all.
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Keep kneading until the flour is well incorporated, a smooth appearance is achieved and the dough bounces back when punched with your fist.
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Cover the bowl with a towel and place it in a warm room to rest for 20min. The dough should nearly double in size after that time (see notes).
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Sprinkle your work bench with the extra flour so that it is well dusted. Cut a piece of the dough and shape with your hands to form a long log. Use the knife and cut the dough in pieces roughly 90-100g each.
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Use your hands to shape the piece of dough into a very rough oval shape then roll it out using the rolling pin. To roll out the dough you do so in 3 steps – twice lengthwise and then once widthwise. That’s it!
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Roll out the dough along the length, then flip it over so that the other side is covered with flour as well, and roll it out again along its length. Then lastly roll out the dough along the width until you get an oval shape. The pitta should be about 3-4mm thick.
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Make all the pittas and lay them on trays lined with towels or baking paper. This recipe makes up to 50 individual pittas (see notes). By the time you finish with all the dough it will give them some time to rest before cooking. Rolling out all the dough took approximately 30min to do.
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While rolling the last of the dough, preheat the kitchen oven to the highest temperature possible (approximately 250°C). Place the pittas on baking trays to cook. They will only need a few minutes, just enough time for them to puff up and brown without drying out too much.
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Fill the pitta with whatever you like and enjoy warm! Recommended fillings would have to include tzatziki with souvlaki and salad or simply grilled halloumi with salad is great also!
Recipe Notes
George turnt the heater on in the room (at 30°C) so that it was warm enough to help the dough rise. Choose a room in your house that is warm but if you feel that it is still cold, then add blankets on top of the covered bowl as well.
The recipe makes a lot of pittas so unless you consume them within a few days you may also freeze them in freezer bags for up to 3 months.