Ingredients:
224g/ 1 cup active starter
1 cup lukewarm water (or use whey)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup bread flour (have extra on hand for kneading)
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
Equipment for rolling & cooking pitas:
Knife or bench scraper
Rolling pin
Large cast iron skillet
Method:
- The day before, make sure your starter is fed: Take your starter out of the fridge and feed it the night before you are making your dough.
- In a large bowl or lidded container, combine the starter, water, olive oil, honey, salt. Mix in 2 to 2.5 cups of flour to make a soft dough.
- Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Add more flour as necessary during kneading, if it’s sticking to your hands and the bench.
- Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, give it a round of stretch and folds: Wet your hands and fold the dough by picking up one side of the dough from underneath with your two hands, stretching it up and folding it over on the rest of the dough. Do this on all four sides. I turn the container each time. When you have completed your folds, flip the dough over, cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
- After the next 30 minutes is up, repeat the stretch and fold process, cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
- After that 30 minutes is up, repeat the stretch and fold process, cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
- After that 30 minutes is up, repeat the stretch and fold process, cover and rest for another 60 minutes (1 hour).
- Cover and let you dough proof for 1-3 hours until light, fluffy and, doubled in size.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook it: Use a bench scraper to portion your dough into 8 equal pieces. Best way to do this is portion in half, then each half into halves, then each piece into halves. You will have 8 pieces of dough.
- Form each piece of dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let them come to room temperature.
- Heat your cast iron skillet on high for 5 minutes.
- Use your hands to stretch one of your dough pieces into 1/4“ rounds, like making little pizzas (it’s ok if they are more like amoebas). You can also use a rolling pin, if you prefer.
- Add a very small amount of oil in your hot pan and place your first pita in the hot pan. Watch it. Small bubbles will begin to appear under the top, like when you’re cooking pancakes. When the top has bubbles and the edges become firm, flip it to cook the other side. Cook until both sides have some brown spots.
- Repeat with as many pieces of dough as you wish to make. Pita is best eaten the day it’s made, so if you don’t need all 8 pitas, put the rest of the dough back in plastic and in the fridge. You can store it in the fridge for about one week. It also freezes well.
- Pita is great served warm.