Pita bread

Ingredients:

Pita

2 tsp active dry yeast

½ tsp Sugar

35g whole-wheat flour (preferably freshly milled)

310g unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp table salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Marinade:

1 tbsp dry oregano

1 tbsp dry thyme

1 tbsp Espellete chilli powder (or mild chilli powder)

Olive oil to cover herbs

Salt and pepper to taste

A recipe so tasty you must give it a go. When you have time on your hands, nothing better than making your own bread. The barbecue finish is a must, to add incredible depth of flavor, while still keeping the bread soft and moist in the center. A perfect companion to a juicy kofta or fluffy falafel. A perfect touch to an amazing dining experience.

Dough:

1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl, adding dry yeast and sugar, stir to dissolve. Add whole-wheat flour and 60g all-purpose flour and combine. Place the bowl in a warm (not hot) place for 15 minutes, uncovered until mixture is frothy and bubbling, activating the yeast.

Add salt, olive oil and all but 60g of the all-purpose flour to the bowl. Stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little of the reserved flour, and knead in the bowl for 1 minute, while incorporating any stray pieces of dry dough around the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl and onto a work surface, lightly knead for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and rest for 10 minutes, and knead again for 2 minutes. The dough should be soft and a bit moist. Try not to add to much reserved flour.

(Optional: At this point you can place the dough in a zip lock bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hrs if you want to develop the aroma and develop more complex flavor within the pita. Bring dough back to room temperature and roll into a ball and proceed with the recipe.)

Place the dough back in a clean mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and cover with a towel, and leave to rest in a warm place. Leave for 1 hour, and it should double in size.

Pre-hear oven to 250 degrees. On the bottom shelf, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or a ceramic baking tile.

Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal pieces and roll into ball, cover with a damp towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Remove 1 ball (keeping the others covered) and press into a flat disk with a rolling pin. Roll into 10 cm circles, about 3 mm thickness, dusting with flour if necessary.

Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on a hot baking sheet. After 1 minute the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs and bake for a further 1 minute. Ensure you do not overcook, as this is pre-cooking, it should still be pale in colour.

Mix the oregano, thyme, chilli powder and olive oil together and season with salt and pepper.  Lightly brush the pita with the marinade on both sides.

Light your barbecue until flames appear. It needs to be very hot, for the pita to puff. Once the barbecue is hot enough, place the pita on the grill side, ensuring it has direct contact with the flame. Let the magic happen (puff up) and cook until charcoal colour on the pita, be careful not to overcook.

Enjoy!