Pita Pizzas - The Bread Bible
Some of the Alpha Bakers have begun baking through The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This month's selection is Pita Bread. My pitas didn't puff so I decided to turn them into pizzas after reading that this recipe was a variation of Rose's pizza dough.
The dough is a snap to make. Just dump everything in a stand mixer bowl and mix with the paddle attachment until the ingredients are combined.
Done.
Then switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook. Increase the speed of the mixer and let it go for 10 minutes.
Place the dough in an oiled container and allow it to double.
When the dough has doubled, chill in the fridge for 8 hours to 3 days.
When it's time to bake, divide the dough into 8 or 12 balls, depending on the size pita bread you want to end up with. Roll the dough into flat rounds on a lightly floured surface. I also rolled some on an oiled surface to see what the difference would be. More on that later.
The pitas can be baked on a pizza stone that has been heated in a very hot oven for an hour, or Rose shared an alternate stove top method using a cast iron skillet. I have this antique cast iron griddle that I inherited from my husband's family so I thought it would be nice to use it.
Pita dough on the preheated griddle to cook for a few minutes per side. The pita in the back was rolled on a floured surface; the other on an oiled surface.
Flour on left, oil on right. We liked the pitas rolled in oil better. As you can see, none of my pitas puffed up in the traditional manner. I got a few air bubbles, but they deflated as soon as the pitas were turned over.
I was a little bummed my pitas didn't puff, but they were still soft and fresh and moist. I remembered Rose mentioning that this dough was a variation of her pizza dough so I decided to turn my flat pitas into pita pizzas. Here's how I did it.
I gathered my favorite pizza toppings.
I topped the flat pitas with a thin layer of pizza sauce. I usually make my own sauce, but I like to keep a small container in the pantry for emergencies. Pomi makes excellent tomato products! On top of the sauce, I added thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese (Mootz!).
Since the pitas are already baked, I didn't want the bottoms to burn by baking them on a preheated pizza stone so I decided to place the pizzas under the broiler for just a minute or two to melt the cheese.
But first a sprinkle of Jane's Crazy Mixed-Up Salt.
Followed by some crushed dried oregano.
Again, these are going under the broiler so I won't add the fresh basil at this point - it doesn't stand a chance under the broiler. I'll add it later.
Okay, the pizzas were under the broiler for just a minute or two. It doesn't take long! Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with hand torn fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Time to dig in so I have to run. Thanks for stopping by.
Next month - Lemon Jammies.