Peeta Bread

Pita Bread (adapted from BeantownBaker.com)

1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet dry active yeast

1 cup warm water + more if necessary

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Combine the sugar, yeast, and water in a medium bowl. Let stand for ten minutes. Add the olive oil and stir to combine. Stir in the flour and salt.All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it'll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the bottom of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Pita Chips

Pita bread (day-old pita works best)

Olive oil

Minced garlic

Garlic powder

Garlic salt

Pepper

Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brush the top of the pitas with olive oil. Sprinkle minced garlic, garlic powder, garlic salt, and pepper on top. Grate cheese over the pitas. Bake them for about ten minutes, or until crispy.