1 ts Dry yeast
About 4 cups unbleached
All-purpose or
Bread flour
1 tb Salt
1 tb Olive oil; (1 to 2)
Recipe by: BAKERS' DOZEN (ALFORD AND DUGUID)SHOW You will need a large
bread bowl, a rolling pin, and unglazed quarry tiles or several baking
sheets, or alternatively a castiron or other heavy skillet or griddle at
least 9 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a
large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a
time, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute) in the same
direction to activate the gluten in the flour. Let this sponge rest for at
least 10 minutes or as long as 2 hours. Sprinkle salt over the sponge and
stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add white flour, one cup at a time. When
the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread
board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Gently
punch down. Dough can be made ahead to this point and then stored, covered,
in the refrigerator for 5 days or less. If at this time you want to save
the dough in the refrigerator for baking later, simply wrap it in a plastic
bag that is at least three times the size of the dough, pull the bag
together, and secure it just at the opening of the bag. This will give the
dough a chance to expand when it is in the refrigerator (which it will do).
From day to day, simply cut off the amount of dough you need and keep the
rest in the refrigerator, for up to one week. The dough will smell slightly
fermented after a few days, but this simply improves the taste of the
bread. Dough should be brought to room temperature before baking. This
amount of dough will make approximately 16 pitas if rolled out into circles
approximately 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. You
can also of course make smaller breads. Size and shape all depend on you,
but for breads of this dimension the following baking tips apply: Place
unglazed quarry tiles, or a large baking stone or two baking sheets, on a
rack in the bottom third of your oven, leaving a one inch gap all around to
allow air to circulate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough in half,
then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide dough
into eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands.
Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter. You may wish to
roll out all eight before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do
not stack. Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on
quarry tiles or baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3 or 4 minutes, until
the bread has gone into a full "balloon" or until it is starting to turn
lightly golden, whichever happens first. If there are seams or dry bits of
dough - or for a variety of other reasons - your bread may not go into a
full "balloon". Don't worry, it will still taste great. The more you bake
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