Israeli style pita bread

DIRECTIONS

• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 2.
  If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, put flour, dry yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook and use a spoon to mix well. With mixer on medium-low speed, add water and knead for 2 minutes. Add oil and salt and knead for 8 minutes longer.
  Skip to instruction number 3.
• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put ½ cup warm water, the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.
  Put flour, yeast mixture, the rest of the sugar and the rest of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook and knead for 2 minutes on medium-low speed. Add oil and salt and knead for 8 minutes longer.
• Spray or brush very little oil in a large bowl and transfer the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap, put in a warm place in the kitchen (as in above the stove. If the kitchen is cold, you can turn on the stove for a few minutes then turn it off again. It will heat the area around it a little.) Let dough rise for 1 hour until it doubles in size. Punch the dough to deflate it, then cover again and let it rise again for another hour. Deflate dough again.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, roll it to a thick log and cut to 7 or 8 equal parts (it will yield 8 medium size pita breads or 7 slightly larger ones.) If you’re using a scale, each pita should weight 4 oz. (110 grams) if you’re making 7 of them, or 3.5 oz. (100 grams) if you’re making 8.)
• Roll each dough slice into a ball, Put on a lightly greased pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes.
• At this point you should start heating your oven to 500 F degrees (260 C). If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven and let the oven preheat for a full hour. Otherwise, you will bake the pita on regular baking sheets.
• When the dough has doubled in size again, lightly flour a working surface and a rolling pin. Have 2 greased baking sheets ready. Put a ball of dough on the floured surface, sprinkle it with a little flour, then roll into a a round flat ¼ inch thick pita and transfer to the greased baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the balls.
• If you’re using a pizza stone, have a baker’s peel floured. Transfer 2 pitas at a time into the peel and use the peel to transfer into the oven. Bake on the pizza stone for 4 minutes, until the pitas have puffed up. Transfer to a tray and cover with kitchen towel. Continue with the rest of the pitas.
• If you do not use a pizza stone, simply transfer one tray at a time into the oven (each with 4 pitas) and bake for 4-5 minutes, until the pitas have puffed up.
• Serve the pitas immediately or keep covered in towel for a couple of hours before you serve. If you’re not planning on using them all the same day, freeze the pitas in a freezer bag as soon as they cool down.