Step 1

Combine all the ingredients and mix them together - by mixer or by hand.

Step 2

Knead by mixer 5 minutes or by hand 8 minutes until you have a soft dough that is tacky to the touch.

Step 3

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 4

Heat oven to 500 degrees.

Step 5

Turn dough out to lightly floured board, cut in half and place one half under a dampened towel. Divide the other half into four equal portions, shaping each into a ball and placing under the towel. Repeat with the remaining half of dough.

Step 6

Let rest 5 minutes.

Step 7

Place a baking/cooling rack directly on the oven rack (or use a baking stone).

Step 8

Use a rolling pin to roll each ball one at a time into a circle about 6 inches in diameter and 1/4 thick on a lightly floured surface. Repeat with one or two more rolls.

Step 9

Place the rolled pitas directly on the baking rack in the oven. Set timer for 4 minutes, check for browning and puffing, and remove or continue cooking for up to 1 more minute, if needed. There is no need to turn them.

Step 10

While the first pitas are cooking, prepare the next batch.

Step 11

When removing the pitas from the oven, stack them together in a kitchen towel to keep them from crisping as they cool.

Step 12

Immediately add the next batch of dough to the rack in the oven, repeating process until all the dough has been cooked.

Step 13

Serve warm or let cool completely to store at room temperature in an airtight bag.