Sourdough Discard Pitas

April 25th, 2021

Adapted from Zero-Waste Chef

Note: Recipe ingredients are with 80% hydration sourdough starter. Original recipe contains water and whole wheat flour amounts for 100% hydration starter.

Ingredients

  • 249 g warm water (about 110°F)
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing the bowl and for frying if cooking the pitas on the stove
  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 250 g unfed sourdough starter discard brought to room temperature and stirred down to remove any bubbles
  • 350 g all-purpose flour, divided plus more as needed and for rolling out the dough
  • 91 g cup whole wheat flour

Instructions

  1. Combine the warm water, sugar, salt, olive oil and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the sourdough starter discard. Add half of the all-purpose flour and all of the whole-wheat flour and stir until well combined. Add the remaining all-purpose flour gradually, mixing well after each addition.
  2. Form the dough into a ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour or more as needed. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Wipe out the bowl and oil it lightly. Place the dough in it and turn it over to lightly coat the entire ball. Cover the bowl with a plate. Let the dough rest for 1 hour in a warm spot, until doubled in size.
  3. Punch down the dough. If you won't bake the pitas immediately, store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because the dough may double in size in the refrigerator, choose an appropriately sized container. (When you want to bake, remove as much dough as you’d like.)
  4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut it into 12 pieces. Roll into balls between your palms. With a rolling pin, roll the balls into 7-inch disks, between ⅛- and ¼-inch thick. As you work, add flour to the work surface as necessary to ensure that the dough doesn't stick.
  5. Towards the end of the rising period, place a baking sheet, cast-iron pans or a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
  6. Once the oven has heated, arrange a few of the rolled-out disks onto the hot surface, at least 2 inches apart. Do this by placing a disk on the palm of your hand and flipping your hand to drop the disk onto the surface, being careful not to burn yourself. The pitas will puff up almost immediately. Bake for 2 minutes, flip over with tongs and continue to bake for 1 more minute. Remove the pitas from the baking surface. If eating immediately, place them in a towel-lined basket or bowl and fold the towel over the pitas to keep them warm. Otherwise, place pitas on a cooling rack.

Tags

sourdough baking