Pita

It is really the easiest thing in the world to make pita bread. You just need to have faith in heat and air. You can make the dough a day in advance if you have time—it helps the flavor develop and makes the pita fluffier—but it works well doing it all the same day too. Make more than you need and freeze them, as they keep well if frozen. That way you can just quickly pop one in the toaster and have it with hummus, or use it in a bread salad.

Makes 10 pita breads

1 lb 2 oz/500g unbleached bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1¼ tsp sugar (plus a pinch if using dried yeast)

1¾ tsp salt

¾ oz/20g fresh yeast or 3½ tsp active dry yeast (fresh is better)

1¼–1⅔ cups/300–400ml warm water (just warmer than your fingertips)

2½ tbsp olive oil

If you have a mixer with a dough attachment, use it. If not, you can use a large bowl. Mix together the flour, sugar and salt. If you are lucky and have fresh yeast, crumble it straight into your flour and mix to combine. If you are using dried yeast, place it in a cup and add a scant ½ cup/100ml of the warm water and the extra pinch of sugar. Mix with the tip of your finger and leave it to sit until a foam forms on the top, then pour it over the flour.

Start adding the warm water to the flour, a little at a time, mixing in circular motions until the dough starts to clump together. Give it a good mix and see if it will form a ball. If there is still some flour residue in the bottom of the bowl, add a little more water, but only a small amount, as you want it to just come together. Don’t worry if there are some lumps at this stage.

If kneading by hand, this is the time to get some energy. Use a clean, flat surface and try not to add any flour. Throw the dough around a bit and then smooth it out, working it again and again. If you are using a machine, this stage will be easy: just let it turn on a medium speed until the dough looks smooth and tight.

Add the oil and knead to combine. At first everything will become very slippery and it will seem as if it will never come together. But have faith; it will. And the final texture will be silky smooth.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If you are baking the pita breads the next day, keep the dough in the fridge for the night. Make sure to put it in a container at least three times larger than the dough, as it will grow. If you want to bake them today, allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 1 hour at room temperature.