Home Bread-Bakers v109.n029.3
[Advanced]

Re: round pita bread

michael masterson <mjm@siasl.net>
Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:19:34 -0500
v109.n029.3
>>Back to bread. What is the best way to make the flat pita bread 
>>into a nice round disk? Mine are pretty funny lookin but work fine.
>
>The only way I have found is to start with very round balls, by 
>rolling the dough between the palms of my hands and shaping it with 
>the help of my thumbs.
>
>Once I have a round ball, which can take some time because I am no 
>dough artist, I gently squeeze it down to a round thick disk between 
>my palms, and then use my palms to further press it down on the 
>table. If using a rolling pin, it usually works best if you apply 
>pressure on it from the centre of the disk out.
>
>Pizza makers never use a rolling pin to get their round disks - they 
>simply pull and turn the disk until they have the desired thickness.

The guys at one of the local Mediterranean restaurants take balls of 
dough, and mash it flat with their hands, then work it on the table, 
then they dock it, and finally stretch it to shape over a rounded 
pillow like form, which they plunge into the oven pit they use.. it 
may be a commercial tandor style oven, I'm not sure, it's a box 
that's got a round opening on the top, can't see down into it from 
across the counter, anyway, they leave the pita in there for a couple 
of minutes, then fish it out with a hook on a long stick.