Weekly pita and naan dough

One dough to rule them all!!!!! Yes you can make pita bread that puffs up big and naan with bubbles of crispy dough fried in butter. This dough recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks “Holiday and celebration bread in five minutes a day”. It’s a recipe for olive oil dough that can be used in several different variations, requires no kneading and can sit in your fridge for days covered and ready for you when you need it. Below I’ve written how to use it for pita bread and naan.

Resource: Holiday and Celebration Bread in 5 minutes a day

Adapted by: Tierney Larson

Makes about 16 individual pitas or naan, the dough will keep in the fridge covered for up to 12 days.

Olive Oil dough for Naan and Pita bread

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup (625g) of lukewarm water (100F or below)

1tbl (10 grams) Instant or active dry yeast

1tbl (17g) Kosher salt

1tbl (15g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50g) olive oil

6 1/2 cups (920g) AP flour

Mix all the ingredients except for the flour in a large bowl or container with a lid, then mix in the flour. No need to knead! It will be very wet. Loosely cover and let it sit at room temp until the dough rises. For about 2 hours.
You can use the dough after the rise, or pop it into the fridge and use it as you wish for the next 12 days!

*I want to make sure you know that this dough is supposed to be super sticky! Use enough flour as you need to to be able to work with it!

For pitas:

(this makes 1 large pita or 2 individual ones)

Preheat the oven to 500F with a baking stone on the center rack of the oven.

Dust the top of the dough with flour, and twist off a ball about the size of a grapefruit. (Should be about 1/2 lb.). Place on a floured surface. (The dough is wet so don’t be shy, use enough flour so that you can move it without it sticking).

Divide the dough into two equal pieces, (or leave it if you want one big pita) Shape each piece into a ball, pulling the dough over itself and then pinching it to form a ball, then using a twisting motion drag it along the surface until the bottom is sealed and it’s a well formed ball. Pat it out gently and roll it into a 12 inch wide circle. (If the dough is too thick it won’t puff). Place it onto a floured pizza peel and then flick it onto the baking stone. Bake for 6-8 minutes. If you want the top to brown more, move it to the top rack (without the stone) for a few more minutes.

Place it on a plate with a kitchen towel to keep them soft and warm when done. They will deflate but you can open them using 2 forks to pull them open.

For Pan-fried Naan:

Start preheating a cast iron skillet over high heat. Dust the top of the dough with flour. For one naan, twist off a 1/4 pound piece of dough, and place onto a floured surface. Pull the dough over itself and around pinching it at the bottom to form a ball, using a twisting motion give it a few turns on your surface to really seal the bottom. Gently press it out into a circle and start rolling it out with a floured rolling pin into an 8-9 inch wide circle.
Melt 1 tbl of butter or ghee or canola oil into the skillet and drop the dough into the center. Cover with a lid or a sheet pan and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about 3 min, checking on it now and then. Then when it has good browning flip it over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Remove and brush with butter or oil.