The Pita Dough

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the hot water, yeast, and the sugar. Give it a stir and let it stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly and dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the rest for kneading), salt, and the olive oil. Using the dough hook, knead the dough on medium speed for 8 minutes.
• While the greek pita dough is kneading, sprinkle a bit of the remaining flour on a kneading surface.
• Turn the dough out onto the prepared surface and knead with your hands for 5 minutes or until the pita bread dough is smooth, elastic, and pillowy. Tuck the dough into a ball and place into the prepared mixing bowl. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Note: At this point you can refrigerate the pita bread dough until needed. It will last for one week. You can make a couple of pitas at a time and enjoy hot. 😉
• Punch the risen pita dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece into 3/4" thick 8" round discs. Place them on a baking sheet and let them rise again for 20 minutes.
• Tip: Lift the dough frequently while rolling to avoid sticking. Add sprinkles of flour if sticking.

Cooking the Greek Pita Bread

Oven

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Place the pita dough discs onto a baking pan lined with parchment. Place in the oven for 5 minutes. If they have not puffed up at 5 minutes keep a close eye on them. They are done when they are golden and they puff up.

Stovetop

• Drizzle a cast iron skillet or a griddle with olive oil and wipe out excess. Warm the cast iron skillet or griddle, over medium high heat. Lay a pita dough disc on the hot skillet for about 10 seconds until it bubbles. Flip it and cook for one minute. Immediately, flip it again and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and place on a wire cooling rack.