Food By Maria

0 Make the dough: To a large mixing bowl add the flour, salt and instant yeast and whisk together. Pour in the 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water and then the oil and use a wooden spoon to mix until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together making sure the flour is all absorbed by kneading for 2-3 minutes in the bowl.  Note: If your dough is too sticky, add 1 tbsp more flour and knead. If your dough is too dry, add 1 tsp - 1 tbsp more lukewarm water and knead again to combine.Drizzle a little olive oil over the dough and turn a few times to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ - 2 hours.
9 While the dough is rising, make the softened butter by mixing together the softened butter with all of the spices. Set aside.
1 After the first rise, put the dough onto a floured work surface and form the dough into a circle so you can divide it into 9 equal pieces. 
2 Use your hands to form the 9 pieces of dough into balls / circles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let rest covered with a tea towel for 30 minutes.
3 While resting, add a pizza stone or baking steel to the top third of the oven and preheat to 500F. 
4 Cut out 9 pieces of parchment paper into 6-7 inch squares and set aside.
5 After 30 minutes of resting, form into pita shapes -On a floured surface GENTLY roll out each ball of dough into 5-6 inch rounds - the key is to not roll with too much pressure on the dough to make sure you don’t push out all of the air bubbles. If any of the dough balls are hard to roll or the dough is resisting, set aside for another 5-10 minutes and try another one.
6 Place each rolled out circle on a piece of the cut out parchment paper and let rest for 30 more minutes.
7 Bake the pitas: Prep a baking dish or bowl by lining it with a tea towel and set aside. Once the oven is preheated, use a large metal spatula to gently move one pita at a time with its parchment paper onto the preheated pizza stone or baking steel. Cook 2-3 at a time for 2-4 minutes or until the pitas have puffed up. When done, remove the pitas from the oven and put in the prepped tea towel lined dish or bowl and cover them up while you bake the rest of the pitas.
8 Enjoy the pitas warm with the seasoned butter.Or, let the pitas fully cool and store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.Alternatively, fry the pitas after they're baked. Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook each pita for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Enjoy hot!