Whole Wheat Pitas

Our family loves pitas!  I've never actually purchased pitas; I've always made them from scratch and they are delicious!  A couple years ago, I posted a this recipe for pitas, which uses some whole wheat flour, but since it also calls for all purpose flour, they are not considered whole wheat pitas.  However, in an effort to cut out most processed/refined carbs, I decided to make true whole wheat pitas, using all whole wheat flour.  Since I found my original pita recipe on Tammy's Recipes, I decided to try her whole wheat recipe as well.  I have tweaked her recipe a bit, just to make it a bit cheaper and to use ingredients you most likely already have on hand.  You can find the original whole wheat pita recipe here.

Whole Wheat Pitas
1 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 3/4 - 3 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine water, oil, salt, and sugar.  Mix well.  Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and yeast; mix.  Add remaining whole wheat flour until a soft dough is formed.  You could also make the dough in a bread maker or by hand.  If making them by hand, mix ingredients then knead to form a soft dough, adding flour as necessary.

Cover bowl with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.  Punch dough down; turn out onto floured surface.  Roll into a ball, then flatten into a disk and cut into 8 equal parts.  Roll each piece into a 6- or 7-inch circle.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise an additional 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place pitas on an oven-safe cooling rack and put into preheated oven, two at a time.  Bake for 3-5 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned (don't brown them too much, or they'll be hard).  Remove from oven and wrap them in a damp cloth or paper towel.  Allow to cool completely; store in a zip top bag in the refrigerator.  To reheat, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave or stick in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes.