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Thanks @cakewalk! As you are about to see, this was not this day bake.

 

Israel's independance day had become a traditional day for grilling meat. As a vegetarian I'm not really into this

 

@joesan Thanks, the recipe is very simple and forgiving, take your favorite pizza dough recipe, or a storebought one. Shape it as you would pizzas, albeit smaller - those should be personal, not sliced. Poke with a skewer to prevent puffing, drizzle some olive oil and spread it evenly. Sprinkle zaatar spice mix (dry zaatar herb, sumac, sesame), salt. Bake in the hottest your oven can get.

As for investment, it costed 200nis (55$), so not really big investment   

 

For today, I got to the real test for the oven - baking pitas. The style of pita best like in israel is tender and fluffy, a tad sweet and slightly elastic. I believe that this style originated in Egypt or Yemen, but I'm not really sure.

 

I based on my experience with making pizzas, and assumed the hydration is similar. I used 62% (that's 185g of water for 300g of flour). Also yeast, salt and a little sugar. Some kneading and a cold overnight rise in the fridge. This morning I took the dough out and shaped into 6 balls. I left them to proof for about 3 hours.

I gently flattened the balls (1cm thick) and loaded them to the oven, which was preheated for a few minutes. I closed the oven and let them puff, which they quickly did.

 

After about a minute, they were fully baked, even a little too dark on one side. I baked the second batch a little shorter, still too long, I think due to the oven getting even hotter.

I placed the breads in a closed container to rest and steam, so that they will stay soft.

 

I'm very pleased with the result, the crumb is elastic and gelatinized, to "crust" is soft and tender, but the darker side of the over-baked batch is just a little chewier than I'd like. They also separated nicely and mostly evenly (often, even in commercial pitas, one side will be very thin). The best part of a good pita is the interior.

 

I served them while still hot, with freshly made hummus, and good olive oil.

 

I'm eager to try baking more stuff, especially pizzas and ciabattas. I also want to try some cooking (i.e. not baking).

 

Thanks @cakewalk! As you are about to see, this was not this day bake.

 

Israel's independance day had become a traditional day for grilling meat. As a vegetarian I'm not really into this

 

@joesan Thanks, the recipe is very simple and forgiving, take your favorite pizza dough recipe, or a storebought one. Shape it as you would pizzas, albeit smaller - those should be personal, not sliced. Poke with a skewer to prevent puffing, drizzle some olive oil and spread it evenly. Sprinkle zaatar spice mix (dry zaatar herb, sumac, sesame), salt. Bake in the hottest your oven can get.

As for investment, it costed 200nis (55$), so not really an investment   

 

For today, I got to the real test for the oven - baking pitas. The style of pita best like in israel is tender and fluffy, a tad sweet and slightly elastic. I believe that this style originated in Egypt or Yemen, but I'm not really sure.

 

I based on my experience with making pizzas, and assumed the hydration is similar. I used 62% (that's 185g of water for 300g of flour). Also yeast, salt and a little sugar. Some kneading and a cold overnight rise in the fridge. This morning I took the dough out and shaped into 6 balls. I left them to proof for about 3 hours.

I gently flattened the balls (1cm thick) and loaded them to the oven, which was preheated for a few minutes. I closed the oven and let them puff, which they quickly did.

 

After about a minute, they were fully baked, even a little too dark on one side. I baked the second batch a little shorter, still too long, I think due to the oven getting even hotter.

I placed the breads in a closed container to rest and steam, so that they will stay soft.

 

I'm very pleased with the result, the crumb is elastic and gelatinized, to "crust" is soft and tender, but the darker side of the over-baked batch is just a little chewier than I'd like. They also separated nicely and mostly evenly (often, even in commercial pitas, one side will be very thin). The best part of a good pita is the interior.

 

I served them while still hot, with freshly made hummus, and good olive oil.

 

I'm eager to try baking more stuff, especially pizzas and ciabattas. I also want to try some cooking (i.e. not baking).