Using Champagne yeast, Prosecco and salt smoked with the barrels from aging Chardonnay all contribute to the festive New Year's vibe of this flat bread. Feel free to use any wine, sparkling or still, or even a light ale or lager for the Prosecco. Any coarse salt such as Maldon or Fleur de Sel would also work here. This dough is pretty slack at just shy of 73% hydration. It's fairly easy to work with as long as you oil your hands and make sure your rolling surface and the dough itself is liberally floured when it's time to roll it out.
13.5ozabout 1 1/3 cup water (I used cold from the fridge. Use room temperature water for a faster rise)
4ozProsecco(or other sparkling or still white wine. Or light ale or lager)
24ozbread flour(about 5 cups)
1Tablespoonextra virgin olive oil(plus more for oiling the dough)
1 ½teaspoonskosher salt
¼teaspoonChampagne yeast(ask at the home brew store. They will show you what to use. It comes in a tiny packet just like the dry yeast from the grocery store)
coarse salt, smoked or otherwise, for rolling.
Instructions
Put all the ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Mix on low until the dough comes together, about 1-2 minutes.
Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should completely clear the sides and bottom of the bowl at this speed but will still be very sticky and soft when you touch it.
Oil your hands and try to work the wet dough into a fairly smooth ball. Don't stress over this too much though. Oil the top of your sad ball of wet dough and cover with a lint-free towel.
Make a cozy spot in your microwave by boiling a mug of water and then moving it out of the way. Stick the dough in the microwave with the hot water and close the door.
Every hour for the next 4 hours, take the dough out and fold the edges of the ball into the center, sort of pressing down to redistribute the small amount of yeast. Oil the top again a bit and then recover. Reheat the water after 2 hours.
After four hours of fermentation, the dough won't appear to have risen much at all. That's okay. The bubbles that champagne yeast makes are really tiny, but the yeasties are working. Honest.
When you still have about 30 minutes left of your four hour rise, preheat the oven to 475F. Place a baking stone on the center rack.
You will have roughly 41-ish oz of dough. Divide the dough into 8 5 oz portions (more or less) and lay them on a floured work surface. Sprinkle some flour on the tops of the portions and cover them with a towel.
Working with one round at a time, shape into a ball with a smooth top. Press the dough out into a disc with your palm. Sprinkle a bit of salt evenly over the disc and then roll out to about 1/4" thickness. Your rounds should be about 6"-7" in diameter. Cover with the cloth again.
If your dough bounces back when you try to roll it, just cover it and walk away for 5-10 minutes to let it relax and then roll again.
Bake the rounds, 2 at a time, for 4 minutes on one side. The dough should puff up really big, but it might not. Either way is fine. The ones that puff will have "pockets," and the ones that don't will be pocketless.
After 4 minutes, flip the puffed (or not) dough with a spatula and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Remove rounds to a rack to cool and continue baking until you have 8 lovely pitas.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature however you like, and celebrate!