Khubz Arabi: Pita Sourdough Bread

I have to say that bread is my downfall in life.  I love bread.  I am not picky, I will eat any kind of bread that you put in front of me.  So I am always looking for new bread.  My daughter is 14 and also loves bread.  Packing school lunches, you start to look for new things.  Pita bread was the answer.  I love that it is a pocket.  So many times when I pack a lunch, the sandwich falls apart before she gets a chance to eat it.  Pita bread helps with that.  Not to mention the incredible taste!!!  So it is a win, win for mother's.  I am going to try this with Sourdoughs International's South African (which is a whole wheat culture) and their Polish (which is a rye culture) cultures.  I think you can not go wrong with these.

Khubz Arabi from Classic Sourdoughs Revised A Home Baker’s Handbook by Ed and Jean Wood

Khubz arabi (Arab Bread) is a soft, round flatbread—the pita of the desert. This is probably the most delicious pita I have ever encountered. It is produced throughout the Middle East, both commercially and in the home. Yield 8 Flatbreads

2 cups sourdough culture
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Pour the culture into a mixing bowl. Add the water, salt, and oil and mix. Add the flour a cup at a time until too stiff to mix by hand. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and satiny. Proof for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Then gently ease the dough from the container to a floured board.

Divide into 8 equal balls. Roll the balls into round flats about ¼ inch thick and form 2 stacks with the rounds, separated by paper towels. Proof the rounds at 85 degrees in proofing box for about 30 minutes.