LOOKING for: Yeast Free Breads (Pita bread, flatbreads, etc.)

Be forewarned, pita bread has yeast in it.
(I found out the hard way.)

- Jane

You cannot make pita bread without yeast. Yeast is what makes it puff up and have the shape it does. Sorry!!
If you made it without yeast, it would be a tortilla...seriously. Because, both have the same ingredients, except the pita bread has the yeast. I have made pizza crust using my biscuit receipe and instead of cutting out biscuits, roll it into a greased pan. Nonstick would probably work or a pizza stone.

Here's a yeast free version of pita

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cup warm water
vegetable oil

combine flour and salt. stir in enough water to form a ball- and stir til smooth. knead on a floured board 5 min. divide into 12 portions and form into smooth balls. Cover with damp towels and let rest 10 minutes. Press each ball flat and roll out on a floured surface to 6 inch circles. Grill on a lightly oiled griddle, about a minute per side.

You should visit www.allrecipes.com and check out their selection of quick breads. There are so many to pick from, not all sweet. Lots of cheese type breads. I would also try a search engine like www.askjeeves.com. That's how I've found all the sites I get my recipes from (including this one). Good luck!

Roti does not have yeast in it. I don't have any recipes for it at hand, but as I remember it is very similar to the yeast-free version of pita listed above.

i have recently found out that i am allergic to yeast and eggs and am starving for bread

I make yeast free pita all the time. i made upmthe recipe myself but it seems to be universal.
I use whole wheat flour, ingreds are according to my needs at the time. I don't measure but I will try to come close.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
about 2 tablespoons water
a dash of salt

mix this together and add more water or flour just to make a stiff dough. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes then cut in half and roll out thin to form a pancake.
on a dry griddle that is very hot grill for about 2 minutes and the edges look dry turn over and cook about the same time, it will start to puff up in places, I tap on the places that do not puff up with my finger then that part will start to puff. Sometimes you have to turn it a third time to get it to puff, or seperate.
You can you the same with corn tortillas, the same principle. When you use Masa, that is very fine corn meal, it usually puffs up on the third turn.
My friend was born and raised in Mexico and that is how they make pockets there. They never use yeast on their tortillas or pockets.

^That's a fairly tempermental recipe you have there, RM. I followed it as you wrote, and I just got little clumps of dough. eventually I added too much water, and then added more flour, then more water. I finally got a good sized dough-ball. It's fun to make, it cooks well, and even though it's not quite as puffy as normal pita bread (though, that could be my fault, since I lack a rolling pin and used my fists instead), it does have that pita bread consistancy. Granted, I'm still cooking it now, so once I've seen how it tastes, I'll have a better review.

I added some flavouring with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of stevia, but I think the flavour got lost with all the extra water and flour!

I know this is a little late to respond, but I make Rotis all the time. I try to limit the amount of wheat I eat, and using flat breads makes that simpler. I always use whole wheat flour, I find King Arthur the best, because it is finely milled and it makes for a smoother dough. Rule of thumb 1/2 as much liquid as flour. So if I am using 1 cup of flour, I use 1/2 cup water (I often use a tablespoon of whey or even yogurt or kefir - adds a little more flavor to the roti) and salt usually between 1/2 & 1 tsp. The dough is always going to be a little different. If the dough is sticky, I add a little more flour, just enough to make sure it is not sticky. I roll it in a ball and coat it in olive oil then let it rest for at least 15 minutes but usually overnight. (Soaking the dough helps remove the phytic acid, making the nutrients more available. This also makes for a more flavorful roti, as it will sour a little.)

I knead the dough briefly to mix in the oil, then roll into little balls, which I flatten and roll in flour until I roll them into disks about 6". The trick with rotis is to make sure your pan is in the right heat zone. Too cool, and the roti will just sit on the pan without puffing, too hot and the roti will burn. I normally use a medium hot...it will be different on every stove. Often my first roti wont puff. If it doesn't puff a little, it will be too dense and a little unpleasant to eat. I just remove it and raise the temp before adding the next roti. Once I have the right temp and the rotis puff before burning, I add the original roti back on. Usually within a few seconds it will puff. I use a spatula to press down on the areas that don't puff, to encourage them to puff. ( I only press down on the cooked side, so not until I have flipped the roti at least 1 time.)

I think I generally get about a dozen rotis per cup of flour.

I don't usually try seasoning them with anything until they are cooked, because I use them for everything. I have slathered with peanut butter, and sprinkled choco chips and covered with a second roti, back on the grill. I make grilled sandwiches with them, eat scrambled eggs in them, use them for tacos/burritos, heat them, and coat them with cinnamon and sugar, they make great quesadillas, and I even throw them back on the griddle on low heat/or in the oven until they get crispy, and use them for crackers.