Mini Multigrain Pitas

Take a basic recipe for pita bread, change the ingredients so that it is whole wheat and contains other healthy grains, then make it the sizes you would like, and bake it! What do you get? Delicious homemade pita bread that is catered to your tastes. Pita bread is always good, a nice change to normal sandwich bread. It is soft and chewy, and creates those cute little pockets that can be stuffed with all kinds of different delicious filings. Storebought pita bread is good, but homemade pita bread is incredibly easy to make and so much better.

Multigrain Pita Bread
2 cups warm water (110◦F)
1 teaspoon granulated (white) sugar
1 package instant yeast
1/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup natural wheat bran
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
4 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let stand for ten minutes until frothy. Stir to dissolve. Add the oil, salt, bran, oats, and 1 cup flour. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat for about three minutes or until smooth. With a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the remaining flour until a stiff dough forms  Knead for about ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
Allow to rise for ninety minutes, until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. 
If making large pitas, simply divide the dough into sixteen (for 7 inch/ 18 cm pitas) or into 32 (for 4 inch/ 10 cm pitas). Then roll out each piece into a circle, matching the size given.
If making mini pitas, divide dough in two pieces. Roll out each piece to a little less than 1/4 inch/ 0.5 cm thick. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut dough into rounds. I used a four inch and a two inch, both work well. I got 18 four inch pitas, and 12 mini ones. Dough scraps can be rerolled and cut (I thought this would make them tough, but the extra kneading seems to do them good!)
Place the pita breads on pieces of parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes, until slightly risen.

Meanwhile, set the rack to the bottom position in the oven, and place a baking sheet inside to heat up. Preheat oven to 500◦F.** Once pita has rested, remove baking sheet from oven and carefully slide one sheet of parchment onto it. Do not crowd the pitas, bake them in batches. Bake small pitas for about four minutes, and large pitas for about five to six minutes. Watch them closely. They should be just golden on the bottom. Pitas are meant to be soft and chewy. If you would prefer a crisp pita, they can be baked a minute or two longer, but they will not have as nice pockets. Let cool on a rack.

**500◦F seems like a really high oven temperature. It is the highest I have ever used, and I was a little leery about it the first time. However, the key to good pita bread and nice pockets is the high oven temperature and short baking time. Just be really careful when opening the oven, as it will be really hot! Also, use thick oven mitts. I discovered the hard way that my thin pot holders were not quite enough to withstand the heat of a baking sheet placed in an oven that hot.