To make a less heavy product I increased the bran to 1/2 cup by cutting the flax meal to 1/4 cup, used 1 cup of oat bran flour from Hodgson Mills, 1/2 cup of their WW flour plus 4 Tbs of natural coconut oil. I also use the H. mills gluten from Wal*Mart that has added vitamin C, and or I add a crushed 500mg tablet it helps the yeast work. The way Joseph's Flax Breads are made they use highly processed or finely ground flours we can't unfortunately buy off the shelf.

I ordered some Carl's chuckwagon starter, haven't gotten it yet-- I make so little bread I should just buy my yeast, but I like to be self sufficient whenever possible in these trying times and yeast from stores doesn't keep well. Wild sourdough should augment my Winter cooking with the wood stove and fireplace or when using my Dutch oven.

New Revised Recipe

These pitas should come out hollow inside. The Idea is to get about 3 cups of dry ingredients to just over 1 cup of liquid including the oil if added. The dough should be slightly sticky and spongy-- not too dry and stiff but not stick on your hands. I use a little extra WW flour on hands for working the dough and rolling it out on the sackcloth so it doesn't stick to everything.

This recipe is flexible, but keep in mind some dry ingredients absorb less liquid so the ratios may need slight adjustment for your local conditions.

Ingredient list:

Do not use any ingredients that may have preservatives like molasses, potato flakes or bran cereals-- they can kill the yeast

1/4 cup of yellow soy flour, or use chick-pea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/4 cup of wheat gluten (with vitamin C added is best)
1 cup of natural oat flour or oat bran [I use Hodgson's Mill]
1/4 cup of flax meal or flour (finer is better)
1/4 cup of rye flour
1/2 cup of whole grain wheat flour
1/2 cup of pure wheat bran ( often found in the hot cereal isle)

2 tsp of active dry rapid-rise yeast or 1/2 a cube fresh (or one packet dry)
1 tsp of sea salt or Morton's lite salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbs of warm 100F not hot water
1 tsp of honey or sugar (used up by the yeast during fermentation)
2-4 Tbs of coconut oil to make softer pitas (optional can substitute water instead)

These are quite good and compare to the Kangaroo WWheat pita pockets.

Method:

Proof the yeast: Mix into the warm water yeast, honey and sprinkle some flour on top to feed the yeast-- wait till the mixture bubbles and smells yeasty or like beer in about 15 to 30 minutes.

I use a bread machine to mix dough on the manual setting. Slightly warm all dry ingredients in microwave and then add to the yeast mixture, add oil then start the kneading cycle. Dough should be springy and not too wet or stiff when you press on it springs back but doesn't stick to your finger. You can add more water or dry ingredients to get it right-- this requires experience. Knead for about 10-15 minutes then allow to raise in a warm place till doubled in size (about two hours) then punch down and divide out into 12 or more equal balls of dough. Or just roll and cut out like cookies-- I use a 4.4" juice can like a cookie cutter. Use a floured cloth and/or oil to prevent sticking if you use a tortilla press. Allow pitas to raise again for about 30 minutes then bake on cookie sheets-- about 12 minutes at 350F. Keep an eye on them, they will puff up to 2" thick or more and brown. I use a toaster oven and brown them using broil after baking. They will be crisp right out of the oven, but will soften when cooled so they can be packed away or frozen without damage.

The net carbohydrate count I figure is around 9g per whole 5" pita weighing 1.6 oz and they are very high in fiber. Kangaroo's are ~24 net per pita figuring the weight at just over 2 oz each and 4 g fiber.

I don't eat too many of these [usually], but they are good for cheeseburger buns, or if eaten with a little peanut butter or cream cheese & cinnamon in coffee or cut in two for open face sandwiches or even homestyle Egg McMuffins