Pita Bread

This is my first attempt at pita bread and it came out pretty well. It tasted great with the mediterranean feast I made for my family and some of the pitas even had pockets. I did them on the grill since it was so hot inside and I didn't want to turn on the oven. I got this recipe from Food Network.

Pita Bread

Servings: 16 pitas

Active Prep Time: 1 hr
Inactive Prep Time: 2.5-3.5 hrs
Total Time: 3.5-4.5 hrs

Ingredients
1 tsp dry yeast
2.5 cups of warm water (~105F)
6 cups AP or bread flour, divided
1 T salt
1-2 T olive oil

Directions
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add 3 cups of flour one at a time, lightly stirring in between. Stir for about 1 minute in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let the sponge rest for 1-2 hours.
Sprinkle salt over the sponge and add the olive oil. Mix well. Add the remaining flour one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to stir and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled, large bowl and cover with plastic. Place in a warm place and let rise for about 1.5 hours. Gently punch down. At this point the dough can be stored (covered in a large bowl) in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cut off pieces as needed. Dough should be at room temperature before cooking.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven or grill to 450F. If using an oven a baking stone or baking sheet should be placed in the oven when you turn it on. Divide dough into portion sizes, one recipe should make 16 pitas. Roll out each piece into a circle of 8-9 inches in a little bit of flour. If rolling all the dough out before baking place the pitas on a floured surface and cover (do not stack).
Bake or grill the pita for 3-4 minutes or until the bread has a nice pocket or is golden brown, whichever happens first. When cooked, remove and let cool for about 5 minutes on a rack. Then wrap in a large kitchen towel to keep the bread soft.