Simple Bread Recipe

Someone recently asked for my favourite beginners bread recipe, so I thought I'd share it here. It's a really simple recipe, and has always yielded very yum results for me. As far as I can tell, it's virtually fool-proof. I like to add some fresh rosemary or chamomile before kneading. I also usually make it with either a 50/50 mix of wheat and white flour, or entirely wheat (add honey for flavor). Like I said, I haven't been able to screw it up yet. And it's far tastier than many of the more complex recipes I've tried. It makes two small loaves and 6 pitas for me.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups warm water
½ cup olive oil

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add water and olive oil. Begin mixing, adding flour ½ cup at a time until sticky dough forms. Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides, and let rise in warm place until double. Punch down, shape into loaves, and let rise about 30-45 minutes in greased bread pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Brush tops with olive oil.

To make pitas: Divide one of the third of dough into 4-6 pieces. Roll each piece into a flat, thin circle. Heat in a lightly greased skillet, turning once, until spotted and cooked through.