Cheesy Onion Pita Bread

More About This Recipe

• If there's one thing I'm picky about (though, let's be honest, I'm picky about a lot of things), it's pita bread. Unless it's a certain way -- thick, but not too thick; pliable, but strong enough to hold a lot of fillings; chewy, but soft -- I have a hard time enjoying the whole meal.
  
  I've had the works when it comes to pita bread -- thin, puffy, bland, flavorful, flimsy, crunchy, large, miniature. You name it, I've probably had it because I love to make meals on pitas. Just the other day, we ate pizza on pita bread. Other times, I love filling them with sandwich staples, like cheese, lettuce, mayo and tomatoes. Sometimes, just peanut butter and jelly between warm pita bread slices is just what I need. But often I find the pita itself is just a conduit through which its fillings get into my hungry belly.
  
  With this Cheesy Onion Pita Bread, I hoped to make a pita -- not too thin, not too thick; not too crusty, not too flimsy -- that was packed with flavor all on its own. With shredded sharp cheddar cheese and crunchy, sweet red onion mixed right into the dough, these pitas are a mini-meal in themselves. Just spackle on some hummus, or cream cheese and cucumbers, and the meal is made.
  
  One thing to keep in mind when you make these: Make sure you roll out the dough fairly thin before you bake them. You'll think you're rolling them out too thin, but you're probably not -- the dough rises quite a bit in the oven. As you can see in the photos, the pitas I made were a tad thicker than I normally like them, but no less tasty. I just didn't know how eager they would be to rise in the oven!
  
  This recipe offers a lot of room for variation. Though I kept mine simple with red onions and cheddar cheese, these ingredients can easily be swapped for mozzarella and chopped basil or sundried tomatoes; white cheddar and herbs; or blue cheese and walnuts, if you want to go a little crazy. Cut the pitas lengthwise and stuff them like a sandwich, or don't cut them and fold them like a taco with the fillings inside. Either way, this pita bread works as a flavorful replacement for the boring, old, plain option.
  
  Stephanie (aka Girl versus Dough) joined Tablespoon to share her adventures in the kitchen. Check out Stephanie's Tablespoon member profile and keep checking back for her own personal recipes on Tablespoon!