Place the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the warm water and just 1 cup of the flour. Use the whisk attachment to whisk the yeast and the warm water together. Let this stand for 15-20 minutes. You will see mixture bubble and foam.

Whisk the 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and sugar into the mixture. Using a dough hook attachment, mix it at low speed until the dough is soft, supple, and slightly sticky. Add the rest of the flour in small increments until you get a soft ball.

Knead the dough at low speed for about 5-6 minutes until the dough is slightly springy and still soft. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and form into a ball.

Wipe the inside of the bowl with ¼ teaspoon of olive oil. Turn the dough around to grease the bottom, cover the bowl with foil or a cloth, and let it rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Remove dough from the bowl and place on a floured board. Lightly pat the dough into a flat shape about 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut the dough into 8 pieces.

Form each piece into a small round ball with a smooth top, pulling the dough from the sides and tucking the ends underneath the bottom.

Cover the dough balls and let rest for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour on the board and pat down the balls flat to about ¼ inch thick.

Let the pitas rest for 5 minutes.

Brush a large skillet with the remaining ¾ teaspoon of oil. (I needed to add a little more oil.) Heat the skillet over medium high heat. Lay the pitas into the hot skillet and cook for a few minutes until the pitas begin to puff up and the bottoms have brown spots and blisters. Flip the pitas, cook a few minutes more, pressing them down with the spatula. Stack them on a plate to cool. Open the pockets and stuff, or toast or just break off and eat it! Yum!