Pita Bread

by David Tanis

Warm, fragrant home-baked pita is obviously superior, and there’s a bit of a thrill when the breads puff up in the oven.

Pita Bread

  • Servings: 8 six-inch diameter breads

And once you get the hang of it, it’s not difficult. Is it worth making pita at home? Absolutely. Store-bought pita (like store-bought sandwich bread) is often several days old. For the best flavor, try to get freshly milled whole- wheat flour. Even though only a little is called for in the recipe, it makes a difference.

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 35 g whole-wheat flour (preferably freshly milled)
  • 310 g unbleached all-purposed flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

  • Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
  • Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
  • Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
  • Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
  • Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat disk with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
  • Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

  • Some measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.
  • Don’t roll the dough too thin. Between the 1/8" here and the 1/4" is probably going to be better for pocketing.
  • The pan you cook these on has to be very hot when you place the dough or it won’t puff properly. Give the pan about a minute in the oven by itself to re-heat between pitas.
  • If you want perfect pockets you should fill a spray bottle with water to mist them. When you toss one into the oven, just spray it once or twice. This will ensure even and consistent puffing of the bread.
  • Another rising tip: Instead of flipping the dough occasionally while rolling, keep the bottom on the bottom and just rotate the dough. This seemed to help with the rising in the oven.