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pita bread recipe-1

Pita Bread Recipe

Make delicious, soft, and airy pita breads at home with just a few pantry staples. Perfect for wraps, dipping, or accompanying your favorite meals, these breads puff up beautifully in the oven or on a hot skillet.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 38 minutes
Servings: 6 breads
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 360 grams all-purpose flour
  • 240 ml warm water about 40°C/105°F
  • 7 grams active dry yeast 2¼ teaspoons or 1 packet
  • 6 grams sugar 1½ teaspoons
  • 6 grams salt 1 teaspoon
  • 15 ml olive oil 1 tablespoon

Equipment

  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 set measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 wooden spoon or dough scraper
  • 1 kitchen scale (optional) for precise measurement
  • 1 clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap
  • 1 rolling pin
  • 1 baking sheet or cast-iron skillet
  • 1 wire rack for cooling

Method
 

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Add the flour, salt, and olive oil to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 7-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a tiny bit more flour if too sticky.
  4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  5. Preheat oven to 250°C (480°F), placing a baking sheet or pizza stone inside. Alternatively, heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high.
  6. Punch dough down, transfer to lightly floured surface, and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, then flatten each into a disk about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick and 14–16 cm (5–6 inches) in diameter.
  7. Working in batches, transfer the disks (2–3 at a time) onto the preheated baking sheet or skillet. Bake or cook for about 2–3 minutes; they will puff up dramatically. Flip if using a skillet for even cooking. Remove when lightly golden and transfer to a wire rack.
  8. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover baked pitas with a clean towel to keep them soft as they cool.

Notes

Pitas can be kept in an airtight bag for up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen for up to a month. For whole wheat pitas, replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour and increase water by 2 tablespoons. Adjust the oven/skillet temperature if breads brown too fast or don’t puff – the higher the heat, the better the puff!