Pita Bread

Few breads are as incredibly versatile as pita, a staple in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Whether served with hummus, stuffed with grilled veggies and kabob, or dipped in honey, pita is simply delicious, especially hot off the pan. It is also very easy to make, and watching it puff up is so much fun! Give it a try, and you will likely never go back to a store-bought version.

Elle Cowan

Prep Time

15 minutes

Bake Time

15 minutes

Total Time

4 hours

Yield

6 pitas

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

2 teaspoons (6.6g) instant dry yeast

¾ teaspoon (3.2g) granulated sugar

2½ tablespoons (38g) water, warmed to 105-115°F 

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (45g) Trailblazer flour

For the final dough:

All of the sponge (92.8g)

¾ cup (175g) water, warmed to 105-115°F 

1 tablespoon (14g) ghee or butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon (5g) sea salt

1½ cups + 2 tablespoons (280g) Trailblazer flour

Instructions:

To make the sponge:

  1. In a bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine instant dry yeast, sugar and warm water. Whisk until the sugar and yeast has dissolved.
  2. Add the flour using a rubber spatula, mix until combined. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to double in size, approximately 30 minutes.

To make the final dough:

  1. Once the sponge has doubled, add the warmed water, ghee or butter, salt and the remaining flour. 
  2. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, if necessary.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl onto an unfloured surface and shape it into a ball.
  4. Place the dough into a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
  5. Ferment for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
  6. Once fully risen, portion into 6 equal (90g) pieces. 
  7. If using an oven, preheat the oven to 500°F with a pizza stone positioned on the bottom rack. If you are cooking on a cast iron pan, ignore this step. 
  8. Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Once proofed, take a piece of dough and generously flour the top and bottom of the dough ball. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle about 6” in diameter. While working on one bread, keep the other pieces of dough covered.
  10. Do not stack the rolled pitas, but keep them spaced apart, covered with a tea towel. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
  11. If you are using a cast iron pan, warm the pan to medium low heat. Your pan should be about 500°F. If you have an infrared thermometer you can check the surface temperature of the pan.
  12. Once the dough is ready, place it faceside up on the hot pan. Turn it over as soon as you see the first few bubbles forming. Continue to turn every 30 seconds until it has fully puffed and browned evenly on both sides, for a total of 2-3 minutes.
  13. If you are using an oven, place several pitas on your pizza stone, if there is space. After 30 seconds, or when bubbles have begun to form, turn the pitas over and cook for 2 minutes, until puffed. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes. 
  14. Once all of your pitas have been cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes. The air pockets will most likely deflate.

Older Post Newer Post