Description
My family’s homemade pita bread recipe makes soft, pillowy pita with perfectly puffed pockets! Made with instant yeast for a faster rise, it takes just 20 minutes of hands-on time. Video.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Instant Yeast or quick-rising yeast ( if using active dry yeast, please see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup warm water (or sub 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 1/2 of the water and skip the oil- see notes.)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (See notes ). More for rolling.
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl or stand mixer (with paddle attachment) stir the flour, instant yeast, and salt until mixed well.
- Add wet ingredients. Drizzle in the olive oil and lukewarm water and stir to combine. You want just enough water to incorporate all the flour- so add more as needed, a little at a time.
- Knead the dough. Use the dough hook in a stand mixer and knead on medium-low speed for 7 minutes, or knead right in the bowl with the palm of your hand – folding, turning, folding, turning. If very tacky, use a floured hand. Dough should be tender and smooth, pulling away easily from the bowl.
- Let it rise. Form a ball and coat all sides with olive oil. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (At this point, you could refrigerate for later use, letting the dough come to room temperature before using.)
- Preheat oven to 500F (with the sheet pan or pizza stone inside) and make sure the oven rack is on the bottom of the oven, with no additional racks above. You’ll need this room to maneuver and prevent burning yourself.
- Shape. Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface, gently shape it into a 16-inch log, divide it into 8 equal pieces, and roll into balls. Let rest, covered (on a floured surface), for 10-15 minutes. (You can make smaller ones or bigger ones, no problem).
- Roll. Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into 6-7-inch-wide rounds, about ¼-inch thick. Let them rest for a few minutes before baking. By the time you get done rolling them all out, the first ones will be ready to bake. *You could roll some sesame seeds on top of each one if you like.
- Bake. TIP: Start with one tester. Bake for about 3-4 minutes, until the pita bread puffs up. Carefully, using a kitchen towel or oven mitt, turn it over and bake for 1- 2 more minutes. (Using tongs can puncture the pita, deflating them!) If your pita isn’t puffing up, make sure your oven is set to a very hot 500 F and that your pan or stone is hot, too. If pitas are rolled too thin, they sometimes do not puff up all the way. Working in batches of 2, carefully remove each pita from the baking sheet with a spatula and add additional pitas to bake.
- Keep warm. Immediately place the baked pita bread in a kitchen towel, folding it up and over the pita- this will keep the steam in and keep them warm and moist. Serve soon, while warm.
Notes
If using ACTIVE DRY YEAST: In a large bowl or stand mixer, stir yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and lukewarm water. Let sit for 10 minutes uncovered, until the water is frothy and the yeast is activated. Then add oil, salt, and flour. Follow the instructions above, mixing and kneading. Allow 2-3 hours of rising time.
YOGURT: Often in Middle Eastern cooking, yogurt is substituted for some of the water- so you could sub ¼- ½ cup plain full-fat yogurt for equal parts of the water, which will add nice flavor and chewiness.
Flour options: Sub whole wheat or bread flour. Sometimes I’ll sub 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour or rye flour for deeply colored pitas. Spelt flour and Einkorn are great options too! If unsure, blend with white or whole wheat. Some flours are “thirstier”- so add more water if needed. The key is a tacky, elastic dough- not too dry!
Make this with sourdough starter. Stir 1/4 cup starter with the water. Stir in salt and olive oil. Stir in flour, and knead for 4 minutes. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise 8-12 hours until almost doubled. Proceed with the recipe.
Storage: If making ahead, let them cool slightly, then seal in a Ziploc bag to retain moisture for 3-4 days at room temperature. Refrigerate during the summer months for up to a week. To freeze: Freeze in a single layer first ( or stack with parchment between), then stack and tightly seal for up to 3- 6 months. Reheat frozen in a toaster oven until soft and warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pita
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 293.2 mg
- Fat: 4.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.4 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
