Oh the fascinating world of flat breads… Although the ingredients for this Homemade Pita Bread are different from my Homemade Naan, the execution is almost exactly the same. The only difference here is that you bake the pita bread in a super hot oven instead of in a skillet on the stove top.
The extra hot oven (500ºF) creates a pocket of steam inside the bread that leaves a very convenient cavity once cooled. Stuff the bread full of your favorite sandwich fillings, wrap it around some falafel, or even cut them up and bake them for a tasty treat. And don’t worry if you can’t eat them all right away. Leftovers can be frozen! Just pop them into a gallon-sized freezer bag once fully cooled.
I used a little bit of whole wheat flour in my recipe but feel free to use only all-purpose flour if you wish. The only change I’d make if I were to make this pita bread again is to divide the dough into 6 rounds rather than 8 to yield a thicker pocket. But, hey, who needs all that thick bread anyway? What you stuff inside of it is the real prize.
Homemade Pita Bread
Servings 8Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cup warm water ($0.00)
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast ($0.15)
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.10)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour ($0.08)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.37)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes or until a foam develops on top. Once a foam develops on top, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of flour (half whole wheat in my case) and the salt. Stir them so they are evenly combined. Add the small bowl of liquid to the bowl with the flour. Stir to combine.
- Continue mixing in flour until it forms a loose ball that you can no longer stir with a spoon. Turn the ball of dough out onto a floured surface and continue to knead in more flour until a soft and pliable (but not sticky) ball forms. You should have used around 3 cups of flour total and kneaded the dough for at least 3 minutes.
- Place the ball of dough in an oiled bowl, cover loosely and let sit to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Stretch the dough into a log and cut it into 8 (or 6) equal sized pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball and then roll it out into a flat, 6 inch diameter circle.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and let the dough circles rest as the oven comes up to temp. Place a damp cloth over the dough circles so they do not dry out. When the oven is hot enough, place the dough circles on a wire rack (a couple at a time) and place the rack in the oven. Watch the circles puff up as they bake. When the circle has completely inflated but not yet turned brown you can remove it from the oven and put in the next batch. If you let the pitas cook until golden brown they will be crispier and may retain the inflated shape as they cool.
- As you remove the pitas from the oven, stack them on a plate and cover with a damp cloth. The trapped steam will soften them as they cool. Once completely cooled, store the pitas in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Combine the water, yeast and sugar in one bowl and one cup of flour plus the salt in a larger bowl.
When the yeast water becomes frothy, add the olive oil.
Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour and salt. Stir to combine then continue adding flour until it forms a loose ball that you can no longer stir with a spoon.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and continue to knead in flour until it forms a soft, pliable, not sticky ball. Use approximately 3 cups of flour total and knead for at least 3 minutes.
Let the dough rise for one hour or until double then punch down and stretch into a log.
Cut the dough into 8 pieces.
Form each piece of dough into a ball and then roll it out into a 6 inch circle.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and let the dough rest as the oven warms. When it’s hot and ready, place a couple dough circles on a wire rack. Place the rack in the oven and watch them inflate…
Very fun to watch… Pull the pitas out and put in the next batch (be careful with the hot rack). Stack the cooked pitas on a plate and cover with a damp cloth as they cool.
This really was a fun project but I’ll admit, I think the naan is still my go-to flat bread. The flavor of the naan is so much more complex because of the yogurt and it’s texture is so pillowy soft… Mmmm.
That being said, I’m not going to have a hard time eating these pitas. I had actually bought a pack of pita last week ($1.99 per pack of 6, $0.33 each) and the home made has a much better flavor and texture. The fresh pita made the store bought taste and feel like cardboard. Ick.
One thing that I do love about pita bread is it’s unique ability to help me scoop large quantities of hummus into my mouth. Something about the pocket shape… it just forms the perfect hummus shovel :)
Shana – I’m SO glad that you tried them on a baking sheet and it worked!! … and that you posted it so everyone who doesn’t have a wire rack will know :D Thanks!
Shana,
I will have to give that a go! Thanks!
Jessa
Jessa,
I will bow to Beth as the master, but I did just bake my pitas on a cookie sheet :) I set the timer for 3 or 4 minutes and hovered. If they weren’t ready then, I reset the timer for 2 minutes. As soon as the pitas started puffing up I took them out. My pitas came out tasting exactly like they should. I’ve tried to make pitas before and they’ve flopped.
What I loved about this recipe was that it was so cheap! All I bought were tomatoes and cucumbers.
Shana
shanasmeals.blogspot.com
My falaefel came out fantastic, but my pitas did not fare so well! :(
Putting them on the oven rack, a couple kept sliding through…and I don’t think we let them rise enough. Aaaand they got a little browned, and so were a bit tough. Also, I didn’t have olive oil, so I used vegetable oil instead – not sure that had any effect, but to be safe, next time I’ll get olive oil. (I usually keep it around, but I ran out!)
I’m going to give it another shot next week. I’m determined to make good pitas! And the falafel were fantastic, even without putting them in pitas!
Oops,
Sorry, Beth, this was supposed to be addressed to you :P
Jessa,
I LOVED this recipe. It was pretty easy. I rose the dough in the morning and placed it in the fridge while out and about. The pitas were really, really good. I had a little trouble with my falafel, but I think it was because I baked them and didn’t use cumin (was out of oil and cumin.) I’ll try again another time.
I ate it with sliced tomato and cucumber topped with tahini. Yum!
Thanks for your yummy recipes,
Shana
shanasmeals.blogspot.com
Thanks, Beth! I got a food processor as a graduation present, and I wanted to make falafel and pitas! Think I’ll make them for dinner tomorrow.
Jessa- If you don’t have a wire rack you can actually scoot them directly onto the wire shelf in the oven. The reason you don’t want to do them in a pan or on a baking sheet is because there needs to be really hot hair touching both sides of the bread for it to heat up fast enough and create the pocket of steam inside. A baking sheet would suck too much heat from the bottom and a pan on the stove top would only heat one side.
What if you don’t have a wire rack? Does it come out just as good if you do it on a pan on the stovetop, or on a baking sheet? If you do it on a baking sheet, do you want to spray it with nonstick spray?
Jeeez, your step-by-step pictures make me hungrier and hungrier. I love what you do here.
Dee – you can try it although breads made with 100% whole wheat tend to be heavier and denser. If that doesn’t work out, I’d suggest doing 50/50. Also, I know people sometimes add extra wheat gluten when using all whole wheat flour to help get some of that “loft” back but I’ve never used it so I’m not sure how much you’d need.
This recipe can be done in a pan on medium high heat. remember to wipe the pan clean after every couple of pitas.
Would this being okay using ALL whole wheat flour? I always prefer whole wheat pita :)
Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m completely ignorant to all things Hanukkah :( Sorry!
I find it highly ironic that you posted this the day AFTER Hanukkah. :D