How to make Pita Bread

If you have ever had freshly baked pita bread, you know that it is far superior to anything you can find in any store. We love to prepare these and serve with hummus or tahini sauce as a snack or even a meal. I also use it to dish up a bowl of fava beans to take me back to breakfasts in Egypt or make into gyros I am feeling adventurous.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread 

Ingredients

1 T active dry yeast

1 tsp raw honey

1 1/4 cups warm water

3 cups whole-wheat flour

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Cornmeal if using baking sheets (see below)

here the dough has clearly doubled in
in size and is ready to punch down
and divide into pieces.

dough has been kneaded and is ready
to have its rising time.

Stir together yeast, honey and water in your mixing bowl. Let stand until foamy. Add flour oil and salt and mix well. Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover bowl with a moist towel and set aside in a warm draft-free place until dough is doubled in bulk.

dough balls will be small when divided

Punch down the risen dough and turn dough out onto a lightly floured wooden cutting board and divide into 8 pieces using a knife or dough cutter. Roll up each ball removing air and cover with the towel. Allow to sit until dough starts to soften from rising again.

Baking:

Preheat oven to about 485-500 degrees. Most ovens, when turned to somewhere near 500, will use the top heating coils (like in broiling). You want to use the lower heating element only so that the bottom of the oven has the bulk of the heat and your pitas will puff. If you have a baking stone, place on the oven rack on the lowest position in the oven. If you do not have a baking stone, see the baking sheet method.

Baking Stone method:

the dough on the stone has been
pressed down with my fingers. Notice
the large air bubble forming on the
one on the right.

While your stone is heating you can prepare a smooth surface to pat or roll out your dough balls. You can use a rolling pin for this part, rolling each piece to approximately 1/8 inch thick. I like to use my hands to gently push out the air and form the round pieces gently with my fingers. (see photo) Either method works fine. Allow the dough to rest where you pressed them out for about 10 minutes. The first ones you make should be ready when the oven is preheated. Place one or two directly on your stone if its ready. Watch the rounds and when they have started to puff; you can flip them if you would like even browning on both sides. I don’t typically time them as I watch them the entire time, but baking time is approximately 5-7 minutes.

these were rolled out with
a rolling pin. Note the even
surface of the pita.

Baking sheet method:

If you are using a baking sheet, lightly grease it and sprinkle lightly with corn meal to prevent sticking. Prepare a smooth surface to pat or roll out your dough balls. You can use a rolling pin for this part, rolling each piece to approximately 1/8 inch thick. I like to use my hands to gently push out the air from the center and form the round pieces gently with my fingers. (see photo) Either method works fine. Arrange the flattened dough rounds on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Allow them to rest for about 10 minutes. Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 5-7 minutes. Watch them so they do not burn as cooking times can vary depending on how thin you rolled the dough. You can turn them over halfway (4 min) through cooking to get the tops to brown as well if you like. If you do flip them over, use care not to burn yourself.

And there you have it. These freeze really well. I try to have a bag of them around for when we have hummus or fava beans. Pita is the perfect accompaniment!

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade.