Pita Bread

Name: Pita Bread
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 40 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Cuisine: Eastern Mediterranean / Middle East
Ingredients: 450 g (3¾ cups) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling; 50 g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) whole-wheat flour, or more white flour; 5 g (1½ tsp) instant yeast; 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt; 5 g (1 tsp) sugar; 310 g (1⅓ cups) lukewarm water; 20 ml (4 tsp) olive oil

Puffed pocket breads from a hot oven or a hot pan

Makes: 8 pitas (about 18 cm / 7 in)
Hands-on: 40 min
Total: 2 h 20 min
Level: Easy

Homemade pita is soft, chewy and puffs into a balloon in minutes, with a pocket ready for falafel, kofta or salad. It needs very high heat, either from a preheated steel or tray in the oven or a dry cast-iron pan.

Ingredients

450 gbread flour or all-purpose flour (3¾ cups)plus extra for rolling
50 gwhole-wheat flour (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)or more white flour
5 ginstant yeast (1½ tsp)
10 gfine sea salt (1¾ tsp)
5 gsugar (1 tsp)
310 glukewarm water (1⅓ cups)
20 mlolive oil (4 tsp)

Diet: Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free
Allergens: gluten
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean / Middle East

Method

Mix both flours, the yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the water and oil and mix into a soft dough. Knead by hand for 8 minutes, or 5 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook, until smooth and springy. 8 min
Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 1 h
Put a pizza steel, stone or upturned heavy sheet pan on the lowest rack and heat the oven to its highest setting, at least 250°C (480°F), for 30 minutes. 30 min
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 110 g) and roll into balls. Cover and rest 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes. 10 min
On a lightly floured counter, roll each ball into an even round about 5 mm (¼ in) thick and 18 cm across. Keep them even and avoid creases, which can stop the pocket forming. Cover the rounds with a towel as you go.
Lay 2–3 pitas directly on the hot surface. Bake 3–4 minutes, until fully puffed and pale gold in spots. Wrap them straight away in a clean towel; they deflate and soften as they cool. Repeat with the rest. 4 min
Pan method: heat a dry cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Cook one pita for 30 seconds, flip, cook 1 minute until large bubbles form, flip again and press gently with a folded towel to coax it to puff, 1 minute more.

Why it works

In intense heat, the water in the outer layers of the dough turns to steam so quickly that it forces the top and bottom apart before the crust sets, creating the pocket. That only happens when the dough is evenly rolled and sealed, so a thin spot or a tear lets the steam escape. Wrapping them in a towel straight away keeps the steam in and the breads soft.

Common mistakes

Rolling unevenly or too thin. Thin spots stick together and won't puff.
Opening the oven too often, which drops the temperature below what it takes to puff.
Leaving them uncovered after baking; they dry into crackers.

Variations

Za'atar pita: Brush unpuffed rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar before baking; they won't make a pocket but are wonderful for tearing.
Pita chips: Cut day-old pitas into wedges, toss with olive oil and salt and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 2 days in a bag; warm briefly in a hot oven or dry pan. Freezes well for 2 months.

Notes

Hydration 62% (310 g water to 500 g flour). Fan oven: use the maximum setting; fan dries the surface slightly, so the conventional setting is better if you have it.