Homemade Pita Bread
Freshly made pita bread is nothing like the packet version, and it takes five ingredients.
The pocket is not a folding trick: it comes from the heat shock. At 240 °C the water in the dough turns to steam all at once, pushes the two halves of the disc apart and forms the hollow. At a lower temperature the disc simply bakes through without opening.
And they come out before they brown. A golden pita has already lost its water and goes stiff as it cools.
With no preservatives it dries out fast, which is why the most important step is at the end: the still-warm breads go straight into a tightly sealed bag, so their own steam keeps the crumb moist and pliable. Without that they are rusks within the hour. The sister recipe is the dough for Arab turnovers.
Ingredients
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 10 g salt (2 level tsp)
- 15 g fresh yeast (or 5 g instant dried yeast)
- 300 ml water
- 10 ml olive oil (2 tsp)
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 240 °C to guarantee an intense heat shock.
- 2
Mix the dry ingredients (flour and salt) in a roomy bowl.
- 3
Add the yeast dissolved in the water and, finally, add the olive oil.
- 4
Knead to a soft, even ball. Let the dough rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
- 5
Divide the dough into 40 g pieces. Shape each into a ball, cover with cling film and let them rest for another 10 minutes.
- 6
On a floured surface, flatten each ball with your hand and then roll it out into discs 15 cm across. Turn the disc constantly so it rolls out evenly.
- 7
Put the discs on floured trays, cover them and let them rest for 10 minutes before baking.
- 8
Bake at 240 °C for only a few minutes. Take them out before they brown, or they will go stiff.
- 9
Let them cool for 5 minutes and put them immediately into an airtight plastic bag, so their own steam keeps the crumb moist and pliable.
- 10
Once they are completely cold, move them to a fresh bag to avoid excess condensation, and keep them in the fridge or the freezer.