Step 1

Add the warm water, sugar, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1 cup of flour. Whisk everything together until uniform and set it aside for 15 minutes. The mixture should bubble and foam.

Step 2

Add the olive oil and salt, along with 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mix on low speed, using a dough hook attachment, until the dough is soft and no longer stick to the sides of the bowl. If it does stick, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour at a time (we added 1/2 cup more for a total of 2 cups).

Step 3

Knead on low for 5 to 6 minutes.* Remove the dough from the bowl, turn it out onto a floured work surface and form it into a ball.

Step 4

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Turn it over to coat it with oil, and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Step 5

Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a floured work surface. Form the dough into a large ball and cut it into 8 pieces using a sharp knife. We roughly estimate here but if you would like everything to be even, use a food scale to weight out each dough piece to ensure they are equal.

Step 6

Form each piece of dough into a small ball, pulling dough from the sides and tucking the ends underneath the bottom. Place the balls about 1-inch apart onto the floured work surface and cover them with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Step 7

Once rested, roll the dough balls out into flat and round pitas, about 1/4-inch thick. If you do not have a rolling pin, you can simply use your hands to pat the dough flat as best you can. Allow the dough to rest for 10-30 minutes. From our experience, the longer the better! The longer the dough sits, the more likely it will form a pocket in the pita when cooking.

Step 8

Brush a cast-iron skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Add the pita bread dough into the skillet and cook until bread begins to puff up and the bottom has browned, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Although it is ideal that the pita bread will begin to puff up and fill with hot air to get the perfect “pockets”, it is not necessary or always expected. Wrap the cooked bread in a clean dish towel as you continue cooking the rest of the pita to keep them warm.

Step 9

Best if served immediately; if not, the pita will last in the airtight container at room temperature for about 5-7 days.