pita bread

My family's authentic, fool-proof pita bread recipe is easy to make and requires a few ingredients you may already have on hand! Mix up the very simple dough, let it rise, and experience the magic of fresh, warm, perfectly puffy homemade pita bread. Baking and stovetop instructions included!

Homemade Pita Bread Recipe

Water

tsp active dry yeast

tsp sugar

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Make sponge

In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk together. Place the mixing bowl in a warm place, uncovered to form a lose sponge. Give it 15 minutes or so, the mixture should bubble.

Form the pita dough

Now add salt, olive oil and almost all the remaining flour (keep about 1/2 cup of the flour for dusting later). Stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass (at this point, the dough has little to no gluten development and just looks like a sticky mess and you can easily pull bits off). Dust with a little flour, then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.

Knead the dough

Dust a clean working surface with just a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a couple more minutes. The dough should be a little bit moist, you can help it with a little dusting of flour, but be careful not to add too much flour.

Let the dough rise

Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with extra virgin olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with the olive oil. Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl in a warm place. Leave it alone for 1 hour or until the dough rises to double its size.

Divide the dough. 

Deflate the dough and place it on a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes or so to rest.

Shape the pitas. 

Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle that&#8217;s 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. It helps to lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll so that dough doesn&#8217;t stick to your counter too much. (If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get going, you can be cooking one pita while rolling another, if you like). You have two options for baking the pita from here.

To bake pita in the oven: 

Heat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a heavy-duty baking pan or large cast iron skillet on the middle rack to heat. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking baking sheet (I was only able to fit 2 at a time). Bake for 2 minutes on one side, and then, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side.  The pita will puff nicely and should be ready. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you work on the rest of the pitas.

To cook pita on stovetop: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Test by adding a couple drops of water to the skillet, the skillet is ready when the beads of water sizzle immediately). Drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and wipe off any excess. Working with one pita at a time, lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until bubbles start to form. Using a spatula, flip the pita over and cook for 1-2 minutes on  the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita is ready when it puffs up forming a pocket (sometimes, with this method, the pita may not puff or may only form a small pocket. Try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel). Keep baked pita covered with a clean towel while you work on the rest.

This looks like an awesome recipe and I'm excited to try it!

These were so good!! My family devoured them. I should have doubled the recipe:)
Thanks!

Hello! Best proven recipe! I'm back! But now Please help! Do I deflate the dough and cut into balls to store in the fridge overnight?

Turned out delicious. However, I needed a lot more flour than is suggested when I went to mix the dough together. Other than that, good recipe.

Absolutely delicious and perfectly puffy!  And easy!I used half whole wheat flour which ended up being a little more than half because I didn’t need all of 1/2 cup of  reserved white flour.  Baked  1 or 2 at a time on my large pizza stone. Thank you for the recipe!

Absolutely fantastic. My wife asked, "can we have chicken souvlaki and Greek salad and homemade pita for dinner?" I, being the cook of the house and a devoted husband, said without hesitation "sure!"

Well, yikes, I'd never made pit bread before, but why not? I'll give it a try. She found this recipe and forwarded it to me. Well, the result was amazing. (Sadly, the old yeast we had never really bubbled as much as it ought to have, but oddly enough, it still worked out fine. I recall there being about 3 bubbles.) And by "amazing" I mean it tasted awesome and my wife and 7-year-old daughter ate all 7 breads in less than a day. I think they left me 1. Famly love, LOL. I followed the recipe exactly, made no additions or modifications, and it turned out perfectly. (Note: in terms of leaving it in a warm place, our kitchen was about 25°C/77°F.)  As an added touch, if serving straight out of the oven, perhaps a very light brush of EV olive oil would work.

Delicious!
The dough it looked quite dense, they were light and tasty. 
I've used heavy duty mixer with dough hook and might use dough cycle on my bread machine next time as i am a bit too lazy to mix it manually

Thanks!

Made the dough on Sunday, and cooked an individual pita dough ball every time I wanted to eat one. The dough stayed well in the fridge the remainder of the week and I was able to enjoy hot, fresh pita bread every day! I was so impressed with how fluffy and delicious this bread considering how simple the ingredients/preparation was. Will ABSOLUTELY be making again!

delicious and easy, mine didn't puff but i am sure it was something i did wrong but we still enjoyed them greatly

A mezze platter is an easy, fun, and family-friendly dinner! Use the ingredients listed as a starting point, with room to swap in other dips, vegetables, or fruits depending on what’s in season and what you have on hand.

Mediterranean Mezze Platter

kalamata olives

plain Greek yogurt stirred olive oil

hummus (homemade

Easy Muhammara

English cucumber, sliced

cherry tomatoes

carrot,

grapes

feta cheese,

pita breads, quartered, brushed

Assemble the mezze platter: Set out a large platter or generous cutting board. Put the olives, yogurt, hummus, and muhammara in small dishes and add to the platter. Arrange the cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, grapes, and feta on the platter. Fill in with the warm pita just before serving.

Soft and chewy and the flavor is just so good

Traditional Greek Pita Bread.

hot water (but not boiling)

yeast

all-purpose flour

salt

olive oil

Mix the water and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer (a large bowl will also work if you do not have a mixer), and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for kneading), salt, and olive oil. If using a stand mixer attach the dough and need the dough on medium speed for 8 minutes, adding more flour until you have a smooth dough. If using your hands sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your clean work surface and turn out the dough. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much. If you get tired, stop and let the dough rest for a few minutes before finishing kneading.

Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and run it with a little olive oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll to make sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if it starting to stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get the hang of it you can be cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)

Warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (you want a hot pan). Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess.Lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

These are best eaten fresh, but will keep in a ziplock bag for a few days or in the freezer.

Easy step-by-step guide to making shawarma bread at home from scratch! This homemade shawarma bread is unbelievably easy and it is ready in no time. A perfect alternative to pita bread! It requires only a few ingredients, fluffy and great with currys, falafels, hummus and wraps.

Homemade Shawarma Bread

flour

120 ml of warm water

tsp baking powder

lard (substitute with 3 tbsp vegetable oil

tsp sugar (optional)

Add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and lard in a bowl

Mix together with your fingers until crumb like texture is formed.  Add the water(and milk), half of the content at a time and mix together until you form a smooth dough

Transfer the dough unto a worktop and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a cling film or kitchen towel for about 20 to 30 minutes

Transfer the dough to the worktop and divide into 6 or 8 balls and leave them to rest for another 10 minutes before you proceed to cook them

Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat

Lightly dust the worktop with flour and roll the dough till its flattened. Do this one at a time (do not roll all the dough at once or it will get soggy and difficult to work with)

Place the rolled dough on the frying pan and cook for about a minute, you will notice some bubbles on the surface, cook until slightly brown but not burnt.

Flip to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Take it off the heat and place in an airtight container/oven/microwave. This stops the tortilla from drying out and will keep warm till you are ready to use it. Serve shawarma immediately.

Falafel made in the air fryer is crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Stuff them in a pita packed with veggies and tahini sauce for an easy, quick meal!

Air Fryer Falafel

tahini (I like Joyva)

Greek yogurt

lemon, juice only

water

chickpeas,

parsley

cilantro

garlic

shallot,

sesame seeds

cumin

paprika

Spray olive oil,

pita breads

lettuce

tomato,

red onion, sliced thin

cucumber, sliced thin

"Hmm, this is all good, except the canned chickpeas. In my opinion falafel should be made with soaked overnight (min 8hrs) and not cooked chickpeas."

"thnx for yr replies. aha!  its the stiring mechanism then! makes sese thnk you"

Make the tahini sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, and olive oil. The mixture will be very thick to start. Thin it out with hot water until it’s easily spreadable. You’ll have to slowly add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot water to get it to the right consistency.

Make the falafel mixture: In the bowl of a food processor, add the chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallot, flour, sesame seeds, cumin, paprika, lemon, and salt. Pulse until mixture comes together in a rough paste. It shouldn’t be completely smooth.
Shape the falafel mixture into tablespoon-sized discs, about 1-inch in diameter. Repeat until you use all the falafel mixture. You should get 25 to 30 falafel discs.

Air fry the falafel: Spray the basket for your air fryer with some nonstick olive oil. Add as many falafel discs into the basket as you can without them touching and spray them with olive oil very lightly. Air fry the falafel at 350°F˚ for 8 minutes. Flip and fry for another 6 minutes on the second side.
Repeat until you've cooked all the falafel.

Serve the falafel: Serve the falafel in warm pita (I like to microwave my pita first for 15 seconds). Serve with tahini yogurt sauce and any toppings you like!
Leftover falafel will store great in the fridge for 5 to 6 days or you can freeze the falafel for longer storage. Reheat falafel in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until warmed through.

"This was absolutely terrible.  A waste of my time and expensive ingredients to be thrown in the bin."

"One of the first things I made in my new air fryer and absolutely lovely. Even my cynical wife rated them as 5*. Thanks for the recipe. Going to be a staple for us now!"

As Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi write in the introduction to Na'ama's Fattoush in Jerusalem: A Cookbook, there is no escaping chopped salads in Jerusalem. Some are simple amalgamations of tomato, cucumber, onion, and lemon vinaigrette, while others, like Arab fattoush, contain a cornucopia of vegetables mixed with leftover pita bread.

Na'ama's Fattoush from 'Jerusalem' Recipe

large stale Turkish flatbread

tomatoes

oz/100 g radishes, thinly sliced

Lebanese

green onions, thinly sliced

oz/15 g fresh mint

oz/25 g flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

mint

garlic, crushed

lemon juice

60 ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

cider wine vinegar

black pepper

sumac

If using yogurt and milk, start at least 3 hours and up to a day in advance byplacing both in a bowl. Whisk well and leave in a cool place or in the fridgeuntil bubbles form on the surface. What you get is a kind of homemade buttermilk, but less sour.

Tear the bread into bite-size pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Addyour fermented yogurt mixture or commercial buttermilk, followed by the restof the ingredients, mix well, and leave for 10 minutes for all the flavors tocombine.

Spoon the fattoush into serving bowls, drizzle with some olive oil, and garnish generously with sumac.  

Delicious Greek-style lamb skewers with roast vegetables make a quick and healthy main.

Lamb skewers with Greek-style vegetables

sebago potatoes, peeled,

pumpkin, peeled, deseeded,

zucchini,

garlic cloves, crushed

oregano

easy-carve lamb leg

Greek seasoning (see note)

Olive oil cooking spray

Pita bread, to serve

This beetroot falafel is sure to become an instant favourite.

Beetroot falafel

onion,

garlic cloves, chopped

coriander leaves

can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, mashed

beetroot, peeled, grated

tahini

Greek-style yoghurt

coriander

vegetable oil

pita pockets

parsley, leaves picked

tomato, seeded, diced

shallot, thinly sliced

extra virgin olive oil

Pita Pocket Bread Recipe

Yeast

Sugar

Salt

Milk (we use soy milk

Flour

Mix yeast, sugar and warm water in a large bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast and let sit about 5-10 minutes.

In another bowl mix the milk, salt, and hot water. Add to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.

Add in the flour a cup or two at a time and mix well. You want the dough drier and not sticky.

Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Punch down and divide into 1/2 cup balls, about 12-18 balls.

Cover balls and let them rise for 30 minutes. I rise mine on a cookie sheet.

While dough balls are rising preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you have a baking stone put it on the lowest rack and let it preheat too. You want the oven very hot to get the bread to puff properly.

After dough balls have risen, take a ball and roll it out into an oblong shape. Place on a floured cookie sheet or pizza peel.

Bake the pocket bread for 3-5 minute or until puffed but not brown at all, on a cookie sheet or baking stone. If the dough starts to brown before fully puffed remove from the oven.

I bake two pita pockets at a time in my oven on my baking stone. If you don't have a stone a cookie sheet will work too.

After removing the pocket bread from the oven, place in a dish towel to deflate and cool.

Once cool cut in half. If the two layers stick use a knife to carefully separate the layers.

The pita bread can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for later use.

Watermelon and haloumi is a quick and easy, fresh summer salad combination perfect for easy entertaining.

Watermelon and haloumi salad

milliliters (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

mini wholemeal pita bread pockets

tbsp white balsamic vinegar

tsp honey

pkt haloumi, sliced

1.1kg seedless watermelon, peeled,

herbs (combined fresh mint and coriander leaves)

avocado,

radishes,

Lebanese cucumber,

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5859110911001&=domain=taste

5348771529001-5859110911001

This homemade pita bread is so much better than store bought! Soft, puffy, and flavorful, it&#x27;s just as delicious plain as it is with a topping or dip. The recipe is from the Short Stack edition Yogurt by Molly Yeh.

Homemade Pita Bread

(2 1/4 teaspoons)

sugar

bread flour (469 grams) (plus more for dusting)

sea salt

extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for the bowl)

whole-milk Greek yogurt ((we use Stonyfield))

In a medium bowl, combine the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let the mixture sit until it’s foamy on top, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, and remaining tablespoon sugar. Add the yeast mixture, oil, and yogurt, and mix to combine. Knead the dough, either in the stand mixer or on a clean work surface, adding more flour if needed, until it’s soft and slightly sticky, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rise until it’s doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into 12 equal balls. Cover and let rise an additional 20 minutes.

Roll the balls out into circles that are 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Place them onto the baking sheets an inch apart, then bake, one sheet at a time, until they’re puffy and lightly browned on top. Begin checking at 5 minutes. We bake them for about 8 minutes, rotating the pan after the 5 minute mark if one side of the sheet is puffing up more than the other. Transfer the pitas to a wire rack to cool.

Add texture and flavour to grilled lamb by crusting it with Middle Eastern spices. Quick and healthy, this recipe is ideal for weeknights.

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