Pita Bread

Pita is a very simple flatbread, but when you bake it - through some form of sorcery - it puffs up into one perfect, giant bubble. Giving you a pocket into which you can stuff all sorts of goodies.

It's a technological marvel of the bread world and every time I watch as the flat disks of dough balloon up, it blows my mind.

The recipe is not at all difficult to make, but it takes a little bit of time. Time that is absolutely worth it.

You have your standard rising and resting periods for the dough, followed by the cooking process. Again, it's not hard, but depending on your oven/pizza stone/sheet-tray it can be a little time-consuming.

The pizza stone I have is pretty small, so I can only cook one pita at a time. Luckily, watching these little bb's bake never gets old.

If you've never had freshly baked pita, then you might question whether this whole endeavor is worth it. And if you're in that camp, try this recipe and then get back to me. But if you have, then you need no convincing and I'll just stop talking and let you get to baking.

Recipe Notes

I adapted this recipe from Michael Solomonov's cookbook Zahav. The only changes I made were to use one type of flour rather than using half bread and half AP. I've tried it with various combinations and could never really taste a difference. The other change is adding all of the water at once instead of in three different increments. This makes the mixing process go so much smoother, and I don't entirely understand why the original recipe is done the way it is (if you're reading this, Michael please let me know).

This pita bread is really best eaten immediately after baking, while it's still hot. However, they are serviceable for a couple of days after, if kept in an airtight container or bag at room temperature.

Pita Bread

Yield: 8 Pita

• 270g AP or Bread Flour
• 5g Salt
• 10g Sugar
• 5g Instant Yeast
• 2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 330g Water

1. Add and mix all dry ingredients in a stand mixer.
2. Add olive oil and water and mix on low speed until the dough comes together and pulls cleanly away from the bowl.
3. Form the dough into a ball, cover in the bowl, and allow to rise until doubled, about an hour.
4. Once doubled, divide into 8 equal portions and form into tight balls.
5. Loosely cover and allow to rise until doubled again.
6. When ready to cook, place a pizza stone or inverted sheet tray in the oven and preheat to 450-500F.
7. Place a dough ball on a well-floured surface, dust with more flour, and roll to a disk about 1/4-inch thick.
8. Place a disk in the oven on the pizza stone and cook until the dough puffs and just begins to brown (about 2 minutes). Stack and wrap the cooked pita in a tea towel while you cook the remaining pita. Eat while warm.