Pita bread is easy to make and tastes so much better than what is offered at grocery stores. You will have fun in the kitchen with this recipe! See the notes at the end of the recipe for another way to cook them.
Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 package instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, yeast, and whole wheat flour. Whisk to combine; then set aside for 15 minutes until puffy and foamy on top.
Add the olive oil, all-purpose flour, and salt and stir together with a wooden spoon.
Turn out onto a clean surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should feel sticky to your hands but will get less sticky as you knead, and it should not be sticking to the counter. It the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with more flour and continue kneading. The end result should be a soft and tacky dough to the touch.
Wash and dry your mixing bowl and coat the inside with an additional 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the dough and turn to coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a baking stone or baking sheet on the bottom rack position. Allow the stone to heat up for 20 minutes so that the pita will puff correctly.
To shape the pita, divide the dough into 8 even pieces. Roll each dough ball in our hand until you no longer see a seam underneath. Cover the balls for a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
Place a ball on a generously floured surface and press gently into a disk with your fingertips. Then roll it to 7" wide and less than 1/4" thick. Keep the roll disk covered with a damp cloth while you shape the other balls. Let the disks rest for 10 minutes or more before baking.
Place 2-3 disks on your baking stone and bake at 500 degrees for 2-2 1/2 minutes or until puffed. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Keep lightly covered to prevent drying out.
Yield: 8 pita breads
Notes
In my experience making pita bread, the longer you allow the dough disks to sit the more they will puff in the oven. So be sure not to rush the process or else you will be disappointed with the end result.
I used a pizza stone to bake the pita bread, but a baking sheet is also suitable.
You can also bake the pita on your stovetop using a cast iron skillet heated over medium/high heat and brushed lightly with olive oil. Lay each disk in the skillet for 30 seconds. Flip it once you see bubbling and cook for 1 minute. It will puff; then flip and cook another minute.
Store your pita bread in an airtight container. They also freeze well.
For a delicious and quick meal, be sure to try the Pesto Chicken Pita!
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