Pita bread is one of the most common breads eaten across the Mediterranean region. It is a round, pocket bread that is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. Once the bread cools, a pocket is created. Pita bread is a type of flatbread that has been around since ancient times. It is used to help scoop up various dips such as hummus or baba ghannoush. It is also used in sandwiches such as falafel or shawirma. I decided to bake whole wheat pitas today as I wanted a healthier alternative to the usual pita bread. Whole wheat pitas have a nuttier flavor and offer more vitamins 🙂 Below is the recipe.
Makes: 9-12 pitas
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons of dry yeast or 1 package of dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- olive oil
How to:
1. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of water. Add sugar and stir. Let sit for ~15 minutes or until water is frothy.
2. Add flour and salt into a large bowl and mix.
3. Make a depression in the middle of the flour and pour yeast into the depression.
4. Add 1 cup and 1 tablespoon water. Mix together.
5. Remove from the bowl and begin to knead the dough. I find that one of the easiest ways to knead is to flatten out the dough and then roll part of it over one side. Flip it 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until the dough feels mixed well (usually about 15 minutes or until your hands are tired).
6. Coat a tray with olive oil and place the mixed dough into the tray. Form the dough into a ball form and roll it around the oil.
7. Cover the dough with a moist towel and let it sit in a warm place for ~2 hours (or until it has doubled in size).
8. Remove the towel and confirm that is has doubled in size. Remove from tray and place on a flat surface. Pat it down to remove all of the trapped gas. Roll out the ball into a large rope.
9. Pinch off about 9-12 pieces.
10. Roll the pieces into a ball. Cover them with a towel and allow them to rest for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500F. If you have a baking stone, preheat it as well. If you do not have a baking stone, place a cookie sheet upside down in the oven. You should bake your pitas on these.
11. After the dough has relaxed, remove the towel. Spread flour onto the work area and use a rolling pin or your hands to roll out the dough into a pita shape. It should be about 5 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. If it does not stretch correctly, cover the dough with a towel.
12. Open the oven and place the pitas (as many as you can fit) directly onto your baking surface. They should bake and become puffy after about 3-4 minutes. If you want crispier pitas, keep them in the oven longer.
13. Remove from the oven and enjoy 🙂
May 9th, 2011 at 10:24 am
These pita are picture perfect! And yes… I’ll take whole wheat over white bread any day!
May 9th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
These came out beautiful! This is just the recipe I need. I bought Pita bread last week and was thinking I should make my own. Thanks for giving me the knowledge on how to do that. Have a wonderful week!
May 9th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Love all the pics to show you how to make it! I used to buy fresh pita from a lebanese bakery in Orlando, that was THE best!
May 10th, 2011 at 2:21 am
What lovely pita breads. Healthy, too. You know, I should make them: you’ve shown that they’re not difficult. What inspiration! I LOVE when they puff up like in your photos. Just makes me want to fill them 😉
May 10th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Thanks for the healthy pita recipe. I love pita bread and I am sure that home made will be better and healthier than store bought any day! Thanks also for commenting on my itty bitty carrots. Weren’t they just adorable?
May 10th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I’m so excited about this! I never thought to make my own pita but we buy it all the time-can’t wait to start making it at home!!
May 10th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
thanks tiffany. me too 🙂
May 11th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Oh, these look fabulous, Suzy! I miss the homemade pitas my mom used to buy when I was growing up…so soft and puffy, just like yours. I’m printing off your recipe…thanks!!!
May 12th, 2011 at 12:27 am
I have recently started making my own naans ( indian flatbread) and now, i can try making my own pita breads too. Woohoo! But, I may end up using half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour cuz hubby doesn’t like whole wheat too much :S
You think this recipe would still work out if i do that?
May 12th, 2011 at 4:43 am
Wow your pita puffed up really well, they’re beautiful!! So jealous ;D
May 12th, 2011 at 4:45 am
i LOVE naan. please send over the recipe 🙂 my hubby loves it.
im sure half whole wheat and half all purpose would be fine. you could even substitute for all purpose flour and make white 🙂 should still work.
May 12th, 2011 at 8:15 am
Hi Suzy, these look really great. I tend to be lazy and buy pita when I wouldn’t generally dream of buy any other bread. You have inspired me to make these to go with some melizanosalata. Looking forward to that nutty wholewheat flavour you describe.
May 13th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Beautiful bread and it puffed up so nicely. I never thought to use whole wheat before.
May 13th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
These really look perfectly made. It is not always easy to get them to puff. I think pockets made with whole wheat are much more flavorful than those made with regular flour. Your pictures are fantastic as well. Have a great weekend. Blessings…Mary
May 15th, 2011 at 9:53 am
Pita bread is one of my favorite breads, so thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
May 16th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
These look soo good. you make it look so easy!!!
August 31st, 2011 at 1:38 am
Thanks for the ideas you discuss through your blog.
April 18th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
Would it work if I made the dough in my bread machine and then seperated it out and baked it on my stone in my oven? Just wondering….
June 5th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Awesome, can’t wait to try!
June 13th, 2012 at 10:36 pm
I’m still not exactly sure how you set that up. I was going to try to do the same thing at home but couldn’t get it to turn out as good as yours. –Jan
August 8th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
did you bake them?
August 9th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
I think that would work. Would love to hear your results.
August 20th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
I just made these but they are flat. 🙁 . And I didnt have any problem proofing or on my rise. Hmm.
August 20th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
did you heat your oven high enough? also did they rise during baking??
August 28th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Just pulled these out of the oven! A-MA-ZING!! I will never buy store bought pitas again! Thanks for the great recipe!
September 28th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Just found this and immediately got all ingredients together.. I did add some cumin and garlic powder to the mix to give is some more flavor going to make some redpepper hummus on the side and dinner will be yummy. Thanks for sharing this recipe.