Perfectly soft pillows of pita bread that melt in your mouth, made with just a few simple ingredients!
You guys. This is groundbreaking. GROUNDBREAKING.
You may think I'm exaggerating when I say that. Like, "groundbreaking? Really, Rachel? It's pita bread."
But seriously, it's not just pita bread, it's perfectly soft pillows of deliciousness sent straight from heaven. If you could bite into a cloud, it would be like this pita bread. I was so excited the first time I made this, I was literally jumping up and down in the kitchen. Ask Pete, he'll tell you.
I already professed my love for/obsession with Middle Eastern food when I shared my sister-in-law's family recipe for Authentic Creamy Hummus, so it should be no surprise that I'm going kind of nuts over this pita bread. I worked at a Middle Eastern restaurant in my hometown, and I used to eat roughly a dozen pieces of this bread per shift. It was just SO GOOD and it was always hot & fresh out of the wood-burning oven...omg. But in the interest of continuing to fit in my clothes, I actually had to go cold turkey and completely quit eating the bread because I could NEVER have a reasonable amount. It was too good.
As I've searched for good Middle Eastern restaurants after we moved away from the Metro Detroit area, the one thing I have never been able to find is this amazing pita bread. So when I stumbled across the recipe on a blog called Home in Greece and the photos looked like the pita of my dreams - I HAD to try it right away.
Oh man - I am so glad I did. It's just like the fabulous pillowy bread I know from the restaurants...made with just a few simple ingredients.
Here is what you need: all purpose flour, yeast, water, sugar, salt and olive oil. That's it. Easy peasy.
Start by sprinkling the yeast and sugar over the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes to let it get foamy.
You can make this recipe by hand, or with a stand mixer. If you're making it by hand, add the flour, salt, and olive oil into the bowl with the yeast/sugar/water mixture (use a large bowl) and stir to combine. When it is fully combined, turn out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for 10 minutes.
If you're using a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, and olive oil and the yeast/sugar/water mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Use the "stir" setting to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. When the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer onto speed #2 and knead for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for about 1 more minute just to make sure everything is combined and the right consistency.
Form dough into a ball, oil the bowl and the top of the dough and place the dough into the oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour and a half.
Before rising...
...and after!
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, press the air out and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and rest for 20 more minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking sheet upside down on a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to the maximum temperature (which will likely be about 500-550°F).
Side note: I've tried a pizza stone instead of a baking sheet and while they both definitely work, I actually prefer the baking sheet! I think it helps the pitas puff up into pockets more than the stone.
Use a rolling pin to roll 2 of the balls of dough out into ⅛ inch thick rounds. It's ok if they aren't perfectly round.
Carefully place them on the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden but not brown. Continue with the remaining dough.
And ta da!
These are best eaten right away - fresh and hot out of the oven. They are perfect for stuffing to make a sandwich, or ripped apart and dipped in hummus or garlic sauce (which is another Middle Eastern recipe I've figured out how to make at home that I am excited to share with you)!
You are going to LOVE these...I promise you will hear (& make!) lots and lots of yummy noises!
Perfect Pillowy Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 6 oz warm water (100-110°F)
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 300 g (about 2 cups) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the warm water to a bowl and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the top, set aside for 10 minutes to let it get foamy. If it doesn't get foamy, your yeast is no longer alive and you will need to start over with new yeast.
- If you're making it by hand, add the flour, salt, and olive oil into the bowl with the yeast/sugar/water mixture and stir to combine. When it is fully combined, turn out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for 10 minutes. If you're using a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, and olive oil and the yeast/sugar/water mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Use the "stir" setting to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. When the ingredients are combined, turn the mixer onto speed #2 and knead for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for about 1 more minute.
- Form dough into a ball, oil the bowl and the top of the dough and place the dough into the oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour and a half.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, press the air out and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and rest for 20 more minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking sheet upside down on a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to the maximum temperature (which will likely be about 500-550°F).
- Use a rolling pin to roll 2 of the balls of dough out into ⅛ inch thick rounds (it's ok if they aren't perfectly round).
- Carefully place them on the hot baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden but not brown. Continue with the remaining dough.
Leave a Reply