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Golden Pita Bread


Pita bread is one of those things (like English muffins, like soft pretzels) that most people simply don't think of making. "It's too hard. It won't work. They won't puff up." Baloney. This is just a simple white bread recipe cooked in an unusual way. They will puff up; honest. And fresh, golden pita bread, hot from the oven, is a revelation; it makes those packaged pitas pale (literally) by comparison. Step-by-step photos illustrating how to make this recipe are available at Bakers' Banter, our King Arthur blog.

Ingredients

Directions

1) Combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough.

2) Knead the dough, by hand (10 minutes) or by mixer (5 minutes) or by bread machine (set on the dough cycle) till it's smooth.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. If you've used a bread machine, simply let the machine complete its cycle.

4) Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide it into 8 pieces.

5) Roll two to four of the pieces into 6" circles (the number of pieces depends on how many rolled-out pieces at a time can fit on your baking sheet).

6) Place the circles on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow them to rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 500°F. (Keep the unrolled pieces of dough covered. Roll out the next batch while the first batch bakes.)

7) Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack in your oven, and bake the pitas for 5 minutes; they should puff up. (If they haven't puffed up, wait a minute or so longer. If they still haven't puffed, your oven isn't hot enough; raise the heat for the next batch.)

8) Transfer the baking sheet to your oven's middle-to-top rack and bake for an additional 2 minutes, or until the pitas have browned.

9) Remove the pitas from the oven, wrap them in a clean dishtowel (this keeps them soft), and repeat with the remaining dough.

10) Store cooled pitas in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Pita bread is a key element in Fattoush, a delicious Lebanese salad.

Recipe summary

Hands-on time:
25 mins.
Baking time:
7 mins.
Total time:
2 hrs
Yield:
8 pitas
Rate recipe
****+
Recipe comments (17) »

Tips from our bakers

  • Pita bread can be a bit temperamental; it doesn't always puff. And when it doesn't, don't despair. It's still soft and delicious.
  • For sandwiches, simply wrap a pita around the filling, rather than splitting and filling.

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Reviews

*****

02/18/2010

Pam B from Springfield, VT

Having been baking bread for more years than I can remember, I can't believe I've never tried making pitas. I love their concept, but despise the pitas in the stores...they all have a chemical taste to them. so, I made a batch on Saturday and they all, but one, turned out perfectly. Because every oven is different, I had to lower mine to 480 and that was the perfect temp for me. You will very likely never come across a simplier recipe for delicious bread...and the versatility of the pita is second to none. I shall be making these every weekend. I substituted 1 cup of KAF whole wheat flour and they still puffed to perfection and maintained their delicate texture.

*****

02/01/2010

Montyman from Ann Arbor

Mine blew up like balloons and were a perfect golden color. This could not have been easier

*****

12/03/2009

Meagan from NY

This was definitely tasty! Really easy and fast to assemble also. Maybe I was too impatient but mine were white as a ghost and not all golden like the photo here. Nonetheless, they tasted great and puffed only slightly. When cut in half though, it was easy to stick a knife in the middle and there was a pocket!

*****

10/01/2009

Olivera from Croatia

Those are so easy, fast and absolutely delicious! I replace a small amount of regular flour with whole wheat flour and use fresh yeast. So far, they have always puffed up beautifully. My husband loves them and I have to make them all the time!

*****

08/16/2009

Sheila from Carmichael, Ca.

Good recipe. Similar to what my grandmother made and what I have been making for many years. Try this with the Zatar recipe making smaller rounds and baking for approx 6-7 mins. Delicious!!

*****

08/06/2009

Megan from Visalia, CA

These were delicious and really easy. Most of mine popped and my husband went crazy over them! I used the method from the blog comment and baked them directly on the oven rack and they turned out perfect. The only time one didn't pop was when I put two in the oven at the same time.

*****

02/09/2009

MMckenzi from

Very very good. Make sure your oven is HOT. Even at 500 degrees it was too low. Delicious right out of the oven

*****

10/12/2008

sharonjo from South Dakota

Wow!! These were delicious---and easy. Who knew that making your own pitas would be so simple?! I followed the recipe exactly but baked the pitas on squares of nonstick aluminum foil set directly on the oven rack. All eight of them puffed beautifully. Thank you for this fabulous recipe.

*****

08/09/2008

Brenda from Columbia, CT

The Perfect Pita!

*****

08/04/2008

Alyce from North Salt Lake, UT

I had bought some wonderful (Sabra) hummus, so I HAD to make fresh pita. I used my gas grill with my trusty Lodge cast iron pizza pan. It worked perfectly, except I haven't quite figured out the best place for the secondary cooking (the higher rack, in the recipe). I used my narrow rack in the back of my grill, which caused some misshapen pitas, but they were delicious with the hummus. I'm making more next weekend!