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.
- 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- *2 teaspoons King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- *Optional, but it relaxes the doughs gluten, allowing you to roll it into pita shapes much more easily. Also, the bit of baking powder in the Relaxer helps puff up the pitas.
Directions
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1) Combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough. |
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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. |
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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). |
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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. |
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10) Store cooled pitas in an airtight container or plastic bag. |
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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
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- 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.
Reviews
02/18/2010
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
Mine blew up like balloons and were a perfect golden color. This could not have been easier
12/03/2009
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Perfect Pita!
08/04/2008
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!
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