Pita or pitta is a soft, slightly leavened flatbread baked from flour. It is used in many Mediterranean, Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisines. In the Arabic world, pita is a foreign word; all breads are called khubz (ordinary bread), and specifically this bread is known as khubz arabi Arabic bread. Most pita are baked at high temperatures, causing the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. When removed from the oven, the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened to form a pocket. However, pita is sometimes baked without pockets and is called pocketless pita.
This Pita bread is made from wheat flour, a healthier option to the all purpose flour sometimes used to make it. One of the simplest breads I have made till date, homemade pita makes me want to enjoy this Middle Eastern delicacy at home, rather than buying it from the store! The proportions in this recipe are enough to make 6-7 medium size pita breads.
The recipe can be used to bake pita breads in advance and use them as required. When hosting a lunch party, I like to make my pita one day in advance. To store all my pita breads, I use my bamboo bread box by Clean Dezign. The box is made from fiber and is about 15x9x5 inches, making it big enough to store all my breads. Made in in elegant white color, it is perfect to serve on the table with bread too! The box comes with a bamboo lid which has grooves on the inside. The lid doubles as a cutting board for all the breads stored in it. I like this bread box a lot, and if you too want one, order it here.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour 2 cups
Rapid Rise Yeast 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp)
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Warm Water, 1 cup 105-110 F
Salt 2 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Method
In a cup of warm water (105-110 F) add yeast, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix and let the yeast bloom for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl mix flour, olive oil, remaining salt and bloomed yeast. Knead it several times on a floured surface and make a soft ball. Coat the ball with oil and rest for 30-35 minutes in a warm place.
Preheat oven to 475 F with a pizza stone in it. In about 30 minutes the dough will almost double in size and become soft. Deflate the ball and divide the dough into 6 parts. Make a ball out of the dough and roll it out to form a disc of 6-7 inches thickness.
Place the bread on the stone and bake for 6-7 minutes, keeping a close watch not to burn it out. Once the bread rises, it indicates it is done. The pita will not necessarily become dark brown. It will retain its light brown color but puffing indicates it is cooked.
Remove from the oven, cool on a cooling rack and using a pizza cutter cut the bread from the centre. The pockets will open up in both halves, which can be stuffed with Hummus, Vegetables or Falafel.
The pita bread can be used to make crisp Wholewheat Pita Chips, to be served with fresh Green Chickpea Hummus, Lime Cilantro Hummus or even this Roasted Beet root Hummus.
Or use these Pita Breads to make this yummy Easy Summer Fruit Pizza. Perfect for barbecue parties or for breakfast or dessert!
* The post contains affiliate links. I was sent one or more products free or for a deep discount. However, all the opinions in the post are completely my own.
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