Classic Pita Bread
Learn how to make soft homemade pita bread that puffs into pockets using a simple yeast dough and a blazing-hot oven or skillet.
Ingredients
- 360 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g instant yeast
- 8 g sugar
- 9 g fine salt
- 240 g warm water
- 25 g olive oil
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water and olive oil. Mix until shaggy.
- Knead 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover.
- Rise until approximately doubled, about 60-90 minutes depending on room temperature.
- Divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into smooth balls. Cover and rest 15-20 minutes.
- Place baking steel, baking stone, or heavy inverted sheet pan into oven. Preheat oven to 500F for at least 30 minutes so the cooking surface is thoroughly heated.
- Roll one dough ball into approximately 6-inch circle about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Even thickness is critical - uneven pita may not inflate properly. Keep rolled dough covered while working.
- Bake 1-2 pitas at a time directly on hot surface. Bake approximately 2 minutes until dramatically puffed.
- Flip if necessary and bake another 30-60 seconds. Remove before pita becomes hard. Wrap finished pitas in clean towel.
Nutrition
Chef's Notes
CHEF'S NOTES: - Even thickness is critical for full puffing. Uneven pita may not inflate. - Keep rolled dough covered so it doesn't dry out - dry dough won't puff. - Oven method on a preheated steel/stone produces the most consistent full pockets. SKILLET METHOD: Preheat cast iron over medium-high. Cook ~1-2 min first side until bubbles appear. Flip. Cook another 1-2 min. Flip again if necessary. PITA TROUBLESHOOTING - WHY DIDN'T MY PITA PUFF? - Oven/cooking surface not hot enough - Dough rolled unevenly - Dough dried out before baking - Dough too thick - Rolled disk developed holes - Dough did not rest enough A pita that doesn't fully puff is still edible as flatbread. STORAGE: Cool before sealing. Room temp 2-3 days. Freezer ~2 months. SCALING: 0.5x = 4, 1x = 8, 1.5x = 12, 2x = 16. Rise time does not scale. ALLERGENS: Contains wheat. May contain soy. NUTRITION NOTE: Calculated per pita (1/8 of recipe) using standard USDA nutrition values.