Homemade Pitta Bread

The first time I made these pitta bread they had all disappeared before they were even cool. Apart from managing a photo of them as they went on the cooling rack, we were eating them too fast to even think about taking another photo. It was only when we finished them I remembered…

I had never plucked up the courage to make pitta before as I thought the chances of being able to get them to rise like they should was quite slim. As it is, they are amazingly easy, particularly as they only need to be left to rise the once. Then you just divide up the dough, roll it flat and stick it in the oven on hot baking tray for about 6 minutes.

Just out of the oven…

Luckily they were good enough to be requested again the next day and this time I made twice the quantity. And I made sure to take some photos too!

The recipe quantity below will make around 12-16 pitta, depending on how large you make them. Any that are not eaten on the day they are made can be frozen for another time. They are delicious either on their own dipped into oil and vinegar, or filled with salad and any type of cheese and/or hot or cold meat.

Homemade Pitta for Lunch

Recipe

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour

10g salt

14g yeast

320ml water

4 teaspoons olive oil

Fine semolina or extra flour for dusting

Method

Put the flour into a large bowl and add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other. Add the water and olive oil and mix well. Turn out and knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky and starts to form a skin.

Put in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave for at least an hour and until at least double in size.

Heat the oven to 220ºC and put a bakestone or baking tray into the oven to heat up.

Dust the work surface with fine semolina, if you have it, or flour if you don’t. Fold the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air has been knocked out and it is smooth.

Divide it into 12-16 pieces and shape into balls, keeping the rest of the dough covered with a tea towel as you work. Using a rolling pin, roll into rough oval shapes, about 3mm thick.

Put the pitta onto the hot stone or baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes, taking them out as soon as they get a bit of colour. Repeat with the remaining dough. Leave them to cool, covered with a cloth as they do so that the trapped steam keeps them soft.

They are best eaten within 24 hours or frozen if they last that long.

Pitta Bread

Categories: Baking, Bread, Recipes, Starters and snacks

Tags: baking, bread, pitta bread, recipe