Welcome to my quest for the elusive perfectly puffing pita pocket. I mean how hard can it be to get pita dough to puff into a pocket? It has seriously been years that I have been experimenting with different recipes and darn near as many methods for cooking the pita with mostly frustrating results. Each recipe leading me to believe that it was an easily attainable goal. Spritz with water some said. Do it on the stove top others said. I can finally report that I am happy with a method that works…most of the time. 🙂 Follow along to check out the lessons I have learned…
Using a large spoon mix the ingredients into a shaggy dough.
Knead the dough using your hands until it becomes a sticky ball.
Portion the dough into twelve equal pieces and gently form into balls.
Flatten gently using a rolling pin to about a quarter inch thickness.
I achieve the best puffing when I turn the broiler on for the last minute of cooking.
Tips for this recipe
- Be gentle when kneading and forming pitas so you don’t squeeze out too many of the air bubbles!
- Make sure that your oven and the pan that you cook them on are both hot! hot! hot!
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can even reheat them in your toaster!
- Make them ahead whether that be an hour or a day. They will store easily in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag. I have found that it is much less stressful to have them ready to go before you prepare the rest of the meal.
More great recipes you might like
Chicken Souvlaki-yummy lemony chicken perfect for pitas
Homemade Naan Bread-perfect combo of easy and amazing!
Best Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups All Purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water luke warm
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for drizzling
Instructions
- Whisk flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.
- Warm up the water and pour water and olive oil into bowl.
- Combine using a spoon until you've got what can best be described as a shaggy dough.
- Now with your hands knead dough in the bowl until it comes together into a sticky ball.
- Drizzle with additional olive oil and turn over to coat both sides.
- Cover, place in a warm spot and allow to proof for 90 minutes. (it should double in size)
ONE OF THE KEYS TO PERFECT PITA POCKETS IS BEING EVER SO GENTLE WHEN KNEADING AND FORMING THE PITAS!
- Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface. You will want to knead it briefly and gently to get a slightly smoother dough. Portion dough into 12 equal pieces. Take each piece and gently form into a small ball. I place each ball on a parchment square big enough to roll it into a roughly six inch circle. Leave covered for about 20 minutes.
- While you are waiting, place a cast iron skillet/comal, pizza stone or sheet pan onto the rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees.
- Flatten each ball gently and use a rolling pin to roll into rounds about 5 to 6 inches in diameter and close to a quarter inch thick.
- Let rest for 15 minutes covered with a towel to not dry out.
- ANOTHER KEY TO PERFECT PITA POCKETS IS HAVING THE PAN YOU COOK ON AND THE OVEN HOT ENOUGH TO CREATE THE STEAM TO PUFF THEM.
- Carefully , leaving each pita on its parchment paper, place up to three pitas into the oven at a time. Set a timer for two minutes. (best results come with turning oven to broil for the last minute of cooking to really puff them up) and remove when pitas are light golden in color and puffed kind of like a whoopie cushion. 🙂
- WATCH PITAS CAREFULLY WHEN BROILING. YOU DON'T WANT TO BURN THEM!
- Place in a tea towel lined bowl and cover to keep soft.
- When ready to serve, cut in half and gently open for stuffing.
- They should keep well in the freezer for about 3 months.
- Enjoy!
