How To Make Pita Bread

Hey qu’es ce que ‘sup ? I know you’re excited about this one as much as I am because this is a big deal. It’s bread, and bread is a big deal. This is one of the favourites here in Montreal, thanks to all the Lebanese and middle-eastern restaurants. You’ll hear, “Euh you want Pita bread with that ?”. To which I answer… Yeah ! I paid 10 bucks for that shawarma plate, you bet I’ll take pita! … Today, I will show you how to make pita bread the proper way, so when you are serving a pita related dish you get to ask: “Euh you want Pita bread with that ?”

A Buh-read story: 

I shall repeat: bread is a BIG DEAL. It might not seem like it in North America, but growing up in Morocco, I know the kind of impact and presence bread has in people’s lives. You see, most households make their own bread and take great pride in it – ask any Moroccan and they will tell you that they prefer their home bread to the one from the bakery. 

What you have to understand, when it comes to bread, is that for North Africans, Middle Easterners, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, and many more countries’ people who get the bulk of their caloric intake from wheat products (a.k.a bread) – it is a huge deal. When things go wrong and food prices go up, they still want bread to be affordable.

Or else? 

If you’re thinking of scenarios like the Arab Spring, the French Revolution, or any huge political unrest then you’re not too far off. Did you know there are such things as bread riots?

Google it. You’ll learn a lot.

Bread is truly one of the best things that has ever happened to humanity. It’s a clear testament to human ingenuity. Think about it… You start with a grain – you grind it – sift it – and you have flour. You add some water, and salt (and now commercial yeast) then you let it do its magic. Shape it, bake it, and there you have it. 

Pita bread:

I love pita and I remember going to this awesome place that makes wraps and shawarma… They served me this amazing wrap that I couldn’t forget. The filling was delicious, but it wasn’t what really caught my attention – it was the pita. That pita was the one that changed everything for me.

It was nothing like that thin classic commercial pita we all know. It was warm and fluffy, and had these epic crispy edges. I couldn’t get over how good it was. It literally ruined all the other pitas for me. 

True story.

I knew I couldn’t find it anywhere else because that restaurants makes its own bread so I decided to take matters into my own hands. After many trials and fails, I finally crafted this awesome recipe.

Just look at it, I dare you to find anything that won’t go well with this. 

It’s like a hot pocket, and by hot I mean sexy.

And you know what is the best part about this? It’s as easy as making pizza dough, or just regular bread. As a matter of fact, it is the exact same dough. 

The only difference here is you’re gonna have to cut it, shape it into 8 small balls, and then let it rise.

The result is fluffy soft flat bread that is so easy to wrap around pretty much anything you like. It’s such a refreshing take on your classic pita and it will make you come back for more and more and more. 

And I forgot to mention that this pita does not dry up and end up looking and feeling like a used up sock if you forget it on the counter for 10 minutes… Which is nice. 

I hope you will give this a go, and let us know how much you liked it 😉
Enjoy,

Idriss

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3.91 from 11 votes

How To Make Pita Bread

Easy, Fluffy, soft and delicious recipe for Pita.

Course Bread

Cuisine Middle-Eastern

Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 27 minutes

Servings 8

Author Idriss

Ingredients

• 1.5 Cups of bread flour plus some for dusting.
• 1/2 Cup of whole wheat flour.
• 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• ¾ cup of water or so. You might need a little bit more.
• 1 tbsp of salt.
• 1 packet of yeast
• 1 Tsp of sugar

Instructions

• In your stand mixer, add all your flour, salt, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil. Stir for about 1 minute.
• Now add your water gradually while your mixer is on low speed.
• Once the dough starts coming together, increase your speed to high (6) and leave for about 6-8 minutes.
• You'll end up with a nice sticky and stretchy dough.
• Dust your working surface with some flour and transfer your dough to it.
• Shape it into a ball and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
• Now cut your dough in 8 pieces and form them into small balls.
• Cover and let them rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Depending on the temperature in your home.
• Warm up a non stick pan on medium high.
• Flatten your bread using a rolling pin. The thickness should be somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 and inch.
• Cook on your pan for about 1 minute on one side and 30 seconds on the other side. If your bread does puff up while your cooking it, that means you have done a great job!
• Wrap your bread on a linen sheet, and let it cool.
• Enjoy !

Notes

Cost per recipe : 2.25 $CA
Cost per bread : 0.28 $CA

That's right ! Bread is incredibly cheap to make.