Pita pocket breads are great for a quick meal any time of the day. Because pita breads form a large pocket of air in the center when baked, you can stuff them with lunchmeat, fill them with sloppy joe, or use them as a soft taco shell. They can also be used to scrape tasty sauce off your plate during a spaghetti meal.
Pita, also known as peda or pocket bread, comes from the Middle East where it is baked in hot brick ovens to get the large puff-bubble in the center. In the kitchen, pita can be baked in a preheated oven at 500 degrees F. This recipe makes 8 pita breads.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
- 2-1/2 cups bread flour
Preparation:
- In medium bowl, mix salt, sugar, and yeast. Add olive oil and warm water. Stir until dissolved.
- Mix in 1 cup of flour and then slowly add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough can no longer be mixed with wooden spoon.
- Turn dough onto floured board. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, adding flour when necessary to create a soft dough.
- Divide dough into 8 equal parts and form into balls. Keep dough balls on board and cover to rise for 20 minutes.
- Move oven rack to the bottom setting. Preheat oven 500 degrees F. Place the baking sheet in oven so that it is hot when you place the dough on it.
- After the rise, flatten each dough ball with your hand. Use rolling pin to roll each dough ball so that it is a 1/4 inch thick and about 5 inches across.
- Place two rounds on the baking sheet and bake on lowest rack for 8 minutes or until puffed. Remove from oven, use metal spatula to remove the pita breads, and place the next two rounds in oven.
- After each pita has been baked, poke a hole in it with the corner of the spatula and flatten.
Storing and Freezing
Pita breads can be placed in bags and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. To freeze, bag immediately after cooling and place in freezer for up to a month.
