Can you eat pita bread straight from the packet?

To open them properly, you do need to warm them first (and then watch out for the steam!). Um, do you pop it in the toaster first? Never eat one straight from the packet... Warm them you say...

Why is my pita bread not puffing?

A host of factors can make perfectly puffed pitas difficult to pull off. If the round of dough is too thick, the dough is too dry or the oven temperature is too low , pita breads will struggle to puff.

Why is my pita bread not rising on the pan?

Get The Temperature Right This is crucial since you need to seal the outside of the pita quickly while at the same time quickly creating steam inside that will puff them up. A low temperature will not cause the pitas to puff up, resulting in a disappointing flat and thick pita.

How do you serve store bought pita bread?

Simply cut the pita into wedges, brush with olive oil, and bake in the oven until crispy. You can also use them as a dipping vessel for hummus or other dips, or turn it into a sweet treat by spreading it with Nutella and sliced bananas .

Should you keep pita bread in the fridge?

We would not suggest storing the pita bread in the fridge, as that will dry it out quickly . You can freeze some and then reheat in the oven. Also, after all that, pita bread is very easy to make yourself! Try it sometime; extra-fresh bread like this should also stay delicious for longer.

How do you fill a pita without it cracking?

Instead of cutting the bread directly in half, trim a 1 ½" opening from the top. Flip that trimmed piece over and tuck it into the bottom of the pocket before filling it with whatever you happened to be craving . You're basically giving your pita a kevlar vest.

Should you microwave pita bread?

To warm up pita bread, you can use either a microwave or a toaster oven . Here are the best methods for each: Microwave: Wrap the pita bread in a damp paper towel or place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave the pita bread on high for about 15-20 seconds.

Can you put pita bread in the toaster?

Pop the pitta into the toaster for 30 secs- 1 min, until just puffed but not crisp. Meanwhile, mix together the cheeses. Slice an opening at one end of the pitta and use a teaspoon or a knife to spread the cheese mixture in.

How do you open a pita without ripping it?

Put it down flat on the counter, put you knife down, flat on the counter. Put / poke the knife into the (heated) pita and cut it open. Because of the handle the blade itself will be lifted from the counter just enough to be in the middle of the height of the pita. The knife will be stable and the pita as well.

What is pita bread traditionally eaten with?

Pitas frequently are the bread of choice for lamb, steak, falafel, and chicken. It is traditionally accompanied by hummus, baba ganoush, tzatziki, or tabouleh . But those are only some of the foods that are historically eaten with pitas.

In what way of cooking does pita bread need to puff up a pocket which is intended for stuffing?

Pita is cooked directly on the floor of an oven, or on a pizza stone or steel in a home oven . The pocket results from steam generated inside the pita as it hits the hot surface. Because the pita is so thin, the outer crust sets very quickly, and the steam on the inside expands, forcing the top and bottom apart.

Why won't my flatbread puff up?

Common issues for pita that does not puff up in the oven is the result of dough that is improperly proofed, dough that is too dry, dough that was not rolled thin enough or baking at too low of a temperature .

What makes bread puff up?

Bread rises because yeast eats sugar and burps carbon dioxide, which gets trapped by the bread's gluten . The more sugar your yeast eats, the more gas that gets formed, and the higher the bread rises!

Sita's Pita Bread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

5 Ingredients or Fewer

by: Layla Khoury-Hanold

February15,2022

4 Ratings

Prep time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
makes 10

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This recipe blends two of my Sita’s (my Lebanese-American grandmother on my mother’s side) recipes. It favors a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, which makes the dough much easier to work with than her all-whole-wheat-flour version. And patting the dough balls out by hand with your fingertips, instead of flattening them with a rolling pin, ensures that the pita dough rises.

Sita baked her loaves in an oven with a broiler on the bottom; to mimic that, my brother Will came up with the idea of baking it on a preheated pizza stone, which also ensures that the dough cooks and puffs to a tender-chewy result. Be sure to cover the baked loaves with a towel to ensure that they cool without drying out. Store in a sealed bag for three days on the counter, or up to one or two months in the freezer; they warm nicely in the toaster.
—Layla Khoury-Hanold

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: In My 40th Year, I Finally Made Pita Bread. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

1 (¼-ounce) packet dry active yeast
2 cupswarm water, divided
3 ¹/₄ cups(390 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring board
2 cups(226 grams) whole wheat flour
¹/₄ cupolive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
1 teaspoonfine sea salt
¹/₄ teaspoonsugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water. Next, add remaining 1 cup water, oil, salt, and sugar. Working in batches, add in 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Use a silicone mixing spoon to gently incorporate the flour into the mixture until the dough starts to form (about half-way through adding flour), then use your hands to incorporate remaining flour. The dough will be sticky.
Flour a large wooden board and turn out dough on board. From the remaining ¼ cup all-purpose flour, work in a tablespoon or so at a time until the dough is no longer so sticky. (You may not need all of it.) Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Grease a large bowl with olive oil. Shape dough into a ball, place in the bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover bowl with a towel. Leave the dough ball to rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
Remove the dough ball and transfer to the floured board. Punch down and cover with a clean towel or cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 10 portions and shape into balls. Cover with a towel and let rest 15 minutes more.
Heat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone (or baking sheet) placed on the lowest rack.
Using your palms, lightly flatten the dough ball on the floured board. Using your fingertips, knead the dough into a round flat disk about ¼ inch thick by pressing down the center then out around the edges. Don't flip the dough; whichever side starts as the bottom of the loaf should stay as the bottom. Use a light touch to ensure a tender loaf.
Bake one loaf at a time. Bake until lightly browned underneath, 4 to 5 minutes, then use tongs to flip and bake for 1 minute more, until lightly browned and puffed on both sides. While one loaf is baking, flatten the next dough ball, always keeping unbaked dough covered.
Once bread is done baking, use tongs to remove loaf from the oven and transfer it to a clean towel, covering with a second towel to keep loaves warm and prevent bread from drying out. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Tags:

Bread
Lebanese
Middle Eastern
Olive Oil
Whole Wheat
5 Ingredients or Fewer
Bake
Vegan
Vegetarian
Kid-Friendly
Finger Food
Hors D'Oeuvre

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Smaug
Layla Khoury-Hanold
Arati Menon
See Also
32 Must-Try Retro Dinner Party Recipes
Joseph Brown

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6 Reviews

Joseph B. February 20, 2022

The recipe was perfect! The consistency of the bread with the wheat and all purpose flour combined was just right. I loved the story behind the bread too! Thank you for sharing.

Layla K. February 22, 2022

I’m so happy that you enjoyed the story and that you were inspired to make my grandma’s pita—and that you loved it!

Smaug February 18, 2022

It's clear in the instructions that 3 1/4c. AP flour is intended, but that 31/4 (7 3/4) in the ingredient list looks funny and might deceive someone.

Arati M. February 19, 2022

Hi! Now fixed! Thank you.

Lynn M. February 18, 2022

There seems to be a typo on the measurement for the all-purpose flour. 31 quarter cups? Then upon reading the directions it refers, confusingly, to 3 cups of flour? Which is it? I love making pita bread, but the recipe I have is not so great. Would love it if this was the magic one.

Arati M. February 19, 2022

Hi! This formatting error has now been fixed! We hope you try this recipe—and love it!