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Soft Pita Bread

My recipe for Soft Pita Bread makes the fluffiest, most light and tender little breads. Cooked on the stovetop, they puff up to perfect soft pockets, ideal for filling in with your favorite sandwich ingredients.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 5 Pita breads

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose or cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon instant dry (fast acting yeast / rapid rise dry yeast) see notes for active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • ½ cup warm water see notes
  • ½ cup warm milk
  • 1 Tablespoon oil see notes

Instructions

Make the dough

  • Dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast in a large bowl.
  • Wet ingredients: In a separate jug or small bowl, combine the warm water, warmed milk and oil.
  • Pour the combined wet ingredients into the bowl with the whisked dry ingredients.
  • The dough can be kneaded by hand or with a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
  • By hand: The dough is very soft, so if kneading by hand you can add an additional ¼ to ½ cup of flour to your dough. Turn the dough out onto a very well-floured surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes.
  • Then transfer the well kneaded dough to a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in a warm area for 1 hour.
  • Kneading the dough with a stand mixer: Use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, to knead the dough on slow speed for 10 minutes. Once kneaded transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in a warm area for 1 hour.

Shape/form the pita bread

  • Divide the dough into equal pieces. Dust extra flour on your work surface.
  • Press the dough pieces into disks with your fingertips before rolling it out. This eliminates air bubbles, helping the pita puff up more evenly
  • Roll out each disk into a circle about 6 inches (15cm) round and ⅛ inch (3mm) thick. Avoid rolling it out thinner than ⅛ inch (3mm). It needs the thickness to help it puff up during cooking. (See notes on rolling dough)
  • Place each rolled out pita on parchment paper, dusted well with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and leave once more to rise for 30 minutes. This is an important step in ensuring the pita breads puff up and maintain a soft texture when cooking.

Cook the Pita Bread

  • Heat a non-stick heavy based skillet over medium heat.
  • Place one pita at a time on the skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 1 ½ minutes on each side. Flip the pita every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Some pitas might begin to puff even before the first flip. Others might puff at the last minute.
  • Cover the Pita breads as you cook them. This will ensure that they keep their soft texture.

Storage

  • Room temperature: Once the cooked pitas are cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days
  • Freeze: Store cooled pita in an airtight container or freezer safe bag. Seperate each pita with a sheet of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
  • To reheat: Warm pitas in the microwave, stovetop or oven until just warmed through.

Notes

The post above has valuable information regarding tips and frequently asked questions when making pita bread. I suggest you read these especially if it’s the first time making this recipe. It’s a great guide for perfectly puffed up soft pitas.
Yeast: I used yeast labelled “instant” or “rapid rise”. If you can only find normal yeast (can be labelled “active dry yeast”) then dissolve yeast in the warm water and milk first. Leave it to foam for 5 to 8 minutes before adding into your bowl with flour, salt and oil. Proceed with recipe as written.
Liquid temperature is important: The temperature of the water and milk is very important. If the water and milk is too hot, you end up killing the yeast and your pita will never rise. On the other hand, if your water is too cold then the yeast will not activate, leading to the same flat pitas. If you have a thermometer, it should read between 100°F – 115°F (37°C – 46°C).
Oil: Either olive, canola or any type of neutral flavored oil is fine to use.
Rolling the dough: Roll the dough out evenly. If the dough is uneven, then it might puff up more in certain areas and stay flat in others. Avoid tearing or cracking the dough, which will let moisture out and deflate the pita.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pita | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 477mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg
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