The pitas baked at 450°F, did puff perfectly but when baked until golden, they came out dry.
When I reduced the cooking time, they came out very white and under cooked, so I decided to cook my pitas on a cast iron skillet and that works!
This recipe is very easy to make and doesn’t require much ingredients.
Easy Homemade Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra to oil the bowl
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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In a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment ( I use a whisk when I make a small amount), put 1 cup flour, yeast and water.
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Mix until incorporated, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
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Add salt, oil and the remaining flour gradually. Add one cup first and mix well, then add the rest of the flour if needed (1/4 cup).
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Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Check if it needs more flour(some flours absorb more liquids than the others).
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Once the dough gets together (it should be a little sticky), stop mixing.
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Oil your hands with olive oil to avoid stickiness and gather the dough into a ball. Oil the dough all over with about 1 tsp olive oil.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour to 2 hours (depends of the temperature of your kitchen).
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Place the dough on a floured working board.
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Deflate the dough and cut it out into 8 equal pieces. Form 8 balls( you can cut out the dough into 6 pieces or less for bigger pitas).
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Cover the dough balls with kitchen towel and let rest for about 25 minutes.
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Roll out the dough balls into thin discs of about ¼ inch.
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Let rest for about 5 minutes before cooking them.
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Cook on a slightly oiled cast iron skillet over medium heat( reduce or increase the heat if needed).
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Once the pita starts to bubble for about 2 minutes, flip it over and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
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Flip the pita again and let cook and puff. You may need to flip it again. Note that some pitas puff completely and others puff partially, that is OK!
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Place the cooked pitas in a clean kitchen towel and cover if not consumed right away.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t roll out the dough balls into extremely thin discs, as they may not puff.