Homemade Pita Bread

Though I make mine slightly differently, there are a couple of things that should help you keep the "pocket." First, don't roll the dough too thin. Between the 1/8" here and the 1/4" I usually end up with is probably going to be better for pocketing.

Don't overbake; they should be puffed and looking a little "dry" but not really browned.

Then, as soon as you remove the pitas from the oven, tuck them under a towel until completely cool.

The pan you cook these on has to be very hot when you place the dough or it won't puff properly. Give the pan about a minute in the oven by itself to re-heat between pitas.

Hello everyone! Along with not rolling too thin, if you want perfect pockets you should fill a spray bottle with water to mist them. When you toss one into the oven, just spray it once or twice. This will ensure even and consistent puffing of the bread. Additionally, if you lay tin foil on the inside of your warming towel it will allow your bread to remain as soft as possible because it traps in the steam from each.

Another rising tip: I was having a hard time getting mine to rise in the oven - they'd kind of half pop then give up - then I tweaked my rolling technique. Instead of flipping the dough occasionally while rolling, I kept the bottom on the bottom and just rotated the dough. Maybe obvious, but that seemed to help!

People always say you should let dough rise in a warm place. Newsflash-dough will rise even in the fridge. I put mine in the fridge & let it rise overnight. Slow rise brings out richer flavor. Not necessary to "punch down dough" & I'm not being politically correct. Just put the dough on the counter & divide it. Note that no one ever explains why punching is nec., bc it's not.

I did not have ww flour, so used all unbleached flour and these turned out perfectly beautiful. Very delicious, too. Very easy on the hands for those that may suffer from arthritis.

Stove top baking: Pinch off 3 oz of dough and roll out between oiled parchment paper almost to the edges. Cut off parchment paper to 1/4 inch. Heat lightly oiled cast iron skillet until just smoking, take off the top parchment paper and put dough in pan still on bottom parchment. Quickly mist with water and put on a lid. Wait 20 seconds, mist, & cover. In a minute, turn the pita, take off the parchment, mist & cover. Quick & easy. Dough will keep for a week or more.

The punch down/ steps associated with kneading and shaping all contribute to gluten development and the size/ shape of the air pockets you develop in the dough, which is this particular bread the pocket is a pretty big deal. Many explain why letting the gas out (punching) is necessary, because it is. You can accomplish shaping and creating consistent or airy crumb in a number of ways though-- feel free to not call it punching down.

This is a great recipe! I used a cast iron griddle in the oven, preheating it with the oven, and it worked beautifully. The bread puffed up like magic, and it was delicious.

Love love love. This makes a great accompaniment to Sam Sifton’s Chicken Shawarma recipe. Sometimes I add cilantro, paprika, black pepper or other herbs to the pita dough before shaping and cooking. For cooking, I use a cast iron skillet that I pre-heat in the oven. I then place it on the stovetop and when the skillet cools, I just turn on the burner (low) and continue cooking. It’s much more efficient and I get great results every time. This is my staple pita recipe!

In case anyone is intimidated, don't be! I mixed all of the ingredients at first so missed the step of letting yeast get frothy. I let it rise in the fridge for 48 hrs. I didn't let it come to room temperature or rise again before rolling out, but I still had large fluffy pockets! I did warm up the baking sheet with the oven and baked exactly as instructed, three minutes each, and I didn't over knead. Happy baking!

They come out perfectly every time! I put my pizza stone on the grill, crank it up to high, and the pitas are done in no time. Keeps the heat out of the house, too, and easier than trying to flop the dough inside a burning oven.

This recipe worked out great. I used a cast iron skillet to cook the pitas, instead of the cookie sheet that was suggested. I also added a small tray of cold water (ice works even better) to the oven while preheating/cooking to ensure my oven was steamy, which helped the pitas puff up beautifully!

I am a bit confused about this recipe. If you were to exclude the 1/2 cup reserved flour, the dough will be ~83% hydration. Do you mean it to be this wet? At 83% hydration kneading becomes quite difficult. My calculations are based off the weights you listed.

Surprisingly easy to make, and lots of fun to see it puff. Warning . . . follow directions not to brown pita . . . and don't roll too thin . . . easy to overbake, then it becomes crispy, and not soft and flexible as it should be.