These homemade pitta breads are so puffy they make Sean Combs look flat.
But this isn’t any old pitta bread recipe. Oh no!
So what is the trick to a puffy pitta?
Well firstly you need to avoid dry dough. This means flouring your work surface sparingly, and possibly adding more water.
This is super important because a dry dough means you won’t have the air pockets required to ‘puff’ the pitta.
Also, get your oven as hot as possible! That initial heat as soon as the dough enters the oven will help with the initial lift, and help expand the pocket.
250g / 8.8oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp dried fast-action yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
150ml / 5 fl.oz tepid water
1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Pour in the tepid water and olive oil to the mixing bowl. Bring the dough together, then transfer it to a floured surface and knead gently for 10 minutes.
Clean out the mixing bowl, lightly oil it, then add the dough back in. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
Turn on the oven as high as it will go (ours goes as high as 250°C / 480°F fan-assisted) and place a large baking tray in the oven so it heats up.
Generously dust a work surface with flour and cut the dough into four. Roll each quarter into a ball shape and leave them to prove under a damp cloth for 10 minutes.
Roll each dough ball out into an oval or round pitta shape approximately 1/2cm thick. Take the baking tray out of the oven and quickly place as many pittas as will fit on it, floured side facing up. Bake until lightly golden brown; this can take anywhere between 4-8 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven.
Take the pittas out of the oven and leave them to cool under a tea towel. If you have any remaining pittas, add them to the baking tray and bake again.
Hey Laura. Yes but you might need to use active-dry yeast instead because you’ll need to prove them for a second time after you defrost them, and fast-action yeast might not work after being frozen.
Thank you for this recipe. It has been a great help in this time of quarantine. Whenever we get low on bread, I bake this and we have warm, yummy bread in a couple of hours. I appreciate all your recipes, but I highly recommend this one, because it is so easy to bake and so delicious to eat.
Hey Julie. The yeast is essential because it helps the dough rise. You could try using baking powder but the quantities would be completely different and the pittas probably won’t be thin and crispy – they’ll be thick and fluffy with no pockets.
I also cook mine on a pizza stone that I put in a cold I’ve and heat at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes before I’m ready to cook my pittas. They puff up in seconds after going in the oven. Loads of room to fill with meat and salad
250g / 8.8oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
12 Comments
These were so good. Easy to make, tasty and so much nicer than store bought. We won’t be needing to buy them again!
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Can you freeze the dough once it’s proved and in its individual pieces?
Hey Laura. Yes but you might need to use active-dry yeast instead because you’ll need to prove them for a second time after you defrost them, and fast-action yeast might not work after being frozen.
Thank you for this recipe. It has been a great help in this time of quarantine. Whenever we get low on bread, I bake this and we have warm, yummy bread in a couple of hours. I appreciate all your recipes, but I highly recommend this one, because it is so easy to bake and so delicious to eat.
Thank you!
Hi
Can you suggest a gluten free alternative to this , as it looks great. Thanks
We haven’t tested this using gf flour sorry!
can i substitute yeast?
Hey Julie. The yeast is essential because it helps the dough rise. You could try using baking powder but the quantities would be completely different and the pittas probably won’t be thin and crispy – they’ll be thick and fluffy with no pockets.
I also cook mine on a pizza stone that I put in a cold I’ve and heat at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes before I’m ready to cook my pittas. They puff up in seconds after going in the oven. Loads of room to fill with meat and salad
Is it possible to make it with whole wheat flour ?