How To Make Egyptian White Pita Bread Recipes

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup lukewarm water and stir in yeast and sugar until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk together. Place the mixing bowl in a warm place, uncovered to form a lose sponge. Give it 15 minutes or so, the mixture should bubble.
• Now add salt, olive oil and almost all the remaining flour (keep about 1/2 cup of the flour for dusting later). Stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass (at this point, the dough has little to no gluten development and just looks like a sticky mess and you can easily pull bits off). Dust with a little flour, then knead the mixture inside the bowl for about a minute to incorporate any stray bits.
• Dust a clean working surface with just a little bit of flour. Knead lightly for a couple minutes or so until smooth. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a couple more minutes. The dough should be a little bit moist, you can help it with a little dusting of flour, but be careful not to add too much flour.
• Clean the mixing bowl and coat it lightly with extra virgin olive oil and put the dough back in the bowl. Turn the dough a couple times in the bowl to coat with the olive oil. Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap then lay a kitchen towel over. Put the bowl in a warm place. Leave it alone for 1 hour or until the dough rises to double its size.
• Deflate the dough and place it on a clean work surface. Divide the dough into 7 to 8 equal pieces and shape them into balls. Cover with a towel and leave them for 10 minutes or so to rest.
• Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle that's 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. It helps to lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll so that dough doesn't stick to your counter too much. (If dough starts to stick, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour). If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get going, you can be cooking one pita while rolling another, if you like). You have two options for baking the pita from here.
• Heat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a heavy-duty baking pan or large cast iron skillet on the middle rack to heat. Working in batches, place the rolled-out pitas directly on the hot baking baking sheet (I was only able to fit 2 at a time). Bake for 2 minutes on one side, and then, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn pita over to bake for 1 minute on the other side. The pita will puff nicely and should be ready. Remove from the oven and cover the baked pitas with a clean towel while you work on the rest of the pitas.
• To cook pita on stovetop: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. (Test by adding a couple drops of water to the skillet, the skillet is ready when the beads of water sizzle immediately). Drizzle a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and wipe off any excess. Working with one pita at a time, lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until bubbles start to form. Using a spatula, flip the pita over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita is ready when it puffs up forming a pocket (sometimes, with this method, the pita may not puff or may only form a small pocket. Try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel). Keep baked pita covered with a clean towel while you work on the rest.

TRADITIONAL PITA BREADS

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a mixing bowl and allow to stand until the yeast forms a creamy foam, about 5 minutes. Mix in 2 cups of flour, salt, and shortening; beat for 2 minutes with a fork. Stir in as much of the remaining 1 1/2 cup flour as needed.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, kneading in more flour if dough is sticky. Form into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest in a warm area for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Divide dough into 12 equal portions; flour your hands and roll each piece into a ball. Cover dough balls with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Flatten the balls into rounds on a floured surface, cover with kitchen towel, and let rest 10 more minutes. Gently roll each dough ball into a circle about 6 inches in diameter on a floured surface. Place pita breads in a single layer on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until the pita breads puff up, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip breads over with a spatula, return to oven, and bake 2 more minutes. Let cool on wire racks before cutting pita breads in half and gently separating tops and bottoms to form pockets for filling.

SABOOB (EGYPTIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl; form a well in the center. Add milk and oil; mix until smooth dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface; knead until smooth and pliable, 10 to 15 minutes. Set dough aside to rest for 15 minutes.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; roll out each piece with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness. Arrange on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE EGYPTIAN WHITE PITA BREAD?

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water, mix with your hand or a dough whisk, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for one hour.
• Set a baking stone on the middle rack of the oven, and preheat the oven to as high as it will go.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover with oiled plastic wrap.
• Sprinkle two pieces of parchment paper with wheat bran. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll each into a ball, and then flatten each into a 5 inch round. Sprinkle the top with more wheat bran.
• Cover with tea towels, and let rest for 30 minutes while the oven is heating, until puffy.
• Using a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet, transfer the parchment sheets to the baking stone, one sheet at a time, and bake for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool briefly, and then serve immediately.

TRADITIONAL PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Do not let rise. , Divide dough into six pieces; knead each for 1 minute. Roll each into a 5-in. circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 500°. , Place upside down on greased baking sheets. Bake until puffed and lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

EGYPTIAN ONION PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water.
• Sift together the flour and salt and mix the yeast and water.
• Work the mixture into a dough and knead for several minutes.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls.
• With either your hand or a rolling pin, pat and press each ball of dough into a 5-inch circle about 1/2-inch thick.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the pita are light golden brown.