Make Ahead 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.

CHEF JOHN'S PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Place yeast into the work bowl of a stand mixer and add 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Whisk together and let stand 15 to 20 minutes for mixture to rise and make a loose sponge. Mixture will bubble and foam.
• Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and salt into sponge; add 1 3/4 cup flour. Mix at low speed, using a dough hook attachment, until dough is soft, supple, and slightly sticky. If dough sticks to the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, a little at a time.
• Knead dough with machine on low speed until slightly springy and still soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and form into a ball.
• Wipe inside of bowl with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Turn dough around in bowl to cover with a thin film of oil; cover bowl with foil and let sit until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Remove dough from bowl and place onto a floured work surface. Lightly pat into a flat shape about 1 inch thick. Use a knife to cut dough into 8 pieces.
• Form each piece into a small round ball with a smooth top, pulling dough from the sides and tucking the ends underneath the bottom.
• Cover dough balls with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a work surface and top of a dough ball; gently pat dough ball flat with your fingers, forming a flat, round bread about 1/4 inch thick. Let dough round rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
• Brush a cast-iron skillet with remaining 3/4 teaspoon olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Lay pita bread into hot skillet and cook until bread begins to puff up and bottom has brown spots and blisters, about 3 minutes. Flip, cook 2 more minutes, and flip back onto original side to cook for about 30 more seconds. Pita bread will begin to puff up and fill with hot air. Stack cooked breads on a plate; when cool enough to handle, break breads in half and open the pocket inside for stuffing.

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, instant yeast, salt and sugar and mix evenly.
• Add water and olive oil. Mix well with a spatula to combine until a shaggy dough ball is formed. Make sure to scrape off any dry flour on the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the dough onto a clean and dry surface. Apply a small amount of oil in your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. If the dough sticks to the work surface, use a bench scraper to clear it off.
• Knead the dough by pushing it down and outward using the palms of your hands. Fold the dough in half toward you and press down. Repeat this motion for 5 minutes by pushing the dough down and outward, and then folding over towards you. You can also pick up the dough and slap it down onto the counter and fold over towards you. (A kneading technique known as slap and fold).
• Cover the dough with a large bowl, upside down on top, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Resting allows gluten in dough to relax and further build more gluten strength. It's very similar to how sleeping aids in muscle repair and new muscle growth in human body.
• Then knead the dough again for about 2-3 minutes until the dough ball is smooth and supple. It will be pliable and non-sticky. A well kneaded dough is smooth and can hold its shape. To check if the dough is well-kneaded, give the dough ball a firm poke with your finger. The indentation should bounce right back. If it doesn't bounce back and stays like a dimple, knead for a few more minutes.
• Cover and let the dough rest in a large bowl for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. You can apply a little bit of oil on the surface of the dough ball to prevent it from losing moisture.
• Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a log and divide it into 10 equal pieces with a knife or bench scraper. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling wrap to prevent dough from drying. When the dough loses moisture, it tends to form hard skin around its surface, which creates a crust when baking.
• Take one piece at a time and shape each piece into a smooth ball. Flatten each dough, fold and press all edges into the centre. Turn it over and cup the dough in your palm, making circular motions. It should take less than 30 seconds to roll each piece into a smooth ball.
• Cover and let them rest for 30 minutes. The resting period helps the gluten in the dough relax and re-distributes air bubbles evenly inside the dough.
• Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a 6-inch circle (approximately). Sprinkle some flour if needed to prevent sticking. Set on a lightly floured surface, cover with a towel and let pitas rest for about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the baking tray inside the oven at 450 F. Bake the pitas (4 pitas at a time) for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and repeat with remaining pitas.
• Brush some olive oil on a skillet and preheat on medium high heat for 3 minutes. Place one pita at a time onto the hot pan and cook for 3 minutes until the pita begins to puff up and the bottom has brown spots and blisters. Flip the pita and cook for 2 more minutes. Pita bread will begin to puff up on the other side too and fill with hot air. This is caused by the moisture inside the pita turning into steam from the heat.
• Transfer the pitas onto a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool down for 10 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute) in the same direction to activate the gluten in the flour. Let this sponge rest for at least 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
• Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add remaining white flour, one cup at a time (more if needed). When the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
• Gently punch down. NOTE: If at this time you want to save the dough in the refrigerator for baking later, simply wrap it in a plastic bag that is at least three times the size of the dough, pull the bag together, and secure it just at the opening of the bag. This will give the dough a chance to expand when it is in the refrigerator (which it will do). From day to day, simply cut off the amount of dough you need and keep the rest in the refrigerator, for up 5 days. The dough will smell slightly fermented after a few days, but this simply improves the taste of the bread. Dough should be brought to room temperature before baking.
• Place unglazed quarry tiles, or a large baking stone or two baking sheets, on a rack in the bottom third of your oven, leaving a one inch gap all around to allow air to circulate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Divide dough in half, then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide dough into eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8" in diameter and about 1/4" thick. NOTE: You may wish to roll out all eight before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do not stack.
• Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on quarry tiles or baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3-4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full "balloon" or until it is starts to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. NOTE: Your bread may not go into a full "balloon" but don't worry, it will still taste great. The more you bake pitas the more you will become familiar with all the little tricks and pitfalls, and your breads will more consistently balloon.
• Remove pitas from the oven and place on a rack for for a few minutes to let cool slightly (I leave them on the rack until the next two are ready to come out of the oven), then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft).

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over 1 cup warm water, then add sugar. Let sit until bubbles form in the water, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, milk powder, and salt together in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment until combined. Add yeast mixture and knead on low speed; it may look unmanageable at first but in a few minutes it will leave the sides of the bowl and form a ball. Continue to knead gently until ball is soft and smooth. If dough is too dry and hard, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water. If dough is too wet, add a little flour.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Roll into a cylinder shape or flatten it with your hands and divide into 10 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rise for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the work surface. Take one dough ball and gently flatten it with your fingers or a rolling pin into a 6- to 8-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining balls. Cover and let rise one more time, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly grease with remaining olive oil and place pitas into the skillet. Cook until bubbles form and pitas puff up, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook, without turning, until completely puffed up, another 2 to 3 minutes.