How To Make Pita Bread At Home – Grilled Flatbread

Pita bread is a slightly puffed flatbread that originates from Mesopotamia. It is also called Arabic bread, Syrian bread, and Lebanese bread. Pita is used in many Middle Eastern, Balkan and Mediterranean delicacies. It resembles other slightly leavened flatbreads such as pizza crust and naan. When pita is cooked, the dough swells as hot steam is trapped the middle of the bread, creating a pocket.

This recipe will teach you how to make your own pita bread at home. You’ll be surprised how easy it is. You will love making a bunch of these flatbreads instead of purchasing from your grocery store. You can serve the pita bread with a dip or cut a slit on the side to open the pocket and stuff it with your favorite filling.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz active dry yeast
• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 ¾ tsp salt
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• olive oil
• flour for dusting

Instructions:

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to make. The dough needs to rest for a total of 2 hours and 35 minutes. Serves 8.

Place yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer.
Pour in warm water.
Mix in 1 cup of flour.
Let it stand for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
Pour in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil.
Sprinkle salt.
Mix well.
Add the rest of the flour.
Using a doughnut attachment on the stand mixer, mix at medium speed until you get a sticky dough.
Continue kneading for 5 to 6 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form it into a ball.
Drizzle olive oil into the bowl and put the dough back.
Drizzle more olive oil on the surface of the dough.
Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let the dough rest for 2 hours.
Flour your working surface before putting the dough.
Press to flatten and to remove air packet from the dough.
Divide dough into 8 pieces using a dough cutter.
Form each piece into a ball.
Cover dough balls with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Roll each dough ball to form 1/4-inch thick rounds.
Let the dough rounds rest for 5 minutes.
Lightly brush olive oil on the surface of a cast iron pan.
Heat pan over medium-high heat.
Grill pita bread for 3 minutes on each side.

Ideas And Tips:

• While grilling the pita bread, you may want to turn every minute for even cooking.

• It is recommended that you add the flour a little at a time until you get the right dough consistency. It is easier to adjust with flour instead of adding liquid to the dough if you have added too much flour.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPiA69p4gqE