If you would have asked me I thought I could whip up some pitas for my family a few years ago, I would have told you no. I have had this recipe in my collection for so long that I don’t even know where it originated from, but I decided to dust off the old recipe collection and see if these could come together for me. After all, if it was a complete failure…well, at least I tried!
This dough is incredibly easy to work with, especially for a novice! It is not too dry and it is not too wet so you don’t have to use a lot of flour to roll these out.
These pitas are so yummy and the whole wheat flour adds a yummy dimension to the flavors. The kids loved these and my husband could not get over that I had made them because they looked just like the store-bought variety.
Now that I have made them though, there is no turning back. I will never buy these at the store again. In fact, I am whipping up my second batch for the week today! I hope your family will enjoy these as much as we have!
Pita Bread (for the Bread Machine)
1 1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons yeast
Put ingredients into the bread machine in order listed. Run the dough cycle on your machine. When the bread machine beeps, pull the dough out of the bread machine and divide the dough into ten pieces. Roll each piece into a six inch circle. Place these on a baking sheet (or your pizza stones) and let them rise for twenty minutes (I can fit about four rounds per pizza stone or three pitas per baking sheet). Bake at 500 degrees for three minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pitas and cook for another three to four minutes on the flip side.
Amy’s Side Notes:
- When you pull the pitas off of your baking sheet, wrap them into a damp kitchen towel for a few minutes. This helps keep them from drying out. Once they are cool, you can store them in a food storage bag.
- Freeze extras for a rainy day! After the pitas have cooled, slip a piece of wax paper between them and store in a freezer bag. You can take out what you need…when you need it!
I've made my own for years and the store bought kind just don't hold a candle to fresh, do they? Definitely going to use your towel method to keep them from drying out.
My recipe says to use a preheated VERY hot baking stone and slap the rounds directly to it. Yours is obviously much easier and with less risk of burns! Do they puff up if you don't preheat the stone?
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Colleen- I think the stone idea would probably help them pocket more. I had some difficulties with these pocketing so I am going to give your hot stone method a try! Thank you for sharing that idea! The towel definitely helps though and this recipe makes beautiful pitas.
Thank you so much for sharing your insight!!
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Ive finally gotten into using a bread machine. These looks delicious so I'll give them a try sometime.
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Still haven't gotten a bread machine, it's on my "list." Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
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thank you!! I went looking for pita bread at the store the other day and actually had to ask — and was told they don't carry them on a regular basis — sigh
so i knew i had to make my own
— i want them for pita chips
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Amy-even with the preheated stone they don't all make pockets. They still taste great though!
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Oh, and one other hint-use as little flour as possible. The more moisture in the dough, the more puff you get.
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With all the baking I do, pitas isn't something I have tried yet, but I want to. Can't wait.
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I took a class from a local kitchen store, and they said the key to getting pita bread to pocket is two-fold. First, you need to preheat your baking stone. Second, when you roll them out, don't roll over the edges very hard. As you roll, when you come to an edge, don't roll over it(instead, stop before going over the edge), and concentrate the pressure in the center of the pin instead of on the edges. A French-style rolling pin is particularly useful when trying to do this.
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I printed it off and going to try it soon!!!
Thanks for the inspiration…. I'm sure my kids will love them… I am getting hungry for some tuna salad!
Heather
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Thanks for the great recipe! My family and I love pitas, but I do not buy them that often b/c the cost is a bit much for how many you get. I am so going to try this for dinner tomorrow!
Thanks again!!
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