I used to be scared of baking pita. I was worried it won't puff.
When I made my Bhatura, only one puffed up nicely. Very discouraging.
One day, I invited my brother over for dinner, and I asked him what did he want me to cook? He wanted Middle Eastern fare, served with Pita Bread. Aduuuiiii!!!! Where can I get Middle Eastern Style Pita that is thin and fluffy? I'm not in KL.
He asked me if I can make pita bread, I said no!
One afternoon, I was craving for flat bread. I told myself, so what's there to fear about Pita? Nothing to fear. If it fails, just dump it and no one will know.
And then, they did puff up nicely! Very nicely and I was so so happy!
I made Pita Bread with this recipe twice and each time, they turn out the same. Light, fluffy with a big pocket!
They are big and puffy when fresh out from the oven. Their poofiness really makes me very happy.
When they cool down, they will flatten and will become stackable.
Websites will say, that one needs a baking stone to make this, but I just used a dark heavy baking tray. It worked well. My friend Lena, used a regular aluminium baking tray and it worked just fine for her.
Pita Bread
by WendyinKK
Reference: Xawaash
400g plain flour (9% protein)
1/3 tsp salt
1.5 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
270g lukewarm water
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1. Mix yeast, water and sugar together. Stir and let yeast dissolve.
2. Mix salt and flour together and pour in the yeast mixture. Add in olive oil. Knead until a shiny almost smooth tacky dough forms. (8 mins KA speed 4)
3. Cover and let dough rest for 1 hour or until it doubles.
4. Divide dough into 10 or 12 pieces. Dust with more flour and roll into balls. Keep them covered and let the dough balls rest for 30 minutes.
5. Place a heavy dark pan into the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 230(fan)/250.
6. Roll the dough balls into 3mm thick disks. Do not roll all, but only the amount that can fit your tray. Place the rolled pieces onto something that helps you to lift easily, like a piece of paper or a flour scraper.
7. When the oven is preheated, place the dough disks onto the hot tray. Bake until it puffs up. It could take anywhere from 2 to 3 minutes.
8. As the bread is baking, roll the next few pieces to be baked.
I stuffed the pita bread with some salsa and black pepper beef tenderloin. I stuffed too much, LOL.
Greedy me!
Great puff you have there. So much fillings hahaha...greedy ok
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I have failed to make this a number of times but will certainly try your recipe. How big in diameter are the rolled out pitas? Pat
ReplyDeletePat,
ReplyDeleteprobably around 5 inches
Hello Wendy! Glad to find this recipe as I have been looking up and down for preservative-free pita breads. May I know how long these breads can be kept? Does the bread taste hard or anything if I consume it the next day after it is baked? Thank you for your guidance.
ReplyDeletePo,
ReplyDeleteKeep them air tight.
The ones I made didn't taste hard the next day.
I don't make too much bread in one go, usually I finish my bread within 3 days. So far so good.
How long they can keep depends on many factors, how often they are touched by hands, the condition of the container and of course, the surroundings.
Where do you get your dark heavy baking tray?
ReplyDeleteKimmie Pham,
ReplyDeleteMy dark enamel tray came with my oven.