Happy New Year! I hope you had a great time during the holidays, now it's time to recuperate from all the eating and set some goals. I'm grateful for all the good things 2012 brought me but i'm so ready for 2013. I am eager to start new projects and try different thing, overall, just get out of my "comfort zone" and experiment other possibilities. I guess that's my New Year's resolution.
I like to start this year with a long-overdue pita recipe. This bread is so essential in my house, I don't know what took me so long to share it with you. It really is simple to make and I think it's a perfect beginners bread.
I like to cook them over the stove top instead of baking it. I try baking them but I really like the way they come out over the stove top. They puff up so beautifully creating the classic "pockets" to stuff them with anything you like. Besides, they cook much faster there for you eat sooner and who doesn't like that?
Ingredients:
(makes 10 pitas)
440 grams bread flour
264 grams warm water (80 F.)
9 grams salt
8 grams instant dry yeast
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously flour it, set aside. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes or until the dough comes together. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 8 minutes or until the dough turns smooth and cleans out the bowl. It should not be sticky. Turn the dough into a working surface and knead the dough with your hands for a minute more. Divide the dough into 75 grams pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough relax for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick circle and place it on to the prepared trays. Cover with plastic film and let it proof for 40 minutes. When ready, heat up a pan (I used a crepe pan but a cast iron pan will work great too) and lightly oil it with olive oil. Cook the pita for a couple of minutes on each side. Wrap the warm bread in a large kitchen towel to keep the bread soft until ready to eat.
Note: Be really careful when handling the already proofed dough as it can affect the "puffing" process if the dough is pulled.
happy new year dearest <3 wish you the best, to you and your beautiful family!
ReplyDeletepita bread is my favourite!
xxxFiC.
Thank you Katerrina! To you too! x
Deleteyou make this sound so easy... and make it hard to remember my bad luck with naan in past. >.>
ReplyDeleteHey, practise makes perfect! so don't give up! :)
DeleteSuch perfectly done! Never made pita bread at home, but this is convincing me that I can do it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! If you decide to try it, let me know!
DeleteThese look fabulous... will be trying this out soon.. even if I manage the pitas , I doubt I can match your photography skills
ReplyDeletehttp://kitchenfairies.blogspot.co.uk/
Sian, thank you so much for your kind words!
DeleteI found this recipe via tastespotting. I've tried making pita in the oven a couple of times and I've never managed to get pockets. I feel a little silly for never thinking of putting them on the stovetop. :)
ReplyDeleteThey were delicious and there were none left over. (I'm almost ashamed to admit that there were only 2 adults and a 9 month old eating... ;) )
Lori, thank you so much for trying out the recipe and for letting me know. I share the same feeling, this amount of pita is perfect for my hubby, my 2 year old and me :)
ReplyDeleteYour pita breads look amazing! Nothing compares to homemade bread.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for 2013!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa! Best wishes to you too!
DeleteI found your recipe on pinterest and decided to give it a try. I must of done something wrong (I used google to convert the measurements to pounds lol) my bread didn't poof much and it tasted so doughey, and hard.
DeleteI promise I will make it again, I just ordered a scale that reads in metric measurements so I can follow your recipe accordingly.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for trying it out! I wonder if the room where the dough was proofing was too cold? It sounds like a yeast issue. Let me know how it came out if you try it again! Thanks a lot! xx
DeleteI love pita bread! I've made it once before, but it didn't quite puff up as much as I liked. Yours is perfect!!
ReplyDeleteOh my those pitas are perfections: fluffy and chewy in just the right way. Being gluten free there isn't much I miss, but I can literally taste your pitas and I wish I could take a bite. Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and yours. I hope you'll share any new projects that push you beyond your comfort zone - what a great resolution.
xxxooo
E
Thank you so much Erin! Happy New Year to you too! xo
DeleteI live in Lebanon and this kind of bread is very popular, but here it comes in bigger sizes and we call it "Saj" . Of course, every bakery has its own secret recipe because competition in that industry is harsh, though I think your Pita bread looks like a strong competitor.
ReplyDeleteThey look so light and it so much fun to see them puff up like that.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that pita was so simple to make. I am sooo doing this! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm so stoked to make this tomorrow along with some falafels and persian chicken kebabs. Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous! I'll definitely link back to this post in my blog. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteawesome! I ll try this for sure! As pita is not that popular in my country and I can't get in a local grocery store!:)
ReplyDeleteDo you think I may use whole-wheat flour instead of bread one?
Best!
I haven't tested it yet with 100% whole wheat but I would suggest you try with half whole wheat and half bread flour first. Thank you for stopping by!!
Deleteoh dear, I have always wanted to try making this! Your post has me craving pita. A must try!
ReplyDeleteI made the mistake of putting my New Years Resolutions on my blog, and one was to make a recipe from another blog, and time is ticking. I am so looking forward to making pita tonight! Your blog is gorgeous, and sadly this rainy, southern winter day will provide awful lighting, but I know eating them is going to make me happy!!! I'll be back!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! Do let me know how they came out!!!
DeleteLovely looking Pitas. one quick question..... Can I refrigerate the dough for later use?
ReplyDeleteHello Ess, you can definitely refrigerate the dough for up to a day or freeze it for much longer. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI tried these last night and they came out perfectly, yay for a successful flatbread recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi, would u know if this can be made using all purpose flour? It looks great and i wanna try it.
ReplyDeleteYes! you can definitely make them with all purpose! Thank you!
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