Best 10 Pita Dough Recipes

TRADITIONAL PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Do not let rise. , Divide dough into six pieces; knead each for 1 minute. Roll each into a 5-in. circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 500°. , Place upside down on greased baking sheets. Bake until puffed and lightly browned, 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

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.

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
• Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
• Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
• Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
• Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
• Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

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.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, preheat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.
• Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.
• Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the center. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.

HOMEMADE PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Mix together the water, honey and yeast and allow the yeast to bloom until very foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• To a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, olive oil and salt. Turn the mixer on low to combine. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a smooth dough mass forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 1 more minute. Portion and shape the dough into 8 even balls, roughly 4 ounces each. Place on a sheet tray and spray or brush the tops with olive oil. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, allow the dough to temper back to room temperature for 1 hour.
• Set up your grill for high heat. If using a charcoal grill, distribute the coals evenly on the edges of the grill, leaving the middle with no coals. If using a gas grill, heat one side only. Allow the temperature to reach 475 degrees. Place a small saucepot with water on the grill for extra moisture.
• Place a flat cast-iron pan onto the grill grate to preheat.
• On a very lightly floured surface, roll each pita ball into an 8-inch round and allow to rest for 10 minutes before baking. Place a dough round onto the hot pan, close the grill and bake for 1 minute. Flip and bake for another minute, then remove to a ziptop bag. This will ensure the pita stay moist and fresh. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds. Serve!
• To make in the oven: Place a flat cast-iron pan and a small pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Place the rolled dough onto the hot pan and bake for 1 minute. Flip and bake for another minute.

CLASSIC PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Place flour in a food processor with steel blade. Add salt and yeast, process for 5 seconds.
• While processor is running, add olive oil and water through the feed tube.
• Process about 30 seconds and remove cover.
• Dough should be barely sticky and in a ball, add water 1 tablespoon at a time if too dry, and process for 5-10 seconds. If dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour and process for a couple of seconds.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface and and knead by hand for about 1 minute by hand.
• Lightly oil a large bowl and put the dough in it. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Punch dough and divide it into 6-12 pieces. Keep lightly floured and covered.
• Preheat oven to 500°F, use baking stones, or place a baking sheet on each rack.
• Flatten each ball on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 6-8 inch circle. Lightly flour each circle as finished, cover, but do not stack.
• Starting with the first circles rolled, Place each circle on the sheet or stone and bake until lightly puffed (about 2-3 minutes).
• If bread does not puff up, still remove it at 2-3 minutes, creases in dough may cause it not to puff.

TARTINE'S PIZZA OR PITA DOUGH

Steps:

• To make the starter, mix the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at cool room temperature overnight (10 to 12 hours). If you are not ready to mix your dough after 12 hours at room temperature, put the starter in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
• To mix the dough, add the water to a large bowl. Add the starter and stir to disperse. Add 7 cups of white flour and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour. With a rubber spatula, mix thoroughly until no pockets of flour remain. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 20 to 40 minutes.
• After the rest, add the salt and mix to incorporate into the dough. You can add a spritz of water to help dissolve the salt. Re-cover and let the dough rise 2 to 2 1/2 hours at moderately warm room temperature (75 degrees), giving it a dozen turns in the bowl every half hour to continue to develop.
• After this initial (bulk) rise, you are ready to portion your dough into individual pieces for pizza and, if you like, retard the rising for another day in the fridge to develop more flavor. Portion the dough into 8 pieces and place each into small, olive-oil-brushed containers. Cover with plastic wrap. If you'd like to use the dough on the same day, let it rise at the same moderate warm room temperature for another 2 to 4 hours, then use to make pizza. If retarding the rising, cover and place in the fridge for up to 16 hours.
• When you are ready to make pizza, preheat oven and pizza stone, if using, to 475 degrees. Remove dough from the oiled cups and place on a floured work surface, preferably the peel you will use to slide the pizza into the oven. Stretch the dough over your hands to your preferred thickness. Top as you like and peel into the hot oven to bake, about 18 minutes.

PITA BREAD

Steps:

• Make the dough:In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, yeast, honey, and 1 cup warm water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, oil, and remaining 1 1/4 cups warm water.
• Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead dough, dusting hands and surface with more flour as needed, until smooth and elastic, 10 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Form and bake the dough:Punch down dough, and form into a ball; then turn out onto a floured surface.
• Quarter dough. Working with one piece at a time (drape a kitchen towel over the rest), divide each quarter into 4 smaller pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball and pinch, tightening the ball. Turn pinched-side down and flatten with your palm.
• Flatten each ball into a 6-inch round with a lightly floured rolling pin.
• Transfer rounds to rimmed baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal; drape with kitchen towels. Let rest 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees and set an inverted rimmed baking sheet on rack in lowest position. Place 4 dough rounds on preheated sheet. Bake until puffed, 2 minutes. Flip and bake until golden in spots and just cooked through, 1 minute more. Transfer to a basket lined with a kitchen towel; cover to steam and keep warm. Bake remaining pitas and serve.

PITA POCKET BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Place the above ingredients into the bread machine according to owner's manual specifications (mine does wet ingredients first).
• Program for DOUGH or MANUAL.
• After the program is completed, divide dough into 10 equal pieces; shape each into a smooth ball; place five on each baking sheet.
• Let rise for 20 minutes while oven preheats to 500; flatten puffy balls gently into a 6-inch disk.
• Bake for five minutes (tops will be puffed and beginning to brown).
• Cut each circle in half to form two pockets.
• Fill with your favorite sandwich fixin's: ham, turkey, chicken salad, lettuce, sprouts, cheese and grapes.
• TRADITIONAL BREAD-MAKING: In a mixing bowl, mix water, sugar and yeast; allow to foam for 3-5 minutes; add oil and salt, mixing well; mix white & wholewheat flours together in a separate bowl, then add to liquids, mixing until well-blended. Place dough-ball in a well-greased bowl, allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in volume. Continue from Step #3 above.