Pita Bread is so yummy with its chewy texture (especially if you are a carb lover like me!). I use Pita bread for pizzas, sandwiches (I love to stuff the pocket with meat, cheese and veggies) and The Butcher Man loves his Pita Pocket Bread with our Greek Food! He loves to be able to stuff his pita pocket with my delicious Greek Chicken, Yellow Lemon Rice, and Tzatziki Cucumber Sauce.
Pita (Pocket) bread can seem tricky to make but I have been making it for years and it turns out every single time! The trick is the hot oven, the pizza stone (or baking sheet turned upside I am sure would work too), and a spray bottle of water…say what? You need the high heat for the dough, but more importantly you need the spritz of water on the dough in the high heat to add some steam so the bread will puff up making the pocket! GENIUS! Sounds complicated but it really isn’t! You place the rolled dough on the pizza stone, give it a quick light spritz of water, shut the oven and let it do its magic!
You can cut your bread into triangles for dipping or for a side, or cut it in half so you have 2 pita pockets to stuff with your favorite things!
This Pita Bread is easy to make and I think you will love it just as much as we do!
Pita Bread {AKA Pocket Bread}
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm milk 2% or 1 %- not skim milk
- 1 tsp dry active yeast
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 cups all purpose flour
- additional flour for rolling out the bread
- butter for brushing on the bread after cooking
- spray bottle with water for spritzing dough in oven see notes
Instructions
- In a mixer, add your warm milk (I microwave my milk on high for about 1 1/2 minutes), sugar and yeast. Let the mixture sit until it becomes foamy.
- Add in your salt and 2 cups of your flour. Mix the ingredients together and slowly add in more flour until the mixture is slightly sticky but pulling away from the bowl and easy to handle. Continue mixing for an additional 5 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Leave the dough in the bowl and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. It will need to sit and raise for at least 3-4 hours.
- Heat your pizza stone in a 500° oven. Let the stone heat up as the oven is heating up. I find I have the best results if I let my pizza stone heat up for at least 30 minutes.
- After it has risen, take the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface and divide it in to 12 even pieces.
- Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 1/4 inch thick. Then carefully take the rolled dough and gently place it on top of your hot pizza stone in the oven. Quickly spray (lightly, it doesn't need to be soaked) the bread with the water from your water bottle and close the oven door.
- Watch the bread closely. It will need to cook on the first side for about 2 minutes. It will start to bubble and then will puff up! (this is what makes the pocket!) Flip the bread to the other side and allow it to get a few brown spots on it or until it is done to your liking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest on a plate. Brush with butter while it is still warm. The puffed bread may deflate and this is ok. Cut the bread in to triangles for a side dish or for dipping or cut it in half to make 2 pocket breads for stuffing.
Notes
