Pita is one of the first breads I ever made, and I imagine that many of you have already tackled it. The recipes for it are usually simple and the methods of preparation are extremely easy and beginner friendly. One of the first videos on this channel was for pita. Since then, I have updated the basic recipe and turned it into a cold fermented dough to improve flavour and to make it even easier.
Lately I have been converting my old recipes to be made without kneading and summer being here I thought I might update the pita once more. Now we have the ultimate easy pita recipe. The formula has been altered slightly. I have increased the hydration and added a little bit of olive oil for richness.
Mix the dough, let it rest, divide, shape, cold proof, roll out, bake, enjoy! If you don’t want to wait you can make it on the same day. Simply let the dough balls ferment at room temperature for 45 – 60 minutes.
This recipe makes 4 pitas. To make more simply multiply all the ingredients.
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
For the dough –
125g (4.4oz) white bread flour
125g (4.4oz) whole wheat flour
5g (0.17oz) salt
2.5g (0.09oz) instant dry yeast or 3g (0.1oz) active dry yeast or 7.5g (0.26oz) fresh yeast
5g (0.17oz) olive oil
180g (6.35oz) water
To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.
The flour I use has a protein content of 13%. If your flour is weaker, then you may need to lower the hydration.
If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.
Method
- Combine the water, yeast, salt, and olive oil. Mix well to dissolve the salt. Add the flours and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature around 24C (75F).
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape into balls and place on a greased plate or tray. Rub the dough balls with a little bit of olive oil. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
- Cold proof for 18 – 24 hours.
- Pre-heat the oven to 240C (465F) fan on or 260C (500F) fan off. Also, pre-heat your baking tray/steel/stone or whatever you plan to bake the pita on.
- Roll the dough to around 2x its footprint. You can make round or oblong pita.
- Bake for 3 – 4 minutes until puffed up and slightly browned.
Leave to cool down and assemble a delicious sandwich!
Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.
Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.
