Homemade Pita Bread
This perfect recipe is from Molly Yeh’s Short Stack Yogurt book. I use labneh rather than her recipe’s Greek Yogurt, because, well, I always have labneh in my refrigerator and I use it for anything and everything calling for thicker yogurt. If any of the pitas don’t balloon in the oven, don’t worry one bit. They’ll still have a pocket when you open them up and they’ll still taste wonderful. Be sure to put the pita in a ziplock bag or airtight container immediately after they cool off to keep them soft. If they’re at all hard on the outside, they’ll soften right up in the container.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting (if needed)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl
- 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt or labneh
Instructions
- 1
In a medium bowl, combine the water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let the mixture sit until it's foamy on top, about 5 minutes.
- 2
In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the flour, salt, and remaining tablespoon of sugar. Add the water-yeast mixture, oil, and yogurt and mix to combine. Knead the dough either in the mixer or by hand on a clean work surface, adding more flour if needed, until the dough is soft and slightly sticky, 7-10 minutes.
- 3
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic (not touching the dough), and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it's doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- 4
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into 12 equal balls. Cover and let rise an additional 20 minutes.
- 5
Roll the balls out into circles that are 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Place them on the baking sheets an inch apart, then bake until they're puffy and lightly browned on top (begin checking for doneness at 5 minutes).
- 6
Transfer the pitas to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!