Need an EASY QUICK Pita Recipe ready in time for lunch? This recipe is a perfect fit for a first time bread baker or experienced baker who wants to add something fresh, fast and easy to their repertoire. Fresh bread is delicious at any time of day and this one pairs well with breakfast, lunch, midday healthy snacks and dinner.
Whisk together
1 packet/1.25 tsp/7 g active dry yeast
1 cup/237 ml very warm but not hot water (around 110 degrees F give or take)
1 cup/120 g all purpose or bread flour for the sponge
Let bubble for 20 min.
Then mix in all at once:
Another 1.75 cups/256g flour as a second installment for the dough
1.5 T/23 ml olive oil
1.75 tsp/10 g kosher salt
Mix then knead with the dough hook on low speed until you get a smooth dough ball around the hook. Resist adding more flour but add if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl after 5 minutes of kneading.
Put dough ball on lightly floured board and form into a nice round ball.
Oil a bowl and then put the ball in the bowl neat side down, spin it around in a circle to coat the ball with oil and then flip it so the oily side is up and the side with the folds is down and turn it again to coat the bottom with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel that is a little damp with warm water, creating a warm, humid environment.
Place in your oven with just the oven light on so it turns into a proofing chamber. Let rise for 1.5-2 hours until about doubled in size.
Place dough on a lightly floured board, pat the dough into a rectangle shape and cut into 8 even pieces- no need to weigh- you can just eyeball it.
Form each piece into little dough balls, folding the sides into the middle and flipping over. Set aside and cover so it doesn’t dry out. The 8 balls will rest for about 20-30 minutes. (Chug some water. Actually that is not part of the recipe but we all should drink more water and I forget so figured you could use a reminder too! Also, thanks for reading this recipe!!! I love you.)
Time to bake it in a cast iron or other non-stick pan that can get super hot. You can bake these on your stove top.
Flatten the balls gently, making little circles by stretching it gently. Not too flat, maybe 1/4 inch thick.
Oil the pan sparingly. Heat stovetop between medium to medium high. Bake them one at at time. 3 minutes on side A then flip and 2 minutes on side B. You will see bubbles forming and that will give you a nice pocket but don’t worry if you don’t get a pocket. It will taste great. Be sure to get the charred, brown spots and then you will know that your pita is cooked through and not doughy. Break into one to see if you need to bake them in the pan longer.
Keep them steaming hot in a bag or container- I actually use my toaster oven (not on) as a place to store them until serving time.
When ready to serve, you can brush them lightly with olive oil and top with seasoning such as Za'atar My World® and a sprinkling of feta or pickled onions.
Bete’avon!
Recipe inspired by @allrecipes where there is a great video by Chef John.