Pita Bread (Arabic Bread) Recipe

Pita bread is an often round, brown, wheat flat bread made with yeast.

Similar to other double-layered flat or pocket breads, pita is traditional in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. It is prevalent from North Africa through the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, possibly coinciding with either the spread of the Hellenistic world or that of the Arab expansions under the banner of Islam.

In Greek cuisine, pita may refer to thicker breads made with yeast, for example souvlaki pita. It may also refer to foods using many layers of dough of thickness less than 1mm, usually with many different ingredients in between, forming savoury pies such as tyropita and spanakopita or sweet pies such as baklava.

This Homemade Pita Bread Recipe is so much tastier than any Pita you would ever buy. It's not the easiest recipe, but it's certainly worth it.

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups white flour
• 1 Cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp active dry yeast

Preparation:

1. Melt the yeast in a cup along with the sugar, and ¼ cup warm water. Let the yeast to ferment for 15 minutes.
2. Mix the flour with the salt in a big bowl, and add the fermented yeast.
3. Start to knead the mixture into dough, while you gradually add the left ¾ cup warm water.
4. Continue to knead the dough for about 8 minutes , until it turns into a firm, elastic dough. (if it's sticky add 1 or 2 tablespoon flour)
5. 5. Now create a ball shape out of the dough, and cover the bowl with a towel.
6. Let the dough ball to swell for 1 hour, and then knead it for 2 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Each one about the size of a Ping-Pong ball.
8. Cover 7 balls with a the towel, and leaver 1 for rolling.
9. Roll gently 1 ball with a rolling-spin until it is ¼ inch thick, and 7 inches in diameter. Try to keep the pita in a rounded, elegant shape. Do the same with the other 7 balls
10. Set up 2 baking dishes padded with cooking paper, place 4 pitas on each baking dish, and cover them with a towel so they don't dry out
11. Warm your baking oven to 500°, and insert the first baking dish.
12. Let the pitas bake for 6-7 minutes and they're ready. Do exactly the same thing with the second dish.

Tip: Freeze the pitas for long time storage.