Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

City Kitchen

First Time’s the Charm With Fresh Pita

Fresh pitas stuffed with Mediterranean smashed chickpeas.Credit...Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

I’m giving you a great recipe for a kind of rustic homemade hummus. And I’m going to tell you how to make your own pita bread at home.

Why ever would you do that? It’s simple: because that’s the way you get the freshest pita.

The other reason: making pita is actually a lot of fun. Once you get the hang of it, it’s one of the easiest bread-baking projects for the home cook, usually with good results on the first try. If you make the dough the day before and give it a cool rise in the refrigerator, it’s even easier.

Which isn’t to say that it takes no time; it does. That’s the nature of baking bread. Still, the active cooking time is minimal. The dough keeps its own company for the most part.

Image
Homemade pita bread.Credit...Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Start off by making a sponge in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve some yeast in warm water and add enough flour to make a thick batter. When it is bubbly, add salt, more flour and a little olive oil. Stir it all together (I like to use a pair of chopsticks for stirring) until it forms a rough, shaggy lump.

Now press the contents of the bowl together. This is your dough. Turn it out onto the counter and knead it for a couple of minutes until it begins to look smooth. You will notice that the dough has become firm and tight. Normal. Cover it with the inverted bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes. You will see that the dough has relaxed; knead it again. If kneading makes you tired, you’re doing it wrong. Just lean against the dough, then lift it, turn it and lean again. Cover the dough to keep it warm and take a break for an hour.

Get your oven hot and put a heavy pan on the bottom shelf. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a thin circle. Toss the dough onto the hot pan and quickly close the door. When you peek into the oven a minute later, you’ll see that the flat bread has puffed itself up rather dramatically, and is now verging on spherical.

Fun, right?

Recipes: Homemade Pita Bread | Mediterranean Smashed Chickpeas

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section D, Page 2 of the New York edition with the headline: Fresh Pita at Home, Easy-Bake Version. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT