Tuesday, May 3, 2011

How-To Tuesday: How to make homemade pitas



Today's How-To post comes to you in one of my all-time favorite forms: The Carbohydrate.

Making your own pitas are so simple, you will never buy the cardboard tasting ones at the store ever again. Seriously. Stop buying that crap. They're gross and full of all kinds of preservatives. Spend a half hour or so making these and thank me later.

[I accept all forms of thanks, including, but not limited to: diet coke, cookies, and/or cash.]

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Here's what you do: Take 1 1/4 cup warm water and add 2 1/2 tsp. yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast is bubbled up.

Then add: 3 cups flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 Tbsp. oil. Mix well.

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Turn the dough onto the counter and knead well, adding flour as necessary. Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Roll each part into a ball, then flatten into a six-inch circle with your rolling pin.

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Put circles on heavily-floured foil or parchment paper. Let rest for 30-45 minutes, until dough starts to slightly rise.

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Then gently peel off each pita and place onto an ungreased baking sheet. You need to do this step; otherwise, they will stick to your pan as they rise in the oven.

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Bake in a pre-heated 500 degree oven for about 3 minutes per side, turning halfway through. The pitas will puff up while baking. This gives you the hollow center for filling with deliciousness later.

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Remove from the oven and stack pitas on top of each other, gently covering them with a towel. Let the pitas rest, and as the steam gradually escapes, each pita flattens out.

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Slice in half with a serrated knife.

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And, voila! A lovely little pocket just waiting to be filled with good things.

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These are fantastic right out of the oven, can be made hours ahead, and even freeze well. Look at all the lovelies just waiting to be consumed:

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Here are some of our fillings of choice.

[Not pictured: some chicken breast that I sauteed in a little bit of Italian dressing. Drizzle a little dressing onto your filled pita and you have a feast. (Though I am thinking Linsey's homemade hummus would be delish with these bad boys. Note to self: Get to the store ahead of time).]

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And for a more printable version:

Pita pockets
1 pkg. yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. oil

Sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add flour, sugar, salt, and oil. Mix well. Knead dough until soft; divide into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball and flatten into a six-inch circle with a rolling pin. Let rest on floured tin foil for 30-45 minutes or until slightly puffy. Peel off foil and put onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 500 for 4-8 min. flipping halfway through. Stack on top of each other and cover loosely with dish towel to let steam escape. Slice in half and enjoy with your favorite salad or toppings.


And that's it. Your turn.

Teach me. Teach me now, dammit.

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26 comments:

Cares and Mimi said...

Love, Love, Love! I love pita bread! I have never made it and yours look gorgeous. We have a Lebanese bakery up north of us that makes them everyday. I have watched with baited breath as those pillows come out of the oven. Ha ha! Now I can make my own - yippee!

Karey said...

These look delicious. And they look fun--something the kids would want to help with. And my how-to gives you the chicken for inside!

We're cooperating!

danandcindy said...

Boring...

Thelma said...

I will certainly be making these! We love pitas and these look easy enough. Thank you!

Donna said...

This will be fun to try! Thanks Christie!

Suzanne said...

You are my total hero and I've never even met you. Who knew making pita bread could be so easy!!

Suzanne said...

...I was brave and clicked on Dans' how-to--who would have known it's something I really needed! I have boys who are getting too big for clip ons, and a husband in Iraq. So I guess I should learn how to tie a tie, finally. =)

the wrath of khandrea said...

i am enjoying these tutorials because they actually make me blog again. so thanks.

i will stick to my cardboard pitas, because they take approximately 30 seconds and zero effort to make. and that's about what i have to offer in the culinary department these days. but feel free to whip me up a batch of yours any time. they look sooooo yummy.

Karey said...

I clicked Daniel expecting something ridiculous and SHOCKER!!! He's been converted to How-to Tuesday.

Amanda D said...

Those sound surprisingly easy. I might even make them. Sounds good to me! Thanks for the recipe.

Unknown said...

these look great!THANKS for sharing!

DarbyM said...

ooooh I think I know what is for dinner now! :)

Liz said...

Homemade pita? Genius. What don't you do?

Katie said...

cannot wait to make these

Hannah said...

stop SWEARING MOMMY! I am soooooooo mad at you! :(

brooke said...

You lost me at yeast! These look delicious. I love your how-to Tuesdays!

Lisa said...

Who knew...thanks for sharing! I have always despised buying pita pickets at the deli, they are so blah!

Juli said...

I so wish that I could translate this into gluten free. :(

At any rate, they look fabulous!

jessica said...

I may try this...I do love a good pita.

brooke said...

I just linked up at 11:30 at night. Couldn't stand to miss out on the action.

Lauren in GA said...

Hey, I just learned that homemade Pita's and I are a lot alike. I need to rest after cooking, too.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. I am definitely making these! The Carbohydrate is one of my all time favorite subjects.

Robin said...

Its getting to the point where I am starting to look forward to your How to Tuesdays. Awesome.

brooke said...

Hi Christie,

Here is the link to E's blog. I have no idea if this will work.

http://randomthoughtseab004.blogspot.com/

I don't know what the eab004 business is in the middle. If that doesn't work, I would try it without that part.

Here is E's email just in case

bearlulubrooks at yahoo.com.au

You really need to read her royal wedding post--brilliant.

crystal said...

Firstly, I promise I will get back on the wagon again. It's been a hell of a month. *le sigh*

Secondly, Seriously! Dan posted a really useful how-to. I think you'd better check him to see if he has mercury poisoning or something--it just doesn't seem like him :)

Thirdly, pitas--who knew you could make them. YUM. I'm going to try it with my wheat bread recipe.

Fourthly, all my how-to post ideas revolve around cooking, baking, or grammar. Not very interesting.

Elle Belles Bows said...

Thanks for sharing! I will definitely try it! My little one is Pita crazy!

Kerri

Laurie said...

Thank you for sharing we made two batches of these already with my six year old. They are so easy and good. I stuffed on with turkey, cheese and bacon... then I froze it. The next day I pulled it out and put in the microwave for two minutes and it was still really good. My husband now has something else for lunch.