Recipe: Turkish Pita Bread

One of the first times we made hummus, we also made some Turkish pita breads to scoop up the hummus. Pita bread or pitta can be either round or oval and is a soft, flat bread which forms a pocket as it cooks, hence making it perfect for filling with vegetables, salads or meats. It is popular in Middle East and eastern Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and Armenia.

Pita bread with homemade hummus

The dough is baked in a very hot oven (230°C) for them to puff up nicely and form a pocket. This recipe makes 6 pita breads, and I think you should double the recipe as we were left wishing there was more to eat the hummus with. Warm out of the oven, it was soft with a slightly chewy texture.

Other than hummus, I also like filling my pita breads with roasted meat, sausages, prawn cocktail plus salad for a quick, delicious lunch. ;)

Turkish pita bread
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from "Baking" cookbook
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 4-6 minutes
Makes 6

Ingredients
225g unbleached white bread flour
1 tsp salt
15g fresh or instant yeast
Scant 150ml lukewarm water
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil


1. Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Mix the yeast with the water until dissolved, then stir in the olive oil and pour into a large bowl.

2. Gradually beat the flour into the yeast mixture, then knead the mixture to make a soft dough.

3. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowl, cover with oiled clear film and leave to rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

4. Knock back the dough. On a floured surface divide it into 6 pieces and shape into balls. Cover with oiled clear film and leave for 5 minutes.

5. Roll out each ball of dough to an oval (5mm thick and 15cm long). Place on a floured dish towel and cover with oiled clear film. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 230°C and place 3 baking sheets in the oven to heat. Place two pita breads on each baking sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes or until puffed up (NOTE: They do not need to brown). If preferred, cook in batches (two at a time). It is important that the oven has reached the recommended temperature before the breads are baked, to ensure that they puff up.

7. Transfer the pitas to a wire rack to cool until warm, then cover with a dish towel to keep them soft.

I am submitting this to Cook-Your-Books #9 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours .

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