Description
These fluffy pittas are a delightful homemade bread perfect for stuffing with your favorite fillings or enjoying alongside meals. Made with simple ingredients like strong white flour, yeast, and olive oil, the dough is kneaded and left to rise before being cooked quickly on a griddle or barbecue to create soft, puffed pockets with a light, blistered crust.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional)
- 2 tsp salt
- 200ml milk
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for proving and brushing
- 100ml lukewarm water
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the strong white bread flour, fast-action dried yeast, caster sugar, thyme leaves if using, and salt. Use your fingertips to mix the dry ingredients evenly.
- Add liquids: Pour in the milk, olive oil, and 100ml lukewarm water. Mix everything together using your fingers until it forms a rough dough.
- Knead the dough: Tip the dough onto a clean work surface and knead it for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes.
- First rise: Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside, and cover it with a tea towel. Leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has nearly doubled in size. For a slower rise, refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
- Divide and shape: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it into eight equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle about 20cm in diameter, dusting lightly with flour to prevent sticking.
- Brush with olive oil: Lightly brush each rolled-out pitta with a little olive oil to help with browning and flavor.
- Cook the pittas: Heat a griddle, frying pan, or barbecue to a medium-high heat. Cook each pitta one at a time for 2 to 3 minutes on one side until puffed up and blistered, then flip and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden. If cooking on the stove, wait until bubbles appear on the surface before flipping.
- Keep warm: Wrap the cooked pittas in foil as you cook the rest to retain warmth and softness until ready to serve.
Notes
- The thyme is optional but adds a lovely herbal note to the dough.
- If you don’t have a barbecue or griddle, a non-stick frying pan works well.
- To get the classic puffed pocket, make sure the pan or griddle is hot before cooking the pittas.
- Keep cooked pittas wrapped in foil if not serving immediately to maintain softness.
- You can also freeze cooked pittas and reheat in a hot pan or oven before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: pitta bread, homemade bread, fluffy pittas, Mediterranean bread, grilling, easy bread recipe
