Pita bread is a soft easy-to-make flat bread made from a yeast bread dough, rolled thin, then baked at a high temperature so it puffs up as it bakes.
This month’s theme for Progressive Eats, our virtual progressive dinner, is Mediterranean Food. My family loves Greek food, so I was looking forward to all the fabulous dishes the Progressive Eats bloggers would be creating for our dinner. I choose to create a Whole Wheat Pita Bread recipe to serve with our Mediterranean feast.
Baking the dough at high temperature causes the flatten dough to puff up and create a pocket in the pita. You don’t want to roll your dough too thin. It needs to be at least ¼ inch thick to create the pocket. However, even if your dough doesn’t puff up and create a pocket, don’t worry, your pita will still taste great.
If your dough doesn’t roll out easily, just let it relax covered for five minutes and then roll it out. Resting allows the gluten to relax.
Pita bread is super versatile. You can serve pita bread cut in to triangles as an appetizer, with hummus or tzatziki sauce, a Greek yogurt cucumber sauce.
Pita is also often used to wrap gyros, kebobs, or falafel. You can also make pocket sandwiches and fill the pitas with your favorite sandwich fillings.
Or, do what I like to do and make Greek Tacos. The Greek Taco recipe is on my other site, Pressure Cooking Today, and includes a tzatziki sauce recipe.
How ever you serve pita bread, it’s easy-to-make and fun to watch it puff up in the oven as it bakes. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Now be sure and scroll down below the recipe and check out all of the other delicious recipes the group put together for our progressive Mediterranean dinner.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoon 1 package Quick Rise Yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups warm water 120–130°F
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, yeast, and salt. Add warm water, oil, and honey to flour mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Switch to the dough hook and gradually mix in remaining flour to make a smooth dough, add more or less flour as necessary. Knead for 5 minutes.
- Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough doubles, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450° with a pizza stone on the center rack. (At least 30 minutes before baking pita so your stone gets really hot.)
- Punch the dough down, and divide dough in to 6 pieces. Let pieces rest five minutes covered. Form each piece of dough in to a ball, flatten and roll out each piece in to an eight inch circle. Keep the rolled-out pitas covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.
- Bake pita two at a time on the baking stone until puffed and starting to brown, about 2 - 4 minutes. Turn pitas over and bake 1 - 2 minutes more. Wrap pita breads in a kitchen towel to keep warm until ready to serve.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
Mediterranean Feast
Appetizers
Salad
- Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad from Creative Culinary
Soup
Main Course
Bread
Veggies/Sides
- Spiced Chickpeas with Feta and Preserved Lemon from Healthy Delicious
- Greek Roasted Lemon Cauliflower and Potatoes with Feta Cheese from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Ricotta and Herb Stuffed Eggplant from Lana’s Cooking
Drinks
Dessert
- Vassilopitta (New Year Wish Cake) from girlichef
- Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Marble Cake from Life’s A Feast
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Barbara, your pita pockets look perfect! Whole wheat pitas are vastly superior to white. Can’t even believe there’s a market for the white flour ones.
Megan
Pita bread is one of my favorite things, though I’ve never tried making it whole wheat. Thanks for the recipe!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
These look absolutely perfect mum! You’ve inspired me to tackle these next year 😀 Happy New Year!! xxx
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic
This looks delicious and so versatile!
Happy New Year!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen
I’ve never tried making homemade pita bread but I think it’s time and those Greek tacos sound right up my alley!
Jane, The Heritage Cook
I have always wanted to try making pita breads and yours are gorgeous! I love the mysterious way they puff up and make a natural pocket for all kinds of lovely foods 🙂 You are truly a master baker Barbara!
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction
Barbara,
These look wonderful. Wish I had some now.
Annamaria
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I’ve told myself 1000 times I was going to make these but it hasn’t happened yet. I really love pita bread and I know it’s not difficult. I’ll do it!
Amanda
This is a great recipe, I have to try it!
Foodiewife
This is such perfect timing, Barbara. For the coming year, I want to focus on making more international dishes that I love– Greek food being at the top of the list. I love this post for many reasons… I’ve always wanted to make pita bread, and you make it look so easy. The whole wheat idea is even better, as I try to focus on “healthifying” what I prepare for my family. Last, but not least, all the colorful veggies are just mouthwatering. I’m in a bread baking mood, so I’m pinning this one, for sure. Thanks, Barbara, for all the wonderful recipes that you have shared. I’ve made many of them, always with great results. Happy New Year!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
These pita pockets have turned out great, Barbara.
Lyn McNairn
Finally someone that actually made them – thanks!
Carol
I love making pita bread…what a difference from store bought. I’ve never made it with whole wheat flour though-I can’t wait to give it a try.
Happy New Year, Barbara.
Barbara | Creative Culinary
I’m on a sort of break making binge…it’s high time I tried my own pita and while it’s baking maybe some Greek Tacos too…I really should have eaten breakfast; I want to taste EVERYTHING!
Elizabeth
It’s so satisfying that the pita just WANTS to split in half, isn’t it?
Ansh
Your photos are making me want to just head to the kitchen and bake some pita. #Admiration!
Kelly
So excited to give this a try, Barbara! We love pita bread and to make our own would be fantastic!
Jenni
I was all happy reading about the pita bread, admiring their pockets and pondering my plan of attack one day. And then you had to go and show those Greek tacos. And now I’m ravenous. Nice going, Barbara. 😉 Really spectacular! Off to read your taco recipe now too!
Heather | girlichef
I love homemade pita – warm and chewy and wrapped around pretty much anything! Yours look perfect.
Betty
This looks like a recipe I’d need to double! Thinking of how good they’d be with hummus…yum! Happy New Year! 🙂
Rosa
Beautiful pita breads and scrumptious dish!
Have a wonderful New Year!
Cheers,
Rosa