{"id":177536,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T00:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/traditional-pita-bread\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T12:50:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T17:50:09","slug":"traditional-pita-bread","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/traditional-pita-bread\/","title":{"rendered":"Pita Bread"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve ever enjoyed a gyro or dined at a Mediterranean restaurant, you’re likely familiar with pita bread. This warm, puffy flatbread tastes fantastic with many of our favorite Mediterranean recipes<\/a>. Unfortunately, the store-bought versions often fall a little flat. So we were determined to learn how to make pita bread at home, and we discovered that the process is surprisingly easy. The recipe calls for only four ingredients, including water! With a little practice, you can make pitas that puff up with gorgeous pockets.<\/p>\n

Once you have the pita bread recipe down pat, the next question is what to eat with pita bread. Pita is an excellent dipper for vegetable dips and saucy soups, and a more healthy option compared to fried potato chips or regular sandwich bread. So many wonderful recipes with pita bread<\/a> are available\u2014we’ll offer a few suggestions to get you started.<\/p>\n

How to Make Pita Bread Puff Up<\/h2>\n

It feels amazing to peer into the oven and spy a puffed pita bread. You know this pita will have a perfect pocket in the center! But not every pita puffs up, and you can do a few things to encourage these pockets.<\/p>\n

Here’s how to make pita bread with perfect pockets: The water in the dough needs a high temperature to turn into steam. That steam forces the bread to expand and puff up. A 500\u00b0F oven will usually do the trick, but only if the pita is thin enough. Before placing the dough in the oven, roll the dough thinly so the heat can hit the center of the pita quickly and force the rise. Be careful not to tear the dough while rolling it. That can compromise its ability to fully expand.<\/p>\n

If your pita bread is not puffing up, make sure your oven is fully preheated. You can also use an oven thermometer<\/a> to ensure that the oven settings are accurate. And remember: If the pita doesn’t puff up, it’s not the end of the world. Pita bread without a pocket still tastes excellent, and you can use the flatbread for dips that pair well with pita chips<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ingredients for Pita Bread<\/h2>\n