Pita Bread
I use these in sooo many different ways and in many different sizes! They work great just as they are for having with a meal or hummus, or can be slit and stuffed with various fillings to work as a sandwich or a filled-up shawarma.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plain/all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
- 2 tbsp. milk
- some warm water
Instructions
- Add the milk to the water and heat it up so it's slightly warm. Mix the flour, oil, salt and yeast then make a hole in the center and pour the water & milk, then gently combine, and knead thoroughly until the dough is soft and smooth.Wipe some oil on the palms of your hands and rub over the lump of kneaded dough, then cover and let it stand for about an hour until the dough rises to about double its size.Once well-risen, make balls of equal size. If you want them big, divide into 4-5, if you want them small, divide into 8. Roll out each ball gently and evenly (do not lean/press down hard on the ball of dough, you need to use a light hand) to a thickness of a little more than a quarter inch.
- Place the rolled-out pitas on a lightly floured surface and cover them with brown paper or light towel so that not too much air can get in. Leave them to stand for about 2 hours until they rise again.Heat up a heavy roti pan, and place one roll in the center. Put the heat on very low and don't move the pita. When you notice it starting to rise, gently press down with a flat roti spoon so that the air building up inside it gets distributed evenly. Then gently lift and flip it to the other side. Dip the tip of your spoon in oil n gently wipe over the pita n under it. Once done on both sides, remove and place on a plate and proceed with the next one. Try not to pile the pitas on top of each other until after they have cooled. This keeps them nice and plump for filling.To store these, you can wrap them in cling film and freeze for up to 3 weeks. For the filling you can use any mixture of your choice with salad, just slit the pitas and stuff them.HERE are the same pitas, but made smaller (8 pcs).HERE are pita breads used for making shawarma.HERE are some suggestions for fillings you can use:Enjoy! 🙂
dear fauzia pls tell me how much dry yeast is equal to the instant yeast quantity mention..
Please refer to this note: Yeast
White flour would be?
Plain/All purpose flour.
do you not roll the dough with a rolling pin?
You should roll with a rolling pin.
Nyc pita brd.
Assalamualeikum. Hope yu k.
My pita dint rise it just turned out like an ordinary naan pls reply.
W/Salaam, maybe you rolled them out too thin? They need to be rolled slightly thick so they get room to expand and puff up.
Hi Fauzia,
i am so dissapointed tried the pita today it dint come out nice so threw them away and did chapati instead..i dont know where i went wrong..it came out looking funny the taste was ok but i am not sure with yeast or rather never cooked with yeast hence i feared people will have running tummy and i have guests for dinner..
Hi. Sorry to hear you had trouble with the yeast. What brand of yeast did you use and was it INSTANT as specified in the recipe? Did you follow the recipe accurately?
yes i did its a kenyan brand instant yeast i bought from nakumat here in kigali..i followed the recipe i was in the kitchen with the laptop lol..but i think i just got scared of how they were coming out but hubby and guests loved with the chapati roll but after he had the guest left he said he knows shawarma with the pita bread one hehehe but all in all it came out nice will keep trying the pitta bread i know i will make it..many thanks wish you knew how helpfull your website is ..i am now the rwnowned cook amongsth my hubbys friends and they always wantto come eat at my house but i have made a point of sharing thiswith the wives and all my friends..many thanks again..
Aww you are sweet, thank you! Check if you can find SAF Instant yeast, it should be available at Nakumatt. It’s what I use and always gives best results. 🙂
salam, pls i dnt have roti pan, pls what can i use instead?
W/Salaam, any flat pan.
What if we bake the rolled-out pitas?.. just like we do to make pizza bread?
You can try, they should be fine. 🙂
salaams Sister, Can u please
salaams Sister, Can u please tell me the baking instructions for pita bread?
W/Salaam, have not tried
W/Salaam, have not tried baking these.
I love these but I made them
I love these but I made them yesterday and they didn’t rise in the pan and became tough like a biscuit except the last 2 pitas that came out maybe 70% perfect. Tried it again today this time adding abit more yeast but again all of them like a biscuit. What am I doing wrong, Fauzia?
Also when kneading I had to keep adding water because the dough was so tough, how much water should I add?
Hi, sorry to know they did
Hi, sorry to know they did not rise, did you check that the yeast is working properly? Test it please. Did the dough rise after kneading? Also, when rolling the pitas be sure not to press them down too thin. They need to have thickness in order to puff up properly. After rolling them out, did you let them rest and puff up whilst covered before cooking them? And did they rise at that point?
Salaam Fauzia, after kneading
Salaam Fauzia, after kneading, the dough definitely had risen to 3-4 times it’s size after 1 hour. I must have rolled them out too thin.
After rolling them, I left for 2 hours covered but they didn’t rise at all. I will keep trying them inshaAllah until I can make them perfect. Also can you tell me roughly should I keep adding warm water until the dough is soft or is there a set measurement I need to add?
P.S mashAllah ur receipes are a gift, keep up the good work
W/Salaam, please do try again
W/Salaam, please do try again and make sure to roll the pitas with a light hand to about a bit over 1cm in thickness. If you press down on them too hard during rolling, they will not have a chance of puffing up again, hope that helps. It’s generally difficult to estimate how much water/milk is needed exactly as different flours absorb differently and different altitudes affect absorption rates. Mix half a cup of milk with half a cup of water. Warm it up, then gradually add and knead the dough. Use as much as it will take to get the dough to a soft and smooth consistency. You may need more water/milk or you may not need to use all. Once you’ve got the hang of it with your particular brand of flour, you will know for sure for next time. 🙂
Assalamualaiykum wa
Assalamualaiykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu Fauzia, I really like all your recipes , it inspires me to cook. I would like to ask you about the dough that we make for pita breads can be stored in the refrigerator overnight, so that I can make it early morning??
W/Salaam, thank you! Yes you
W/Salaam, thank you! Yes you can refrigerate the dough right after kneading it, it will rise slowly in the fridge. Just make sure to keep it well covered so it does not dry out. 🙂
Assalam Aleykum.Siz can I use
Assalam Aleykum.Siz can I use whole wheatAssalam Aleykum Warahmatullahi Wabarflour? (Atta). And if yes is there anything that will change in the recipe?
W/Salaam, yes you can
W/Salaam, yes you can although they won’t be as light as these. You could try mixing both plain flour and atta for a slightly better result.
I have rolled it thin can u
I have rolled it thin can u pls tell me fast what shall i doo?? Please i dont wanr to waste it … plss can u tell me fast as i have to make it in an hour plsss
Sorry just seeing your
Sorry just seeing your message now. You can bunch the dough up, knead it a little bit again and then let it rest so it becomes a bit easier to work with. Then roll out again as per the recipe. 🙂
Salams! I like to know if i
Salams! I like to know if i can use flour tortillas instead of pitas.coz i have to make around 24 & no way to leave(actually no place for all 24!) to risf for 2 hours;-). any options for this?
W/Salaam, not sure I
W/Salaam, not sure I understood..this is a pita bread recipe. What did you want to use flour tortillas for? 🙂
Sorry for not saying that
Sorry for not saying that,actually i want to make shawarmas.
Oh got you, yes yes you can
Oh got you, yes yes you can absolutely make them flatter like tortillas. 🙂
Jezakallah khair! I Was
Jezakallah khair! I Was waiting for your reply.ok then insha allah il do it next time.im making the pav buns today,with the sharwarma filling;-). You are doing a grate job! Jezakallah khair once again!
Assalamualaikum..
Assalamualaikum..
I have a question…
Pita Bread’s n Stuffed Pita Bread’s recipe is same same ingrdnt n same quantity…
I made Shawarma n now I wanna make Stuffed Shawarma bt I didn’t undrstnd.. when I roll d pitas it is not thick enough to cut in between..
Bdw u’re my role model 😉
Alhamdulillah all d recipe of urs turns prfct 🙂
W/Salaam, thank you. Yes it
W/Salaam, thank you. Yes it is the same recipe except that when we make stuffed pita bread we make them smaller. For the shawarma size, make just 3 or 4 out of the dough, and don’t roll it out way too thin.
Jazak Allah Khair..
Jazak Allah Khair..
I’ll try it In Sha Allah.. 🙂
assalaoalikum,
assalaoalikum,
you wrote in a step first heat up a heavy roti pan it means roti pan should be a high heat first then after place the roll in the center put the flame on very low or medium.
And one more thing wipe the oil both sides or only one side.
W/Salaam, heat on medium but
W/Salaam, heat on medium but make sure the pan is quite hot before you place the pita. The heat below the pan should remain on medium to low so as to give the pita a chance to puff up. The oil just a quick dab on one side is enough, but if you like you can apply a bit on the other side. Very little oil.
and how long wil it take 1
and how long wil it take 1 piita bread on pan.
About 3-5 minutes, more or
About 3-5 minutes, more or less.
oky thanks
oky thanks
AOA. dear fauzia which recipe
AOA. dear fauzia which recipe should I use to make the regular loaf of bread used daily for breakfast, sandwiches etc?
Please use my rainbow bread
Please use my rainbow bread recipe, just omit the colours.
Hi Fauzia… iI am working on
Hi Fauzia… iI am working on pita bread for shawarma… hope they come out well. Enjoy Ramathan.
Salaam. Can I use self
Salaam. Can I use self raising flour instead of AP Flour?if yes, so I omit or reduce yeast?
W/Salaam, SR flour contains a
W/Salaam, SR flour contains a lot of baking powder. Not the same as yeast and might be too much for the recipe.