In summer, we serve lots of fresh vegetables from the garden. With a few falafel, delicious dips and fresh pita bread, this is the perfect summer dish. Homemade pita bread tastes much better than shop-bought bread and is quick and easy to make. You can mix the dough in the morning and bake it in the evening. If you don’t want to use the oven, you can also prepare the Greek flatbreads in the pan or on the grill. The dough does not require yeast and is only made with sourdough.

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You need these ingredients for sourdough flatbread

  • Wheat flour (bread flour or type 550) has a moderate protein content, perfect for pita because it rises nicely and still remains soft.
  • Water: Cold in summer and lukewarm in winter.
  • Sourdough starter: It is not absolutely necessary to constantly feed the sourdough starter fresh, but it should not have been refreshed more than a week ago. If you have sourdough discard, I will be happy to provide you with suitable recipes. My personal method is to feed my sourdough with an equal amount of water and flour. I use a mixture of wheat flour and wholemeal rye flour. If you choose a different water-to-flour ratio for your sourdough, remember to adjust the amount of water in the recipe accordingly. Here are some helpful tips to keep your sourdough starter vital and healthy at all times.
  • Olive oil makes the dough smooth and gives it a delicate flavor. It also helps to prevent the pitas from drying out.
  • Salt for the taste and stability of the dough.

In three steps: How is pita bread made?

  1. Prepare the dough and allow to rest.
  2. Shape the pita breads and preheat the oven, frying pan or grill.
  3. Bake the flatbreads until they puff up and turn golden brown.

Pita bread – Frying pan or oven?

You can bake your pita bread in the pan or in the oven, depending on what you prefer. You often get a more even result in the oven and the pitas puff up better. Preheat the oven to 250 °C and bake the pitas on a hot baking stone* for five to eight minutes. Alternatively, you can bake the pitas in a dry, preheated pan over a medium heat for two to four minutes on each side until they puff up and are golden brown.

Preparing sourdough pita bread on the grill

Pita bread can be easily prepared on the grill, giving it a great, smoky aroma. Preheat the grill to a medium to high heat. Roll out the dough as usual and place the pitas directly on the grill rack. Grill them for about two to four minutes on each side until they puff up and have grill marks. Make sure that the grill is not too hot so that the bread does not burn.

Why doesn’t my pita bread puff up?

The oven must be very hot (ideally 250 °C) so that the bread puffs up quickly. Also make sure that the dough has the same thickness throughout. If the dough is too thick, it will not puff up properly. It is also important to know that the pitas usually collapse again some time after baking. But that’s not a problem: the bread still has a pocket that you can fill.

How to fill sourdough pita bread?

Classic fillings for pita bread are falafel, hummus, grilled vegetables, salad or gyros. However, you can also fill your flatbread with other vegetables, various dips and meat.

Where does pita bread come from?

Pita bread originated in the Middle East and has been a staple food there for thousands of years. These flatbreads are particularly popular in countries such as Greece, Turkey and Israel.

What is the shelf life of pita bread?

Fresh pita bread tastes best, of course. But you can also keep the pitas at room temperature for two to three days. Pack the pita bread in an airtight bag or tin to keep it nice and soft. If it gets a little hard, spray it with a little water and place it in a hot oven for a few seconds. This will make the pitas fresh again! If you want to store the pitas for longer than three days, you can also freeze them.

Can you freeze and reheat pita bread?

Absolutely! Pita bread can be frozen wonderfully. It’s best to place baking paper between the individual breads so that they don’t stick together. Put the pitas in a freezer bag or plastic container, squeeze out the air and put them in the freezer. To reheat, you can simply leave the pitas to defrost at room temperature or bake them directly in the oven at 180°C for around five to ten minutes.

If you like the flatbread, you might also be interested in these recipes

Helpful tools – My recommendations

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Pita Brot mit Sauerteig

Recipe for Homemade Sourdough Pita Bread

In summer, we serve lots of fresh vegetables from the garden. With a few falafels, tasty dips and fresh pita bread, this is the perfect summer dish. Homemade pita bread tastes much better than shop-bought and is quick and easy to make. You can mix the dough in the morning and bake it in the evening. If you don’t want to use the oven, you can also prepare the Greek flatbreads in the pan or on the grill. The dough does not require yeast and is only made with sourdough.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 6 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 7 hours
Course Flatbreads, Pita Breads, Sourdough Pita Breads
Cuisine greek
Servings 8 Sourdough Pita Breads

Ingredients
  

  • 375 g wheat flour bread flour (or type 550)
  • 215 g water
  • 50 g sourdough starter
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt

Instructions
 

Preparing the dough

  • Mix* all the ingredients for the pita bread to form a homogeneous dough. Cover the dough and leave to rest at room temperature until the volume has increased significantly. This can take up to six hours.
  • Cut the dough for the pitas into eight equal pieces using a dough scraper*.
    Den Teig für die Pitas in acht gleiche Teile stechen.
  • First shape the dough pieces into rounds and then pull and press them into round flatbreads with your hands.
    Die Teiglinge erst rund wirken und später mit den Händen zu runden Fladen ziehen und drücken.
  • Cover the flatbreads with a cloth and leave to rest again at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
    Die Fladen mit einem Tuch abdecken und nochmal bei Zimmertemperatur ruhen lassen.

Bake, fry or grill the pitas

  • In the oven: Preheat the oven to 250 °C using a baking stone*. Place two pitas at a time on the hot baking stone* and bake for five to eight minutes until the flatbreads puff up and turn golden brown.
    Die Pitas backen bis sich Fladenbrote aufblähen und goldbraun werden.
  • In the pan: Bake the pitas in a dry, preheated pan over a medium heat for two to four minutes on each side until they puff up and are golden brown.
  • On the grill: Preheat the grill to a medium-high heat. Place the pitas directly on the grill rack. Grill for about two to four minutes on each side until they puff up and have grill marks.
Keyword airy, fluffy, no baking powder, no yeast, with sourdough

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The best pita bread

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I’m Theresa and I bake – preferably with sourdough. I share my favorite recipes with you on my blog Krümelig.

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