Pitta Bread

If you thought that the previous recipe was easy then this one is going to be simple for you. Pitta bread is a popular staple in sandwiches and snacks, but the shop bought varieties are a poor reflection of home-baked pitta, made more to last than for their taste or texture.

This pitta bread recipe is probably Greek in origin as many flat breads such as these are made without yeast in north African countries and the Middle East. As usual I have slightly adapted the recipe to also be suitable for overnight baking, but by now seasoned readers should be getting the hang of slowing the rising to make bread baking fit your schedule; after all we're much more intelligent than the yeast. I prefer to make mine using the half and half wholemeal/white method, but they are just as good when made with only strong white flour (I shall write a post about flour types in the near future).

The main point to note when making this bread is that it is really important to have the oven and the trays hot before baking. In order to get the breads to split properly and puff up during cooking they need a sudden and extreme rise in temperature to create steam pressure within the bread (watching them as they bake is quite entertaining).

Once made the breads can be used to make delicious sandwiches, and any leftovers can be toasted and cut into strips for dipping in old favourites such as hummus or guacamole.

Be better bread.