Pita bread is a great bread recipe for new bread makers to try! This whole wheat pita bread recipe is great for beginners, especially since you can use your bread machine to mix the dough!
Darlings, if you haven’t made pita bread yet, there’s no better time to try! Puffy pita may look daunting, but it’s easier than you’d think. This pita recipe makes 8 rounds perfect for filling, topping, or dipping.
When someone comes to me looking for easy bread recipes, I love to send them to this whole wheat pita recipe. It’s different from your classic loaves of bread, but still easy to bake. And it’s almost foolproof. Even friends who have struggled finding a “puffy” pita bread recipe find success with this one. The best part is, you can even take a shortcut if you have a bread machine.
How to make pita bread in the bread machine
Many people think of a bread machine as a one-stop ingredient-to-loaf baking appliance. But it’s really so much more! Even the most basic bread machines I’ve owned have a couple different bake settings. One of the settings is for “dough.” That means the device takes care of the proofing, mixing, and rising in a lovely, controlled environment. So if you’re busy, bread making becomes as easy as measure ingredients and wait for the beep! Darlings, this is wonderful.
Of course, if you don’t have a bread machine, it’s easy enough to do this by hand. I’ve made this recipe multiple times both with and without the machine. Just don’t forget to set a timer for the bread rise. 😉
Will this whole wheat pita bread really puff as it bakes?
Yes! You’ll get gorgeous pockets. There’s nothing like the thrill of having a disc of dough go into the oven, and a puffy bubble of a pita comes out. The puff does deflate a bit during cooling. But it’s still fun.
The trick to getting the perfect pita puff is to bake in batches, and spritz each pita with a bit of water right as you put it into the oven. The water helps the reaction in the bread that causes the puff. If you have a clean spritz bottle that you use for food purposes only, fill it with water. Then this step is really easy.
If you don’t have one though, or can’t find yours, use your fingertips dipped in a bowl of clean water to flick water over each round. It’s not quite as uniform but does the trick. You could probably also brush lightly with a silicone baster. Just be sure not to soak the bread.
What do I serve with the bread?
The possibilities are endless, really! You can use pita bread in lieu of sandwich bread for your favorite sandwich recipe. Cut the bread into triangles and serve with hummus, feta dip, or baba ganoush for a Middle Eastern tapas dish. The Godfather likes to eat breakfast pita pockets with a bit of cheese and scrambled eggs. And I’ve used them as a pizza crust for an easy lunch for the kids.
I hope you love this recipe darlings. Happy baking!
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Homemade whole wheat pita bread - serve it with hummus or fill it up with whatever you prefer. Super easy to make, soft, chewy and so good!
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
Instructions
- Bread Machine: Place all ingredients in your bread machine, wet first, then dry, and run the dough setting. Then continue with step 4.
- By hand or stand mixer: If you do not have a bread machine. you’ll want to mix all ingredients together in a bowl until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you get a soft, pliable, but not sticky dough. This can be done either by hand or using a stand mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for about an hour.
- Take your bread dough from the mixer (or your bowl) and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Split it into 8 equal parts. Cover the rounds with a clean, lint-free dish towel while you are baking.
- Roll out however many fit on your baking stone or cookie sheet and let rise on a piece of parchment paper while you preheat your oven to 500, with the baking stone or cookie sheet inside.
- Sprinkle the pita rounds lightly with some water, slide the parchment paper and pitas onto the stone or cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes until the pitas have puffed and are lightly golden. If you choose not to use the parchment because you have a baking stone, just make sure you can move the pitas easily for transfer from your rolling surface to your baking surface.
- Bake pitas in batches, rolling and sprinkling with water just before baking.
- Once cool enough to handle, stuff with your filling of choice and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure that your cookie sheet or baking stone is safe to use at 500 F. The darker, non-stick baking sheets usually aren't. If you don't have a baking stone or light-colored baking pan, a cast-iron skillet will work too.
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