This week I have been inspired by both my lovely Mum (who makes the best bread EVER!) andReal Bread Week to try making my own pitta breads for the first time, and I'm pleased to say thatthey turned out really well and were a big success with all of the family! I've been meaning to try making more of my own bread products for some time now, I love the fact that you have complete control over the ingredients and of course there's nothing quite like the taste of homemade, but like most things it can be tricky to find the time.
The fact that it was Real Bread Week this week was the push I needed to give them a go andI was pleasantly surprised to find thatactually you don't need tospenda huge amount of time making pitta breads. You do need to be in the house so that you can keep a eyeon the dough rising but apart from the 5-10 minutes of kneading they don't take much time at all to make. You'll findmyhomemade pitta bread recipebelow, I made 12 pittas so that I could stock the freezer but the recipe is easily cut in half if you don't want to make so many.
When I was researching how to make pitta breads I found and read many recipes from all over the place, but Iliked the sound ofPaul Hollywood's recipe the most and loosely based my own recipe on his one. The main change I made was to substitute the wholemeal flour for spelt flour - this ancient grain is higher in protein than wheat flour and easier to digest too. It was a staple food in Europe from the bronze age to medieval times and widely grown by the Romans, a fun fact to tell your kids if you make this recipe! Spelt flour also rises a bit quicker than standard wheat flour, so can help you save a little extra time - a nice little bonus!
Homemade Pitta Bread
Ingredients (makes 12):
- 250g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 250g wholemeal spelt flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 ½ tbs olive oil
- 300ml cold water
Method:
Weigh out the flours and the yeast and mix together. Crush the salt and sprinkle over the flour, then add the oil and 250ml of cold water. Stir the mixture with a spoon or your fingers until it starts to come together to form a rough dough.
Measure out another 50ml of water, then add a little bit at a time to the dough until all of the flour has been combined and you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough stops being sticky and becomes smooth and elastic instead (check out this video for how to knead dough if you're new to making bread).
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. This may take an hour or so depending on how warm your kitchen is, but keep an eye on it because spelt flour can cause the dough to rise much quicker than dough made with standard flour.
When the dough is nearly doubled, place 2 large baking trays into your oven and preheat to220°C (450°F/gas mark 8).
Once the dough has doubled in size, tip out onto a floured surface and knead a couple of times to knock it back. Divide the mixture in half and put one half back into the covered bowl. Divide the other half into 6 equal pieces, form them into balls and roll each one out with a rolling pin to form oval shaped pitta breads about 0.5cm thick.
Take the preheated trays from the oven, sprinkle with flour and place the pitta breads on them. Put them back in the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes until the pittas are puffed up and starting to colour.
Remove from the oven and wrap them in a clean tea-towel to cool - this will help them to stay soft.
Repeat the shaping and baking with the other half of the dough to make 12 pittas in total.
Notes: If you're not planning on using all of the pitta breads within a day or two then they should be stored in the freezer until ready to use. Defrost overnight and refresh in the oven or toaster before eating, or at a pinch you can pop them straight into the toaster from frozen, though they may turn out a little crispier when done this way.
This would be a fun cooking project to make with the kids - there are lots of opportunities for children to help with this recipe, from weighing and mixing ingredients to having a go at the kneading and rolling and shaping the pittas. My two year old was particularly fascinated with the texture of the dough and kept coming back to poke at it while I was kneading it, next time I'll give him his own little piece so he can give kneading a go himself!
If you're feeling inspired by Real Bread Week to try making your own bread, you might also like my recipe, my easyhomemade bread recipe (excuse the terrible pics on this early blog post!) or one of these delicious breads from some of my fellow foodie bloggers:
- Wholewheat Cobs from Tinned Tomatoes
- Olive & Parmesan Cob Loaf from Fab Food 4 All
- Crusty Cider & Onion Loaf from The Veg Space
- Olive Foccacia from Family Friends Food
- Sundried Tomato Ciabatta from Planet Veggie
- Apricot & Apple Couronne from Baking Queen 74
- Spiced Apple Challah from Family Friends Food
Happy Baking!
Grace
Homemade Pitta Bread
How to make your own pitta bread - full instructions and recipe for pitta bread made with Spelt and white flour.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time8 minutes mins
Rising Time1 hour hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, Mediterranean
Servings: 12 pittas
Author: Grace Hall
Ingredients
- 250 g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 250 g wholemeal spelt flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 ½ tbs olive oil
- 300 ml cold water
Instructions
Weigh out the flours and the yeast and mix together. Crush the salt and sprinkle over the flour, then add the oil and 250ml of cold water. Stir the mixture with a spoon or your fingers until it starts to come together to form a rough dough.
Measure out another 50ml of water, then add a little bit at a time to the dough until all of the flour has been combined and you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough stops being sticky and becomes smooth and elastic instead (check outthis video for how to knead doughif you're new to making bread).
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. This may take an hour or so depending on how warm your kitchen is, but keep an eye on it because spelt flour can cause the dough to rise much quicker than dough made with standard flour.
When the dough is nearly doubled, place 2 large baking trays into your oven and preheat to220°C (450°F/gas mark 8).
Once the dough has doubled in size, tip out onto a floured surface and knead a couple of times to knock it back. Divide the mixture in half and put one half back into the covered bowl. Divide the other half into 6 equal pieces, form them into balls and roll each one out with a rolling pin to form oval shaped pitta breads about 0.5cm thick.
Take the preheated trays from the oven, sprinkle with flour and place the pitta breads on them. Put them back in the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes until the pittas are puffed up and starting to colour.
Remove from the oven and wrap them in a clean tea-towel to cool - this will help them to stay soft.
Repeat the shaping and baking with the other half of the dough to make 12 pittas in total.
Notes
NOTES: If you're not planning on using all of the pitta breads within a day or two then they should be stored in the freezer until ready to use. Defrost overnight and refresh in the oven or toaster before eating, or at a pinch you can pop them straight into the toaster from frozen, though they may turn out a little crispier when done this way.
I hope you will want to try this yummy recipe, please pin it so that you can find it again! For more easy lunch ideas and recipes,check out theLunchbox and Picnic Recipes sectionhere on the Eats Amazing blog orpop over and follow my lunch themed Pinterest boards for fun and healthy lunch box ideas from all over the web;Kids Lunch Box Ideas&Packed Lunch Ideas.
