Whole Wheat Pita bread is a leavened flatbread that is very common in the Middle East and the nearby countries. It is popular for its Pockets.
Pita bread is soft smooth whole wheat leavened bread. They are so fresh and puffed up when they come out of the oven and make a great bake.
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What is Pita Bread
Pita Bread is a famous flatbread recipe from the Middle East Region. It is very common and used in many recipes like a wrap, Shawarma, Kebab, Sandwich, falafel, and many more.
The pita bread has a unique pocket and we may stuff veggies, cheese, or even meat.
Pita bread is from White flour or a combination of white and wheat flour. Today I tried pita bread with whole wheat flour and it has turned out really well.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
We make the Pita bread dough with just the basic ingredients like wheat flour, salt, Oil, Water, and Yeast. They are then allowed to raise. Rolled up and cooked at a high temperature.
Pita bread creates beautiful pockets on the bread. We usually stuff the pockets with salads or falafels and serve. Sometimes we also treat it like bread and make sandwiches from them.
100 % Whole Wheat Pita Bread
The Pita bread is originally made of Wheat flour aka all Purpose flour ( Maida ). So this is a healthy version of the original Pita bread. It is made of 100 % Whole Wheat bread. Still, it gets cooked up beautifully with all the Pockets.
One of the beautiful and healthy bake is my take on the Pita Breads.
Is it worth it to make your own homemade pita bread?
A big yes from my side. Pita breads are easily available in the stores. But why I still insist on baking your own bread. It's fresh, homemade with healthy ingredients, and it's so easy to make.
Storebought ones definitely will have some stabilizers to keep it fresh for longer days. Also, they may not be fresh. Just a thought but not a fact. Anyhow, always Happiness is homemade.
Do I need a stand mixer to make pita bread?
A pita bread dough comes perfect with hands itself. It doesn't involve too much kneading. All you need is a mixing bowl, good yeast, a rolling pin, and a working surface.
However, if you have a stand mixer and do not want o make the hands messy you can go for it.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread Ingredients
We are just using the basic bread ingredients like whole wheat bread.
Wheat Flour - Use 100 % whole Wheat flour for the bread.
Yeast - When it comes to bread Yeast plays an important role and it's unavoidable. Use good quality Instant Yeast or Active Dry yeast. Make sure your yeast is alive and active alone.
Sugar - We add Sugar to activate the yeast. We can add either white or Cane sugar. Works well with both. I have tested both versions.
Salt - Without Salt, the bread will be totally bland. Hence I suggest adding it rightly as needed.
Oil - I made the Wheat bread Vegan. Yes, so no butter or Egg. All it has is just oil for the texture. You may use any cooking oil without a strong flavor. I suggest Canola Oil.
Water - Finally the most important thing, Always use luke warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast. So be sure on that.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread without Yeast
For Yeast Free Pita bread we will use Baking soda, Baking powder, and Buttermilk. These are the leavening agents. They come perfectly when the dough kneaded well and proofed correctly.
FAQ's Pita Bread
The main reason the Pita won't puff up is that the baking temperature or your oven is not hot enough. If in a stovetop make sure by drizzling few drops of water on the griddle if it sizzles then the temperature is right. You can also press the pita bread with a clean towel as it's getting cooked.
Still, if the pita doesn't puff up it's absolutely nothing to worry about. They still are edible bread without a pita pocket.
After the first proofing of the dough, you may store the dough in the fridge and use it as you require for up to a week. Make sure you store them correctly. Place them in a clean air tight box.
How to make Pita Bread
1. In a mixing bowl add in lukewarm water along with Sugar and Yeast. Let it sit for 5 mins. So that the yeast gets activated.
2. Add in whole wheat flour, and salt. Next, add in the warm water and knead the dough for 10 mins.
3. Finally, add in the olive oil and knead once again. Cling wrap the dough and then cover it with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 2 hours.
4.After proofing punch down the excess air and knead the dough once again. Divide the dough into equal sized balls. Using a rolling pin roll them into small circles with almost ¼ inch thickness. Cover and allow it to sit for 10 mins.
Baked Pita Bread
4. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200 Deg C or 392 F for about 10 mins. Bake the pita bread at 200 Deg c or 392 F for about 10 mins until it's puffed up and baked fully. That is how a perfect pits pocket looks. Use hummus, Mayo, or any other stuffing and enjoy the pita bread.
Stove top Pita Bread
1. While preparing the Pita bread on the stovetop. Make sure your skillet is hot enough. Drizzle a few drops of water and test if its sizzles immediately. Heat a griddle and put the bread overnight. Slowly the pit bread puffs up and starts cooking. Flip and cook on both sides till you see light brown spots over the bread.
2. Place the bread in a hot box covered with a kitchen towel. It remains good for a long time.
How to Store Pita Bread
Pita bread is at its best when consumed fresh. However, you can also keep them in an air tight container for a couple of days. Freeze them by placing them in zip lock bags for a month. You can keep it in the fridge for a week.
While using thaw them, bring them to room temperature. Reheat them in the oven or stovetop and they are good to go.
More Flatbread Recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- ¾ cup Warm Water
- 1 tsp Instant Yeast
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt a pinch
- ½ tsp Sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add in lukewarm water along with Sugar and Yeast. Let it sit for 5 mins. So that the yeast gets activated.
- Add in whole wheat flour, and salt. Next, add in the warm water and knead the dough for 10 mins.
- Finally, add in the olive oil and knead once again. Cling wrap the dough and then cover it with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 2 hours.
- After proofing punch down the excess air and knead the dough once again. Divide the dough into equal sized balls. Using a rolling pin roll them into small circles with almost ¼ inch thickness. Cover and allow it to sit for 10 mins.
Baked Pita Bread
- Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200 Deg C for about 10 mins. Bake the pita bread at 200 Deg c for about 10 mins until it's puffed up and baked fully. That is how a perfect pits pocket looks. Use hummus, Mayo, or any other stuffing and enjoy the pita bread.
Stove Top Pita Bread
- While preparing the Pita bread on the stovetop. Make sure your skillet is hot enough. Drizzle a few drops of water and test if its sizzles immediately. Heat a griddle and put the bread overnight. Slowly the pit bread puffs up and starts cooking. Flip and cook on both sides till you see light brown spots over the bread.
- Place the bread in a hot box covered with a kitchen towel. It remains good for a long time.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, the nutrition value provided here is an estimate. It will vary based on the quantity and brands of the products used.
Note: This post is originally from 2019. Its now updated with new Recipe card, Pictures and Content.
Rafeeda AR
Totally love how puffed up the pitas look despite being made with wheat flour...
Saraswathi Ganeshan
This bread is absolutely delicious! Worth the time and effort we put in it!
Amara’s cooking
Beautifully done pita bread Sharmila, never expected wheat flour to look so delicious.
Srivalli
The pita breads seem to have a good hollow inside, has turned out good!