How to Make Pita Pockets is a great skill to know.
I mean, store-bought pitas are nice but, honestly, they can be very dry. Homemade is so, so much better!
How to Make Pita Pockets
Makes about six 5-inch pitas.
- 3/4 cup warm water (no hotter than 110°F degrees)
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour
Place water & yeast in a mixing bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes until it gets a little bubbly to activate the yeast.
Place the bowl on the mixer stand and using the dough hook attachment, mix in the sugar and olive oil. Then slowly add in up to 2 cups of flour. Mix in at medium-low speed. When everything is almost combined, add the salt and finish mixing until the dough comes together. Salt can kill yeast, so we add it late in the game so the other ingredients are a buffer. Add the last 1/2 cup of flour if needed so the dough begins to pull away from the bowl and instead “hug” the dough hook.
Remove from the mixer stand and cover the dough and let sit in a very warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough has about doubled in size. If you’d like to make the dough the day before you need it just keep it in the fridge overnight to rise.
Split and make the dough into six dough balls. Place them on a parchment-lined tray. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick spray and lay it lightly over the dough balls. Let sit in a very warm place again to double in size.
After the dough has risen a second time, lightly flour a rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll out each ball of dough to about 5 inches wide circles.
Place them on the tray again and let them rise for another 30 minutes in a warm place.
Preheat a lightly brush the inside of a pan over medium to medium-high heat.
Place on pita in the pan and cook on the first side until it is light golden brown. This will take 2-3 minutes. It should get very fluffy. Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
After they are all done cooking, you can enjoy while hot or save for lunches throughout the week. Although, I must say one of the advantages of making them homemade is the privilege of eating them hot off the grill.
If not every pita rises as it cooks, creating a pocket in the middle, you can just fold them and enjoy them like taco shells. They’ll be heavenly either way.
