Sourdough Pita Bread

I have really jumped aboard the Sourdough bandwagon, but we’re a small family who doesn’t eat a lot of bread, so Sourdough Pita Bread is my absolute favourite. It’s super versatile and great to keep on hand for a single serve. Quick and easy to defrost from the freezer too! I use mine for;

• Toast with eggs
• Dipped in hummus for a snack, or as part of a platter
• Burger buns
• Sandwiches
• The sky is the limit here!

In order to make Sourdough Pita, you will need a sourdough starter. If you don’t have one, you can buy one from Mad Millie or make one in just a few days – check out a great tutorial from Homegrown Kitchen here.

Now this recipe is spread over two days, but a lot of that time is very hands-off. It’s great to schedule for a weekend when you’re pottering around the garden at home.

Ingredients

For the starter

• 30g sourdough starter
• 60g high grade flour
• 60g water

For the dough

• 400g high grade flour
• 200ml water
• 100g doubled sourdough starter (from the ingredients above)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

How to make Sourdough Pita Bread

Day 1

1. Sometime before midday mix together the starter, flour and water for the sourdough starter. Tip it into a clean jar and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (this may take around 4 – 6 hours).
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and water, oil, salt, and 100g of the doubled sourdough starter. Mix it well together with a fork to form a thick and shaggy dough.
3. Tip the dough out onto a clean bench and knead the dough by hand for 5-7 minutes until it becomes a smooth dough ball.
4. Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with a plate and let it ferment at room temperature for 3-4 hours. The dough will not rise much at all.
5. After 3-4 hours, place it in the refrigerator overnight (or up to 36 hours).

Day 2

1. Preheat an oven and an oven tray to 250°C.
2. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and cut it into 8 even pieces.
3. Once the oven is hot, roll two pieces of dough out into 5mm thick circles. Place the dough circles onto the hot tray and bake for about 3 minutes until the pita has puffed up. There’s no need to flip them.
4. After 3 minutes remove the pitas from the oven, and place them in a clean tea towel to cool.
5. Repeat with the remaining pita bread, allowing the oven to come back to temperature between each batch.