Sourdough Pita Bread Recipe

This special kind of pita bread is soft and a little chewy when it’s fresh from the oven. It has a slight tangy taste because it’s made with sourdough. With the sourdough pita bread recipe discussed in this article, you can easily make this sourdough pita at home.

Sourdough pita bread is different from regular pita because it’s made using sourdough starter, which gives it that unique taste. The process involves mixing flour, water, and the sourdough starter together, letting it ferment for a while, and then shaping the dough into small, flat rounds. These rounds puff up in the oven, creating the perfect pocket for fillings like veggies, meats, or spreads.

Making sourdough pita at home doesn’t require a lot of fancy stuff. You’ll need flour, water, salt, and a sourdough starter. Mix them together, let the dough rise, then bake it in the oven. It’s a fun and tasty way to try homemade bread that’s a bit different from the usual. Once you get the hang of it, you can customize the flavours by adding herbs or spices to make it even more delicious.

What Is Sourdough Pita Bread?

Sourdough pita bread is a special kind of pita bread made using sourdough discard, which adds a slightly tangy taste. Pita bread originally comes from the Middle East and it gets its unique feature by puffing up while it bakes, creating a hollow space inside. This hollow space is perfect for filling the bread with delicious ingredients.

The sourdough discard, which is the extra sourdough starter that’s not used in baking, is added to the pita bread mixture. It gives the bread a subtle sour flavour that complements its soft texture. This type of bread is great for making sandwiches or wraps because its pocket-like shape can hold different fillings, such as meats, vegetables, or spreads.

Making sourdough pita bread involves letting the dough rise and then baking it quickly at a high temperature. This process creates that signature pocket in the middle. It’s a fantastic way to use up extra sourdough starter and adds a unique twist to the traditional pita bread recipe.

Differences Between Sourdough Active and Discard Starters

When making sourdough bread at home, you might come across two types of starters: active and discard. The active starter is teeming with lively yeast and bacteria, primed to raise dough and create beautifully textured loaves, such as the enticing rye bread recipe crafted by baker Apollonia Poîlane. On the other hand, discard represents a different stage; it’s the portion of the starter removed before replenishing it with fresh flour.

Unlike the energetic activity in the fresh starter, the yeast in discard lies dormant due to the depletion of available flour for sustenance. Despite its dormancy, this discard holds a treasure trove of flavours that can be incorporated into various recipes, like enhancing the taste of pitas or infusing depth into dishes such as sourdough crêpes.

Moreover, the discard serves a pivotal role in the sourdough bread-making process. While it might not be actively fermenting, its distinct flavour profile offers culinary opportunities beyond just bread-making, adding a unique tang to a range of delightful dishes.

A Guide to Making Flavoursome Sourdough Pita Bread:

Sourdough pita bread stands out with its mild taste, boosted by the fermented flavours from sourdough discard. It’s a versatile bread, perfect for spreading favourite fillings like falafel, and hummus, or turning into delicious dippable slices for various condiments.

Begin with Homemade Starter: Start the sourdough journey with a homemade starter. Sourdough, known for its natural leavening process, involves mixing equal parts flour and water and allowing it to ferment in a warm spot. Regular feeding and care foster the growth of yeast and lactic acid bacteria, creating a thriving starter that yields bubbly discard—perfect for making pita bread.
Explore Creativity: Pita pockets serve as the classic base for falafel sandwiches but don’t limit yourself. They’re ideal for chicken or tuna salad or loaded veggie sandwiches with avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, and tahini dressing. Their portability makes them an excellent choice for packed lunches or on-the-go meals for picnics, offices, or schools.
Repurpose Leftovers Creatively: Stale pita bread need not go to waste. Transform it into pita chips by slicing and toasting them with olive oil and spices like za’atar or Mediterranean blends. These chips pair wonderfully with hummus, baba ganoush, or in Lebanese fattoush salad, soaking up juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasonal vegetables.
Try Making Flatbread: Rather than baking pita dough conventionally, explore making flatbreads. While traditional methods involve high-heat ovens like tandoors, home cooks can use cast-iron skillets or griddles. Ensure the surface is extremely hot to cook each piece quickly and evenly.

Simple Homemade Sourdough Pita Bread Recipe

Create Delicious Pita Bread Easily at Home!

This recipe yields 8 pita breads and takes around 35 minutes to complete, with a preparation time of just 30 minutes. Cooking time is only 5 minutes, making it a quick and delightful treat.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
½ cup of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 cup of warm water
2 teaspoons of active dry yeast or instant yeast
¾ cup of unfed sourdough starter discard
Olive oil (as needed) (Note: The total time doesn’t include up to 2 hours of inactive time for dough rising.)

Cooking Instructions:

Begin by whisking together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Keep this bowl aside.
In a larger bowl, pour the warm water.
Sprinkle the yeast over the water and allow it to sit for about five minutes until it becomes frothy.
Add the sourdough discard and flour mixture to the water, stirring thoroughly until the dough forms a shaggy consistency.
Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface dusted with flour and knead it for at least 5 minutes until it becomes smooth. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for this step.
Grease a large bowl lightly with olive oil, place the kneaded dough inside, and turn it to coat it with oil.
Cover the bowl using plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, which may take up to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven along with a pizza stone or baking sheet to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the proofed dough onto a floured surface.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
Shape each portion into circles using a rolling pin, about a ¼-inch thick.
Carefully place the pitas onto the preheated baking sheet or stone and bake until they puff up approximately 4 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they cook—once they puff, they’re ready!