Lebanese Pita Bread

 Lebanese Pita Bread

Makes 6 large pitas 
There is nothing like warm and fluffy homemade pitas, and once you learn how easy and simple it is to make them yourself, you’ll never go back to dense, chewy store-bought ones. Even better when your pitas are covered in homemade Za’atar and delicious olive oil. Yes! I am talking about Manakish Za’atar or Zaktar bread. I am sharing three recipes here, simple Lebanese pitas to use for wraps and sandwiches, your very own homemade Za’atar spice mix (you can use store-bought but nothing beats homemade), and a beautiful Za’atar bread that is an absolute treat at breakfast.

Ingredients
​

​Pita ingredients ​:
375g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2.5 teaspoons or 7g active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
​Za’atar ingredients:
3 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 cup ground sumac
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, to make Za'atar pitas

Recipe
​

​To make Pita Bread

1Place yeast in a cup with sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water and mix using a whisk until frothy.

2Place wet yeast mixture, flour, olive oil, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Next, add the rest of the warm water little at a time to form soft dough. Knead for about 8 minutes until smooth.

3Cover and let it rest in a warm place for about an hour until double in size.

4Preheat your oven to 250ºC for 40 minutes. Leave a large baking tray in the middle rack.

5Punch air out of dough and divide into tennis sized balls. Roll each ball between your palms to make it smooth, cover with a wet tea towel and set aside for 10 more minutes.

6Pick each ball carefully, dip it in flour on both sides. Using a rolling pin roll out into thin circles like a tortilla. (Roll them slightly thicker for Zaktar pitas below)

7Place each pita on the hot baking tray and bake for about 2-3 minutes until puffed up and slightly brown at the bottom. Serve hot. Place it in a bread basket or wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.

Note: To make pita pockets, make ping pong sized balls and rest balls of dough for 10 minutes under a tea towel. Next roll them out into 1mm thick flat breads and bake for about 2 minutes until puffed.

​​To make Za’atar 

1Place all dried ingredients (starting with herbs) in a mortar and mix together using a pestle. Store in an airtight container for later use.

​To make Za’atar Pita (Zaktar pita or Manakish Za’atar)

1Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC, leaving a large baking tray in the middle rack.

2Pour 1/4 cup quality olive oil into 1/4 cup Za’atar; stir well to combine.

3Roll out pitas as per recipe above, then make slight indentations on the flatbread using the tips of your fingers. Pour 1-2 tablespoons spice mix onto the bread and into the indentations - spread evenly all over.

4Place the bread on the hot tray in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes until slightly crispy at the bottom and cooked through.

5Serve hot by itself or topped with Fattoush or Persian cucumber salad, sliced olives and some crumbled feta or creamy labneh.

For more delicious recipes, check out our upcoming hands-on cooking classes in Downtown Singapore.
​Click here for more details.