The Arab bread or Greek pita is a really tasty bread, ideal for cutting and filling with various fillings, from kebab to gyros, with vegetables, with meat, with chicken.
The history of this bread is ancient and has roots in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria) about 4000 years ago. Originally, it was a simple dough, shaped into flat discs, easy to prepare and transport, making it the ideal companion for merchants traveling the ancient trade routes.
During these journeys, the flatbread spread throughout the Mediterranean area, reaching Greece, where it was named “pitta” (from which the Italian “pita” is derived) and became a staple of the local cuisine. It is believed to be a common ancestor of other Mediterranean products such as the Romagna piadina and pizza.
It can be used as an accompaniment bread for dipping sauces, creams, and mezze (Middle Eastern appetizers) like chickpea hummus, baba ganoush (eggplant cream), or tahini.
Cut into wedges and slightly toasted or fried, it becomes a great snack for aperitifs, often served with the same sauces mentioned above.
You can prepare the Arab bread puffed as I did or make it flat to fill and roll up like our piadinas.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12Pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Arab bread or Greek pita
- 4 cups Manitoba flour
- 0.28 oz fresh yeast (or 0.14 oz dry yeast)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.27 cups water
- 1 pinch sugar
Tools
- 1 Bowl
Preparation of Arab bread or Greek pita
To prepare the Arab bread, first dissolve the yeast in the bowl with warm water (77°F) and the teaspoon of sugar.
Add half of the flour, and start mixing with a spoon, and gradually add the rest.
Mix with a spoon or spatula until you get a smooth and lump-free batter. This step helps to form the initial gluten mesh.
Form a smooth and compact ball and place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size.
Once doubled in volume, take your dough, turn it out onto the work surface, deflate it, and divide it into 12 equal-sized balls.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, slightly flatten the balls to form circles approximately 4 inches in diameter, cover with a dry cloth, and let rise for another 35/40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 482°F, and bake the Arab bread for 10/12 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.
If you want the Arab bread puffed to cut and fill, you don’t need to do anything else, but if you want flat and deflated bread to fill and roll like our piadinas, moisten the dough before baking using a pastry brush and warm water or with a small tray of water at the bottom of the oven to create steam.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL
How to store Arab bread or Greek pita
Arab bread or Greek pita keeps well in paper bags for 2 or 3 days. You can freeze the Arab bread once cooked and cooled, and before using it, let it thaw for a few hours at room temperature.
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