The PITA with dried sourdough is a quick pan-cooked bread typical of the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa. Called Greek Pita or Arab bread, the original recipe uses brewer’s yeast, but grandma Benedetta likes to prepare it with dry sourdough. The result is a fragrant and light bread, great both warm and cold.
It can be served like flatbreads, but typically it is accompanied by a meat filling (kebab or gyros) or sauces like tzatziki, hummus, or eggplant caviar. I like to serve it in a vegan version with lupin cream, some tofu sauce, some liquid pesto or garlic sauce. It’s also good cut into wedges and used as an appetizer or aperitif. Or for a delicious version, when it’s still warm, pour some flavored extra virgin olive oil (with basil and/or mint, or parsley or cilantro) over it, and you’ll taste the goodness.
Other easy homemade bread recipes:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Pita breads
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 256.20 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 51.55 (g) of which sugars 0.77 (g)
- Proteins 7.91 (g)
- Fat 1.52 (g) of which saturated 0.19 (g)of which unsaturated 0.25 (g)
- Fibers 1.78 (g)
- Sodium 325.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 106 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
PITA with dried sourdough
- 2 ⅓ cups type 1 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- cup Manitoba flour
- 1 tbsp dried sourdough (or half for a longer fermentation)
- 1 tsp sugar (or malt or agave syrup)
- 1 cup water (at about 77 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or peanut oil)
plus additional oil for the pan if needed
The Pita bread can be cooked in a hot pan, with or without oil.
Once these Arab breads are cooked and still warm, brush them gently with oil (plain or flavored with minced garlic or fresh herbs) all over the surface. This step will give the pita bread a richer flavor.
Tools
- Bowl for mixing
- Pan non-stick
- Spatula heat resistant
PITA with dried sourdough
In a bowl, pour all the dry ingredients except the salt, then add the room temperature water and mix with your fingers.
When the dough is cohesive, transfer it to the work surface, add the salt (you can sprinkle it on the work surface and roll the dough over it to absorb the salt evenly), then add the oil and work it all together until forming a smooth and homogeneous ball. To strengthen the dough, make some folds.
Then place it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise away from drafts for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled or tripled in volume.
Once it has risen, deflate the dough on the work surface and form 6 balls. Place them on a floured surface, sprinkle them with semolina, and cover with a cloth (or place them inside a rectangular tray, sprinkle underneath and on top with semolina or another type of flour). Let rise for 30-60 minutes.
Before cooking the pita bread, roll each risen ball with a rolling pin to about ⅓ inch thick.
Heat a drizzle of oil (optional but recommended) in a non-stick pan, then lay one pita disk at a time in it. When the typical bubbles start to form on the bread, flip it and continue cooking on the other side. Use medium-low heat for more even cooking, and cook with or without a lid according to your preference.
As they are ready, stack the Pitas on top of each other and cover with a cloth to keep them warm, soft, and fragrant. If desired, before serving them hot, brush the surface with a drizzle of oil flavored with garlic, basil, mint, parsley, or cilantro.
Place the bread disks on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or oiled), brush their surface with oil, then bake in a preheated static oven, on the lowest rack, at the maximum temperature (generally 480 °F) for about 5 minutes or until reaching the desired level of doneness.
STORAGE PITA with dried sourdough
The Pita can be stored for a maximum of 3 days in the refrigerator, inside a closed food bag. Before serving, reheat on low heat, for a few minutes in a pan or in the oven.
It can be kept in the freezer for 3 months; I recommend defrosting the Pita in the refrigerator before reheating.
Curiosities
How is dried sourdough used?
Dried sourdough is a form of natural yeast that has been dried for long-term preservation. You can use it to prepare savory doughs like bread, pizza, focaccia, or sweet leavened products like panettone or brioche bread. Generally, you use 5% of the flour weight.
Active dried sourdough can be used directly in recipes, without the need for rehydration, just mix the yeast with the other dry ingredients, then proceed with the recipe as usual. Keep in mind that active dried sourdough may require a longer rise time than fresh or dry brewer’s yeast.How many grams of dried sourdough per kilo of flour?
For a kilo of flour, you can use 10 to 50 grams of active dried sourdough, depending on the desired level of leavening and the available rise time. For a slower rise, you can use about 10-20 grams of active dried sourdough per kilo of flour.
If you want a faster rise, you can increase the amount of yeast, using up to 50 grams or a bit more.How much dried sourdough instead of fresh brewer’s yeast?
You can replace fresh brewer’s yeast with dried sourdough in a 1:2 ratio. For example, if your recipe calls for 10 grams of fresh brewer’s yeast (or 3 grams of dry brewer’s yeast), you can use 20 grams of dried sourdough. However, dried sourdough may require a longer rise time than brewer’s yeast, so keep in mind that the total preparation time might be longer.
