Half Whole-Wheat Pita Bread

This recipe, which uses (roughly) half whole-wheat flour and half white flour, strikes the perfect balance between healthy rusticity and soft, pillowy pita heaven. (For more on our pita bread, see our story.) Unlike many versions, it does not require a stand mixer.  Our recipe leans heavily on the technique so thoughtfully outlined by Annisa Helou in her pita recipe in Feast: Food of the Islamic World. It also draws from others by Claudia Roden (The New Book of Middle Eastern Food) and Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking). Note that our recipe calls for active dry yeast rather than instant yeast (they do not behave the same way, and require different measurements). I’ve chosen to use active dry, which requires proofing, rather than instant because it’s nice to have a recipe you can whip up without going to the store (instant doesn’t keep nearly as long as active dry). 

Be sure to have a large plastic zipper bag at hand when the hot, puffy pitas come out of the oven, even if you’re going to eat the pitas within a couple hours. Drop them right in and zip it up, so they stay soft and pliable; otherwise, they get stiff pretty quickly. 

They freeze super well. Last time I made them, we ate six right away, froze the rest, and they were perfect defrosted and popped into a 350 degree oven to warm for a few minutes. 

Makes 12 pitas. Besides a rolling pin, you will also need several clean kitchen towels or tea towels.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for dusting)

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil (plus additional for oiling a bowl)

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast to make sure it’s still active: Pour 1/2 cup of lukewarm (not very hot) water into a medium-small bowl, add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Then stir in the sugar. Now wait and watch: When it begins to froth (about 10 minutes), that means the yeast is still active and good. Stir in another 1 cup of warm water and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flour with the salt to combine. Make a depression in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the 1/4 cup olive oil, and use a fork or your fingers to work the oil into the flour. 

3. Now you’re going to gradually add the yeast liquid. Pour a little into the center, and use the fork or your fingers again to pull the flour mixture into it. Continue until the liquid is all incorporated, then knead the the mixture inside the bowl until it’s a sticky, shaggy ball of dough. If it’s shaggy but not sticky, add a tablespoon of warm water and knead a little more.

4. Lightly flour your work area (whether it’s a very large cutting board, a granite counter or marble slab). Turn the dough onto the surface and knead it for three minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, invert the mixing bowl over it and let it rest covered like that for 15 minutes. 

5. Knead the dough for three more minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and coat the inside with a little olive oil. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in the bowl and roll it around to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic film, and set it somewhere warm and free of drafts to rise. (When my kitchen is chilly, I sometimes turn the oven on for a couple of minutes, then turn it off, leave the door slightly ajar and let the dough rise next to it.) Leave it there for an hour, until it roughly doubles in size. 

6. Turn the dough back onto your work surface, and use a bench scraper or knife to divide it into twelve equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Arrange them, with a little space in between each, in a square or rectangle, and cover them with a very damp kitchen towel and leave them to rest for 45 minutes. 

7. Lightly flour your work surface, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each ball into an even, flat 6-to-7-inch round. Roll them as round and evenly thick as you can, so they puff fully as they bake. Arrange them close to each other, sprinkle with a little flour, and lay a clean, dry tea towel (you may need two) over them. Let them rest 15 to 20 minutes.

8. While the rounds are resting, place an inverted baking sheet on the top rack in the oven, and heat the oven to 500 degrees. 

9. Now it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Because the pitas will bake very quickly, you might want to try a single one first, to see how it goes. Place one of the rounds on the baking sheet and bake till it’s puffed out and very lightly golden, which might be anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes. Start checking at around 3 minutes. The idea is to pull it out once it’s completely baked, but before it’s crisp. You won’t need to flip it over. Use a spatula to remove it to a wire rack and let it cool just slight before either devouring it or sealing it in the zipper bag. Bake the rest in multiple batches, two at a time.