POSTED 2011-11-13

Easiest Ever Overnight Pita Bread

An overnight, on-the-counter rise is the secret to dough that's super-easy to roll out. Briefly mix your dough the night before (no kneading required), roll it out in the morning, then sit back and watch your pita bread puff in the oven or even on the stove top. Or mix in the morning and enjoy them with your dinner. Makes 6 medium sized pita breads.

Early Prep: Using a spoon or paddle, mix 280g flour, 4g salt, 6g yeast, 168g water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and (optional) a tablespoon or two of wheat germ in a large bowl just until thoroughly combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or turn into a 4-6 cup storage container with lid. Let sit on counter 8-12 hours at room temperature.

Main Prep: Divide into 6 pieces, and shape into little balls. Let them rest 15-30 minutes on the counter, covered. Use a rolling pin to flatten the balls into 7" diameter discs. Don't worry if they're not perfect circles, they'll still puff up. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500F and set the rack to the lowest level. OR: preheat a griddle/frying pan on high heat on your range.

Bake: Place the dough discs on aluminum pie plates or cookie sheets prepared with cooking spray and a sprinkle of cornmeal. Bake 4-4.5 minutes. OR: cook around 2 minutes per side on a heated griddle.

NOTE: If you use the stove top method, they will puff up, but not so nicely as the oven versions, since you have to flip them over to cook the second side. They also deflate more quickly after cooking. Try both methods and see which you like.

Need help with the recipe ingredient amounts given by weight? See the Weight Equivalents page.

Easiest Ever Overnight Pita Bread

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