Bread Baking Process

A not so obvious question (or answer, rather): How do they create the internal pocket in pita bread?

I already know the answer, but it took me a while to grasp the concept (hint: they do NOT inject air into the pita or connect two halves of pita halfway through the baking process- much simpler and points are up for grabs...)

A yeast dough started in a very high temperature oven. The initial searing causes the dough to puff and separate from the inside. The carbon dioxide gas created by the yeast expands inside and accentuates the separation until the pita blows up like a balloon and the pocket is created. Like a souffle, peaking into the oven during the initial searing may prevent the desired "poof".

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I beg to differ with soeur_deux_de_ny2005's, but it is, in fact, a bread with yeast in it. Maybe not a "yeast bread" in the traditional sense, but it is still made with yeast. Here is an easy recipe I have tried and another from King Arthur Flour that I have not tried, both containing yeast. A quick internet search pulled up several other recipes for pita and all contain yeast:

Easy Pita Bread
Southern Living
Easy pita bread recipe includes flour and sugar and yeast.
INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110 to 115°)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
oil
PREPARATION:
Put yeast in 1/4 cup of the water; add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Sift 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt into a warm bowl. Form a well in the center; pour in yeast mixture and remaining warm water.
Begin to mix with hand, wooden spoon, or dough hook, adding remaining flour as needed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 to 15 minutes, until smooth and no longer sticky.
Oil a large boil; place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place free of drafts for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dough should be doubled in bulk. Knead for a few minutes then divide into balls about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll balls into circles on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, or flatten into circles with hand. The circles should be about 1/4-inch thick and about 7 inches in diameter. Sandwich the circles between floured cloths and let rise for about 20 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 475°. Sprinkle cookie sheets with flour or oil. Place loaves on baking sheets and bake 5 to 10 minutes. If baking sheets are oiled, turn pita loaves to brown both sides. Remove to wire racks to cool.


Pita Bread
2 C. warm water (115-115 degrees)
1 T. sugar
1 T. active dry yeast
5 1/2 C. to 6 1/2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t. salt

If you work away from home during the day or even if you work at home, you can make up a sponge, with about half the flour. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Add 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour. Stir with a whisk and let sit for 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get going.

When you get back to the sponge later on, add the salt and enough flour to make a dough that is a bit stiff, one that you can easily knead by hand. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead it until it is smooth and bouncy, adding only enough more flour to keep it from sticking to the board or you. Give it a rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten and make it more cooperative about being shaped.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand and then roll each piece with a floured rolling pin, or a pin with a cover, on a floured surface into a circle about 6-inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. You may need to let the pieces rest occasionally to relax the dough.

Sprinkle baking sheets with cornmeal, and place two circles on each. Or place circles on pieces of parchment paper. Let the dough circles rest here for at least 15 minutes while you preheat your oven to a hot 500°F. When the pita circles have finished resting, place the baking sheet on the oven bottom or, if this is not possible, on the lowest rack. If you're using a baking stone, make sure it's on the oven floor, or on the lowest rack. Use a peel to transfer the pitas-on-parchment to the stone. Close the oven door and keep it shut for 1 minute.

At the end of the minute, place the sheet on a rack higher in the oven and continue baking anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes, until the pitas have blown up into balloons and are lightly browned. If the pitas baked right on the stone, you'll probably want to transfer them to a baking sheet, which is already in place on the oven rack, for this second part of their baking.

When they're done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, slide the pitas off and let them cool. They will probably deflate somewhat after cooling. Once they're thoroughly cool you can press more air out of them so they take up less storage room.

Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

Bread Making Process


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