Okay, I’ll admit it. I love bread. It’s one of my primary food weaknesses. That and sweets. I love this sun-dried tomato pita bread recipe in particular because it comes together so quickly in terms of baking (just 2-3 minutes per side) and uses ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. If you don’t have the sun-dried tomatoes, that’s okay. It would still be good without them. I wanted to dress it up a bit and add a little more color and flavor.
To be honest, I made this bread on a whim. I had recently made some whipped feta to put on burgers and that put me in a Greek frame of mind. And seeing that I love bread, making pita just seemed like the right thing to do.
This is a surprisingly hearty and substantial flatbread. Don’t think you are limited to using it only to make a gyro either. Top it with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings and you have a nice (and easy) pizza. Cut it up and toast it and you have a nice accompaniment to your favorite hummus. It’s also great with soup, like this Crock Pot cowboy soup, spicy chicken soup, or three bean chili with bacon.
Of course it’s great for making gyros too. I will share my favorite gyro recipe with you next. Stay tuned!
Homemade Pita Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 cups white all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups water warmed to 105 to 110 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Instructions
- Combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes to proof. Yeast is active and ready when it bubbles and forms a film of foam on the top. Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water.
- Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, making a well in the middle and put the dissolved yeast and salt water into it.With your hands blend it into a dough. You may need a bit more or less water depending on your flour. When the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl it's ready for kneading.Lightly flour a large cutting board or your clean counter top (I like to knead on a piece of marble tile), pour the dough out on to the floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth.Pour the oil and sun-dried tomatoes over the dough and knead until the oil is absorbed and tomatoes are evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and set in a draft free area to rise until double in bulk (about 1.5 to 2 hours)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).Cut pieces of dough, egg size or larger, depending on the size of the pita desired. Shape them into balls with your hands and roll them out over a lightly floured board to 1/4 inch thickness.Set 2-3 pitas on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake them on the lower rack of the oven 2 to 3 minutes per side.Serve warm or at room temperature. You can freeze any leftovers.
I would like to use my dough hook on my mixer should I need for the same amount of time
Hi Lil, I’m sorry I can’t answer your question because I don’t own a mixer with a dough hook.
So impressed you’re making your own pita, and love the extra flair of the sun-dried tomatoes. Are there any other ingredients you have tried adding to your pita dough?
Thanks, Felicia! So far I’ve only tried sun-dried tomatoes, but I think they’d be good with olives, herbs or cheese as well. 🙂
It’s so fun to make your own pitas. These sound great. I love the addition of sun-dried tomatoes.
Thanks, Chris! I agree. So fun and easy. Thanks for stopping by!