Pita Bread From 'Savory Baking

Question

I attempted to make this today. I followed every step as written but my pita did not puff ( a few managed one quarter / half dollar sized bubble). I'm wondering if my oven wasn't hot enough? I did have a baking steel in a 500 degree oven. It was very humid today.  Could that have hindered the dough?  Any advice is welcome. The flat pita breads tasted good but I really want to get the puff. Thanks for your help :)

Cranky · Answer

Give them a second rise (at least 20mins) after shaping, it makes all the difference in my experience.

Emmie · Answer

Also, if the dough rose, the yeast was definitely alive!

Nancy · Answer

Jessica - if they baked and tasted good, yeast was probably alive.  If you want to be sure next time, mix the yeast with a small amount (1-2 tsp) sugar and warm water. Let sit about 10-15 minutes. This is called proofing the yeast. If there are beige foamy bubbles, the yeast is alive. If not, not.

Jessica · Answer

Hi Nancy, I thought they were very thin when I rolled them out using 8 inch square parchment paper and rolled until the dough got to the edges. I'm wondering if my yeast wasn't alive enough ?

Nancy · Answer

Sorry auto incorrect changed your name.

Nancy · Answer

Emine - good point! Thanks for mentioning this.

Emmie · Answer

You also may have rolled them too thick—if they’re too thick, they’ll be closer to naan than pitas!

Jessica · Answer

Thank you so much for your reply ! I'll try again after verifying my oven temp and adding the a bowl of water to the oven.

Nancy · Answer

Jessica -Some possibly helpful speculations from someone who's made pita at home many times.1) RECIPE. I read through both recipe you used and one from Serious Eats (which is usually super-reliable and has lots of background explanation). Very similar method, very similar encouragements about very hot oven, pizza steel etc.https://www.seriouseats...2) HUMIDITY. While atmosphere can always affect flour and bread-making, I found nothing to indicate that high humidity could be a problem. In fact, commercial bakeries have controlled chambers to ensure enough humidity (helps rise, prevents dough drying out).https://www.kingarthurbaking....3) OVEN &amp;amp; PIZZA STEEL HEAT. It sounds like you did everything right - set to 500F, including pizza steel, waited before adding pita loaves. Two possible things to check or change. Is your oven ACCURATE? If you don't already have one, please get an oven thermometer. If oven is off, adjust dial to give real desired temperature. Also, TIMING - let oven and steel heat for at least half hour before baking4) Another tip. Add a bowl of water to the oven (near the end of the pre-heating). I do this with all bread, not just pita or flatbread. The moisture helps with the rise in the oven (the last rise before the yeast dies) and the texture of the bread as it finishes baking. May help with getting the puff you want.https://www.google.com...Hope some or all of this helps, Nancy

Pita Bread From 'Savory Baking

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