Question: Pita Bread Does Not Puff Up
I made pita bread the other day and hardly any of my pita rounds puffed up. I am unsure what I did wrong. Can you explain to me why my pita wouldn't puff up during baking?
Answer: There are several elements that would prevent pita from puffing up during the baking process. Pita bread isn't a difficult bread to make, it is just that the directions needs to be followed precisely to get perfect pitas -- no shortcuts.
First, your oven temperature must be at least 500 degrees(F). In Middle Eastern bakeries, pita is made in a brick oven, something that is hard to emulate at home. But, we can do our best by baking our pita at least at 500 degrees.
Second, as tempting as it is to peek at pita while it is cooking, don't do it. Steam builds up at such high temperature and helps pita puff up. By opening the oven door, you are allowing this steam to escape, defeating any chance of puffing.
Another reason why your pita bread may not puff during baking is that you rolled the pita round out too thin. Or perhaps you didn't let the pita round rise long enough after rolling it out. Allowing the bread to rise is one of the most important aspects of making homemade pita bread.
First, your oven temperature must be at least 500 degrees(F). In Middle Eastern bakeries, pita is made in a brick oven, something that is hard to emulate at home. But, we can do our best by baking our pita at least at 500 degrees.
Second, as tempting as it is to peek at pita while it is cooking, don't do it. Steam builds up at such high temperature and helps pita puff up. By opening the oven door, you are allowing this steam to escape, defeating any chance of puffing.
Another reason why your pita bread may not puff during baking is that you rolled the pita round out too thin. Or perhaps you didn't let the pita round rise long enough after rolling it out. Allowing the bread to rise is one of the most important aspects of making homemade pita bread.
