Store-bought pita bread often contains artificial flavors and coloring, unhealthy preservatives and additives such as High Fructose Corn Syrup. Try baking your own instead for a healthier alternative. This pita bread made with whole-wheat flour is delicious, fluffy and foolproof!

 pita bread

 Ingredients: *Makes 8 pitas

  • 2¼ tsp. instant yeast
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour, divided
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Cornmeal for sprinkling

Directions:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, gently stir the yeast, honey and ½ cup of water together. *If you don’t have a mixer, you can do this by hand.
  2. Add ½ cup of whole-wheat flour and whisk until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
  3. Remove the plastic wrap and add the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, the rest of the whole-wheat flour, the olive oil and the salt. Using the dough hook, knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm location for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
  5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. If you have a baking/pizza stone, place in the preheating oven to warm.
  6. Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface, punch it down and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, then stretch out into a 6½ -7 inch disk.
  7. Transfer the disks to a baking sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal and cover loosely with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.
  8. Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, into the oven. *These can be baked on a baking/pizza stone or directly on the oven racks.
  9. Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake for 1 more minute. Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining pitas.

*These can keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

For more recipes like this, visit Kiwi & Carrot, produced by our food blogger, Sarah Romero.