Sourdough Discard Pita Bread

I love making my family foods from different regions in the world. Pita bread has become a staple at our table and this sourdough discard pita bread is just the best. Soft, fluffy and airy pockets for all the yummy fillings, this is a family favorite sourdough discard recipe. The best part? Dinner time becomes a breeze without any complaints. Using sourdough discard to make light, fluffy, and pocket-perfect pita bread for your own pita sandwich creations is fun and delicious. This sourdough discard pita bread is the perfect vehicle for a pita sandwich: light, fluffy and a beautiful, airy pocket in the middle for the perfect pita bread sandwich.

Steps to the Perfect Sourdough Discard Pita Bread

One of the things that separates pita from naan bread or a soft wrap bread is the pocket that is created when pita is baked. The key to forming that awesome pocket in pita bread is using a very hot oven to help create steam. Steam puffs up the dough during the baking process and forms a pocket in the bread. After the pita cools, the bread will flatten but a pocket will remain. This pocket can be a little bit finicky and relies on pretty near perfect conditions for it to form while baking. If you can remember the following tips when making your homemade sourdough discard pita bread, you will get nice pockets 80-100% of the time.

Sourdough Discard in Pita Bread

If you know me, you know I’m always looking for ways to use up some sourdough discard. I love the health benefits (all that “good” bacteria that help maintain a stable, healthy digestive system) and less food waste. Both of these things contribute to me adding sourdough discard to a lot of my baked goods. Waffles, biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, you name it…I will try it! This sourdough discard pita bread is no different. I love that this recipe calls for a whole cup of sourdough discard. If you don’t have discard on hand you can also use sourdough starter instead for similar health benefits. Because this recipe uses a lot of discard, it’s important to use discard that is 100% hydration (meaning it’s been fed equal weights water and flour). If you use discard with a higher hydration, you’ll want to add a little more flour to the pita bread. Conversely if you use a lower hydration discard you’ll want a little less flour. Make sure you are feeling the dough throughout and know when to stop adding flour. Over-flouring the dough leads to a flat and no-pocket pita.

Mixing Sourdough Discard Pita Dough

Pita dough can be mixed using a stand mixer or by hand. When making small batches of dough, like this recipe, I like use a KitchenAid mixer or knead by hand. If I was doubling the recipe and making a larger batch, I would use a Bosch mixer. Using a mixer means you can dump all the ingredients into the mixer fitted with a dough hook, turn it on and let it knead for about 5 minutes. If you choose to mix by hand, whisk together the ingredients (I love this Danish dough whisk) and then knead for 2 minutes by hand. Let the dough rest and gluten relax for about 5 minutes and then knead again for another two minutes. Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a container, cover it and let the dough rise for about an hour until doubled in size.

Shaping and Rolling Pita Bread

Pita bread dough is initially pre-shaped into small balls before being rolled thin. At this point, you will want to begin pre-heating your oven or pizza oven. Dump the dough out onto a countertop and separate into 8 pieces. Taking a piece at a time, pull up the sides of the dough into the middle while rotating the dough in your hand. Then roll the ball on the countertop to seal the seam and place on the counter. Cover the dough balls and let them rise again for about 30 minutes. Once the balls have risen, use a rolling pin to roll one of the balls out very thin, a little less than 1/4 inch without tearing the dough. Lightly flour a board and place the rolled out dough on the board. It is now ready to be baked in an oven.

Baking Pita in a Home Oven

To get a traditional pocket in pita bread using a conventional oven, you will want to use a baking stone (my favorite one) or pizza stone. The baking stone helps keep the oven hot and is the perfect place to bake the pita bread once it’s pre-heated. Place the baking stone in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 550 degrees (or the highest temperature your oven will set) for about 30-40 minutes. The extra pre-heating time is important because the stone will take longer to reach the oven temperature and you want your oven to be super hot before baking the pita. Once your oven is pre-heated and ready, it’s time to add some extra steam to encourage the pita to rise. I like to do this by tossing a handful of ice cubes to pan and placing the pan on the bottom rack of the oven, right before I slide the dough onto the pizza stone. You can also spritz the top of the pita with a light mist of water before placing it in the oven. Slide the pita dough into the oven and close the oven. Bake for about 3 minutes until puffed up and lightly brown. Remove immediately from the oven and wrap warm pita in a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining pita bread.

Baking Pita in an Ooni Pizza Oven

My favorite way to bake this pita bread is in an Ooni Pizza Oven. I have waxed poetic about my love for the Ooni before and have a few great Ooni specific recipes for Naan bread and Pizza that I love. This sourdough discard pita bread is right up there with those recipes in deliciousness. Pre-heat your pizza oven on the highest setting for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn the temperature down just a bit. Launch the rolled pita dough into the Ooni by quickly thrusting the dough off the board and into the oven. Bake for about 40 seconds to 1 minute until puffed up. Immediately after the pita puffs up all the way, pull it out of the oven, rotate it and place it back in the Ooni, very close to the front opening of the oven. This will allow the pita to continue baking but will keep it from catching on fire (as it has a tendency to do the further toward the back of the oven you put it). After about 20 seconds, remove from the oven and wrap warm pita in a kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining pita bread.

Fill and Enjoy your Sourdough Discard Pita Bread

Once all the sourdough discard pita bread is baked and resting in a kitchen towel, prepare the fillings. Our family favorite is salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken and some tatziki sauce but the options are endless. Leftover pita can be stored at room temperature in a ziplock bag for 24 hours. Anything more than that can be stuck in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

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