Pita Pocket Bread, Natural Leavening Recipe. Puffed like a pillow, but cooked until golden brown and hollow. Pita Pocket "FlatBread" is not necessarily flat, I know!

Pita Pocket Bread, a Natural Leavening Recipe, is one of our family's year-round, all-time favorite breads! This is a Natural Leavening Recipe, but pitas can be prepared as an unleavened bread. Everyone watches in amazement as a pita puffs until hollow. Mom especially likes that they're crumb-less (read: less sweeping).

Pita Pocket Bread! Natural Leavening Recipe by Amy McClean, R.D.

One of our favorites. No crumbs! Fill with just about anything you'd put on bread or tortillas. Makes about 6 pitas.

1) Culture Natural Leavening to a light, fluffy, structured, airy state, doubled in volume from refreshment. Time will vary. Do not use deflated Leavening for Flatbread Dough.

2) Using a kitchen scale when possible, measure and mix all the ingredients together.

80 g (1/3 C.) Natural Leavening, bubbly

313 g (1 1/3 C.) water, pure

8 g (1 1/4 tsp.) sea salt

475 g (3-4C.) whole wheat flour

If measuring with traditional cup measurements, use the smaller volume for course flour and the larger volume for medium ground flour. Dough should pull away from the mixing bowl making dough suitable for rolling.

3) Let the dough rest, covered, at room temperature to culture for about 8 hours.

4) Preheat oven and baking stone to 550° F. Cut dough into 4 sections for large pitas, 6 sections for medium, or 8 sections for small pitas. Shape into a smooth, flattened ball with your hands. Oil counter, if desired. Roll evenly to about 3/16” thick rounds.

5) Bake in a fully preheated oven for 3-5 minutes until the dough is golden brown. It's OK if it doesn't puff. Remove and cool enough to handle. Do not stack pitas until cool. Cut in half to fill.

Serving Suggestions: Pitas are fun to eat with just about anything--anything you would put on sliced bread or a tortilla. If the pita puffs, you can cut in half and put food in it. If pita doesn't puff, you can put food on it.

For more articles about Natural Leavening, see Recipes and Kitchen Tips. If you're in need of some Natural Leavening, click here.

Amy McClean, R.D. and her husband, Dr. Matthew McClean began Natural Leavening in 2006 and haven't bought a loaf of bread or a package of yeast ever since!