Pita au Levain (Sourdough Pita Bread)

DIFFICULTY: MODERATE

OK, I know it’s pretty ridiculous to even use the name “Pita au Levain” like it’s some traditional French baked product. Pita is more of a Middle Eastern bread, and it’s quite unusual to make it with sourdough; nevertheless, my family absolutely loves Pita and this is one way to shake things up.

This Pita recipe makes a strong, soft and thick-walled bread that can be stuffed aggressively with your favorite meats, salads or just plain with butter. My favorite sandwich is an egg omelet with tomatoes, pepperoncini, onion, olives and bell pepper. What will you put in yours?

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Sourdough Pita Bread

A soft, thick and strong white Pita bread which is naturally leavened.

Course Breads, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Sourdough white pita recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes minutes

Bulk and proof 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 4 minutes minutes

Servings 14 Pita

Cost 4

Ingredients

Sourdough Culture – 12-16 hours to mature

• 206 g ABC+ 11.5% White flour
• 206 g Water
• 35 g Mature liquid sourdough starter

Final Dough

• 345 g Water
• 440 g Mature Sourdough Culture
• 674 g ABC+ 11.5% White flour
• 18 g Salt
• 6 g Yeast
• 37 g Sugar
• 40 g Olive Oil

Instructions

Prepare Sourdough Culture

• Mix together the water, flour and mature liquid starter.
• Set aside covered at room temperature for 12-16 hours until fully matured.

Make the final dough

• Mix together all the ingredients in your KitchenAid bowl or spiral mixer.
• In a KitchenAid, mix on speed 2 for about 8 minutes and rotate once or twice to make sure everything is well incorporated. In a spiral mixer: 5 minutes (speed 1) and 3 minutes (speed 2).
• Bulk fermentation 90 minutes with 2 folds, one at 30 minutes and one at 60 minutes.
• Power up your oven to its maximum temperature (500°F+)
• Divide 4 oz pieces and pre-shape into round balls. Cover and allow to rest 30 minutes.
• Use a rolling pin to make 1/8" thick discs. Place discs on a well-floured baking sheet and proof covered for 45 minutes.
• Bake for about 3 minutes 30 seconds or until pita are well-puffed. Remove from oven and flip them over on the baking sheet. Reinsert into oven for 1 more minute. Place on a cooling rack and allow to fully cool before enjoying or storing.

I did a pretty extensive discussion on baking pita, how to troubleshoot problems and how to roll them out in this post here. I encourage you to check that out if you need help. Otherwise, I think you will enjoy this recipe very much! It is super-useful bread for sandwiches and just snacking, but this version has that delicious flavor typical of sourdough breads. I would love to hear your comments and questions here.