A flat and round yeast mass in the oven suddenly starts to… Breathe!?
How can that be? Why is this Lebanese pita bread in the oven split exactly in the center? Why does it swell and become a mini balloon?
“A world of mad people,” I used to think as a child, and my mother laughed at my amazement.

“This is magic

al mass!” he whispered to me. “As soon as I point my magic kitchen spoon (actually used a fork I noticed years later), I bread bread becomes a balloon *whooooosh*” told me and took the next burning burn out of the oven. “See?”

Now, decades later, I bake this bread myself, and I still don’t know how bread swells like a balloon. Even the omniscient oracle ‘Google’ has not yet been able to give me a concrete and credible response. If you know it, please share your secret with me! Well, let’s accept it for now… The flat bread is delicious anyway! At that time, there was no flat bread to buy in our area.

So she had no choice but to bake it herself. My mother used to bake a few pounds of flour to make flat bread. However, he did not survive long, considering that so many delicious brides wrapped (that is what they call wrappers in Lebanon) could be made with him. We wrapped everything in the pita bread. One of my favorite wraps was with home fries and ketchup, but also bathed in delicious olive oil and zaatar, or labneh and cucumber. I could go on forever. But you’re coming! Bake your own bread or pita and watch how magic occurs in the oven.

A little Clue – Lebanese Pita Bread

Preparing in the oven has always been a little complicated. Temperature and time have to be correct. My mother is very clever when it comes to getting the desired results. For example, he used to put a grid in the kitchen, turn the plate on top, and give the Lebanese pita bread the right heat from below directly on this grid before putting the flat bread back into the oven for a short time. It’s a lot of work, but it’s always been worth it.

Update: I Reviewed and Improved the Recipe in July 2021.

In fact, I’ve got the perfect flat bread, even more perfect. I experienced a lot with different types of flour, rest times, temperature, and cooking times. My goal was that flat bread would be as good in a normal oven as if you bought it (and even better!). It must definitely go up as a balloon, be perfect to wet, and must be really nice and elastic so that it can also be rolled in wrapping. Now I’ve got it, and of course I’ll pass the new recipe directly to you. There is an important step you should not forget when you prepare bread: After you have baked the bread, you must place it in a plastic bag once it is cooled. Only in this way is it guaranteed that it remains elastic and perfectly rolled even one day later.

The pita bread also works in the frying pan

Now I’ve also tried Lebanese pita bread on the pan and it also works wonderfully. Just bear in mind that bread doesn’t go up like a balloon and it’s more compact. The heat of the pan creates roasted aromas that give bread a slightly different taste and texture.

Lebanese Pita Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g Wheat flour type 00 or type 550 Recommendation: Type 00 (becomes more elastic)
• 7 g Dry livage
• 1 Sugar TSP
• 1.5 TSP Sal
• 300 ml warm water
• 70 ml olive oil

Preparation

• Sift the flour into a bowl and mix it with the salt, sugar, and yeast.
• Add the water and olive oil and knead vigorously for about 5–10 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 70 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Shape into balls and let them rise for another 15 minutes, covered with a slightly damp cloth.
• Preheat the oven to 250°C (490°F).
• Roll out the balls to approximately 2 mm thick and form into round patties.

Pizza Stone Preparation

• Place the pizza stone on the lowest rack and let it heat in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
• Bake the burgers for about 2 to 2.5 minutes on the hot pizza stone.
• Once cooled, place them in a plastic bag to retain moisture and elasticity.

Pizza Stone-Free Preparation

• Preheat the oven tray. Bake the burgers for about 2:45 minutes on a baking tray.
• Once cooled, place them in a plastic bag to retain moisture and elasticity.

Skillet Preparation

• It’s not necessary to use the balloon-shaped pan. The bread won’t rise there, but it also tastes great.
• Heat a greaseless skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and bake the burgers one by one for about 2 minutes. Turn halfway through.
• Once cooled, place them in a plastic bag to retain moisture and elasticity.