Arabic Bread Recipe

DifficultyIntermediatePrep Time2 hrsCook Time30 mins

Ingredients:

400 g All Purpose Flour

240 g Water

16 g Olive Oil

7 g Instant Yeast

7 g Sea Salt

7 g Sugar

About the Recipe:

If you ever made falafels or shawarma, you know it’s worth going the extra mile to make this amazing, soft, pocket like bread. You just can’t replace the taste of freshly made Arabic bread. Unfortunately, most supermarkets sell Arabic or Pita bread that taste nothing like the real thing ! So let me show you how to make it, because it is absolutely worth the effort !

Here’s How It’s Done:

Make the dough
- In a bowl add 400 g all-purpose flour. Sprinkle in 7 g instant dry yeast; whisk to distribute.
- Add 7 g salt + 7 g sugar; whisk again.
- Mixer on low: stream in 16 g olive oil, then slowly add 240 g water (room temp) until a dough ball forms.
- Knead on medium-high for 15 min until the dough is elastic, slightly sticky, but easy to handle.
First rise (bulk)
- Lightly oil the bowl and your work surface. Fold dough onto itself, tighten, and shape smooth.
- Spray/brush top with oil, cover with plastic + towel, and proof on the counter ~45 min or until doubled (longer if your kitchen is cool).
Portion & ball
- Degas gently; weigh and divide into 8 equal pieces.
- Flatten each piece, pinch to seal, then roll against the counter to form tight balls with smooth tops.
Bench rest
- Cover and rest on the counter for 10 min.
Roll the pitas
- Lightly flour the surface. Roll each ball into a thin round—thin but not transparent; avoid tearing.
- Place on lightly greased parchment (helps full ballooning).
- Cover and rest 20 min while the oven preheats.
Preheat hot
- Preheat oven to 250 °C / 500 °F, top & bottom heat, with a flipped oven tray (or stone) inside.
- After reaching temp, let it run an extra 10 min so the tray/stone is truly saturated with heat.
Bake & puff
- Lightly spray pitas with water. Slide onto the hot tray near the bottom rack.
- Bake 2–3 min until they balloon; flip and bake another 2–3 min. Watch closely—at this heat they can burn fast.
- Immediately stack and cover with a towel so they steam-soften for easy folding.
Serve
- Use for shawarma, falafel, gyro, or as a side. Once cool and soft, slice or stuff as desired.

Notes & Swaps

No stone? A preheated, inverted metal tray works great. The key is surface heat.
Thickness for puff: roll to ~3–4 mm. Too thick = dense; too thin/tears = no pocket.
Steam helps: that quick water mist boosts ballooning.
Dough feel: if stiff, knead in 1–2 tsp water; if sticky, a dust of flour only for rolling.
Whole-wheat option: swap 25–50% flour for whole-wheat and add +10–20 g water as needed.
Make-ahead: keep rolled rounds covered 20–30 min max before baking; or par-bake 1–2 min, cool, freeze.
Reheat: warm briefly on a hot pan or in a 200 °C oven under a towel to re-soften.