Prep
25 minutes, plus 2 hours rising
Cook
25 minutes
Serves
2 pitte
Difficulty
Moderate
Region
Calabria
What you’ll need
Ingredients
- 4 cups strong bread flour
- 1¼ cups warm water
- ¼ oz dried yeast
- 1⅔ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil →
At the stove
Instructions
- 1
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and mix it into the flour.
- 2
Add the salt and oil and knead for 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise for 1½ hours.
- 3
Divide in two, shape each piece into a ball, then press a hole through the centre and open it into a ring about 9½ inches across.
- 4
Set the rings on floured trays and prove for 30–40 minutes.
- 5
Bake at 430°F for 20–25 minutes until pale gold and firm.
- 6
Cool a little, then split horizontally and fill, or serve torn alongside.
Recipe notes
Pitta is meant to be low and dense enough to hold a filling without collapsing.
It keeps well for a day and toasts back to life.
Context
Pitta is a long-established Calabrian bread, made at home and by village bakeries, and used both as an everyday loaf and as the base for filled versions.
Sources: Editorial adaptation of documented Calabrian bread traditions, Ro & Ti Kitchen
The pieces used here
From the Kitchen
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