My situation is unusual in that I had a total gastrectomy in which my whole stomach, together with its constituent valves, was removed. This meant that I had to avoid certain foods. The first among them was ordinary bread which can act like a sponge, block my gut and make me feel very ill indeed. (Don’t worry. I can now eat toast and the occasional piece of cake or pizza.)
In my early days, therefore, I had to scout around for an alternative means for making toast and sandwiches, which is when I discovered pita bread, the round flatbread which originated in the Middle East. Pita bread is very thin and so doesn’t have the sponginess that I had to avoid.
Nevertheless, pita bread does have certain qualities that make it very versatile, in fact, more versatile than your ordinary sliced bread. Being thin, it can be used for roll-ups or wraps, but can still be used to make sandwiches and toasties. It can also be used as a pizza base and can even stand in as a handy substitute for pastry. However, it’s mostly known for its unique pocket-like structure, which means that it can be split open and stuffed with all sorts of fillings, both sweet and savoury.
Pita bread is hollow because of the way it’s cooked. It’s baked at a very high temperature, often in excess of 260°C (500°F), which causes the water content in the dough to rapidly turn into steam. The steam expands, causing the bread to inflate, much like a balloon, and form a pocket.
While pita bread remains essential to Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, it has also been adopted by the mainstream. So, where I live – which has a large Middle Eastern community, as well as inner-city foodies – there are actually two variations on pita bread in my local supermarket. There’s the traditional variety made in a local bakery for the local community, and the one made by a nationwide bakery brand.
To distinguish between the two, for the purposes of this entry, I’ll call the product from the local bakery, pita bread, and the product from the nationwide brand a pita pocket. The main difference between the two is that pita bread is thinner than the pita pocket, which is a little bulkier and fluffier.
Pita pockets come in both white and wholemeal varieties and in only the one size of 15cm in diameter.
In my local area, pita bread comes in both white and wholemeal varieties and in two sizes, the large traditional round about 30cm in diameter, and a smaller round of around 15cm in diameter. (To save you doing the maths, the large round is four times larger than the small round.)
I generally use the wholemeal, smaller size round, which I’ve found perfect for my needs. Therefore, all the recipes and recommendations calling for pita bread in this article are for 15cm rounds, preferably wholemeal.
When it comes to bulk, which is an important consideration when you have a limited stomach capacity, one pita pocket is about equivalent to two small pita bread rounds. Therefore, I would recommend that you only have half a pita pocket at a time.
Pita pockets are most often used by cutting them in two across the middle (my local variety comes with perforations, so you don’t even need a knife), and exposing the pocket. With a little effort and a sharp knife, they can be opened up and prized apart to make two rounds. Alternatively, you can cut it across the middle and pull apart the pocket to lay it out flat. For the purposes of this article, I’ll call the first a half pocket, and the second a half round.
Being thinner, pita bread is usually used as it is and can be folded or rolled. Obviously, it can easily be cut into pieces, including in two to make pockets – though it will not make pockets as robust as a pita pocket – and with a little effort and a sharp knife, it too can be opened up.
Check the package of your pita pocket. It may recommend that you heat it before using it, either in a sandwich press or microwave oven. I find that after it’s been a few days in the fridge I also need to heat a round of pita bread in the microwave on defrost for 15–30 seconds to make it pliable. The best way to toast both pita pockets and pita bread is in a sandwich press. They can also be baked in an oven or air-fryer.
Check the ‘Use By’ date, too. Pita pockets usually keep longer than pita bread.
In this entry, I’ll be looking at 6 ways to use 15cm pita bread rounds and pita pockets.
Recipes:
Breadcrumbs
Pita Bread: take one half of a pita bread round, break it into small pieces and process it in a bullet blender or food processor to break the pieces down into crumbs.
Pita Pocket: lightly toast one quarter (¼) of a pita pocket in a sandwich press. Break it into small pieces and process it in a bullet blender or food processor to break the pieces down into crumbs.
Tip: to find recipes that use breadcrumbs on this website, enter ‘breadcrumbs’ into Search.
Sandwiches
Pita Bread: can be used to make sandwiches in two ways:-
- As a roll-up or wrap e.g. place a slice of ham and a little shredded lettuce or a few spinach leaves on a round and roll it up tight. If this is for a take-out snack, wrap it tightly in cling wrap.
- Folded up e.g. break a cheese slice in two, place it on one half of the round, top it with some coleslaw mix and mayonnaise and fold over. Best eaten immediately.
Pita Pocket: a half pocket is the ideal for making a substantial sandwich, as it can take fillings that might be too bulky for, or fall out of, a standard sandwich e.g. scrambled egg, salad, roast vegetables or meat balls.
The following recipes from this website could be served in a half pocket:
» Curried Egg
» Egg Salad
» Chicken Salad
» Tuna Salad
» Chickpea and Mayo Salad
Toasties
Pita Bread: can be used to make toasties in two ways:–
- Folded up e.g. place a slice of ham on a round, break a cheese slice in two, place it on half the round, fold it over and toast in a sandwich press until the cheese begins to sizzle. Cut into halves.
- Carefully open up the round, place a slice of ham and a cheese slice inside, close up and toast in a sandwich press until the cheese begins to sizzle. Cut into quarters.
I find the second style perfect for dipping into my lunchtime soup. (See Quick and Healthy Snacks: Soup-in-a-Mug.)
Pita Pocket: to make a toastie, take a half pocket and insert your chosen filling e.g. ham, cheese and tomato, tuna and cheese, chicken and avocado, banana and peanut butter. Toast until the bread is crisp by:–
- placing it in a sandwich press. If the filling is generous and likely to be pressed out, wrap the pocket in baking paper.
- grilling it on a griddle or in a frying pan.
- wrapping it in baking paper or aluminium foil and placing in a hot/moderate oven or toaster oven for 10–15 minutes.
Biscuits, Crisps and Croutons
When you feel like crisps or biscuits, but there are none in the pantry and the shops are shut, you can always make them from pita bread in a few minutes. With even less effort, you can make a handful of croutons.
The savoury crisps could be served with a Homemade Dip while the croutons can be used to make Easy Caesar Salad or BLT Salad.
Pita Bread:
- To make savoury crisps, carefully open up the round. Sprinkle the interior with shredded Parmesan cheese. Close over and cut into quarters. Sprinkle with garlic granules and oregano. Spray lightly with oil. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 10 minutes.
- To make sweet biscuits, cut the round into wedges. Spray lightly with oil. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 10 minutes.
- To make croutons, cut round into small squares, sprinkle with garlic granules and oregano. Spray lightly with oil. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 5 minutes. (Variation: alternatively, just cut half a round into small squares and add to the dish as is.)
Pita Pocket:
- To make savoury crisps, cut a half pocket into wedges, then separate the two sides. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese, garlic granules and oregano. Spray lightly with oil. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 15 minutes.
- To make sweet biscuits, cut a half pocket into wedges, then separate the two sides. Spray lightly with oil. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 10 minutes.
- To make croutons, cut a half round into small squares. Sprinkle with garlic granules and oregano. Spray lightly with oil. Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 10 minutes. (Variation: alternatively, lightly toast a half round and cut into small squares.)
Pizza
Pizza was something else I couldn’t eat much of in my early days, so pita bread made an ideal alternative pizza base.
Pita Bread Pizza
- 1 round of pita bread
- 2–3 cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 tbsp. diced tomatoes, drained)
- 1–2 mushrooms, sliced
- 1–2 tbsp. diced bacon
- Oregano
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Distribute tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon on pita round and sprinkle with oregano
- Cover with mozzarella and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese
- Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 10 minutes
Pita Pocket Pizza
- 1 half round of pita pocket
- 1–2 tbsp. good quality tomato sauce or passata (or 2 tbsp. diced tomatoes, puréed)
- 1–2 mushrooms, sliced
- ¼ cup red capsicum, finely sliced
- 1–2 tbsp. diced bacon
- Oregano
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Spread tomato sauce over half round
- Distribute mushrooms, capsicum and bacon on pita and sprinkle with oregano
- Cover with mozzarella and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese
- Bake in a moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 15 minutes
Variation: place topping in a half pocket, wrap in baking paper and toast in sandwich press to make a Calzone.
Tip: a pita pocket half round could also be used as a base for an open sandwich. (See Quick and Healthy Snacks: Old Favourites.)
Pies
I’m no baker, so I’m no hand at making pastry for a pie crust, but if I ever feel the urge to make a quiche or apple turnover, I’ve found pita to be an ideal alternative. Thin and pliable, pita bread easily lends itself to the task. Pita pocket might not be the best option for quiche, but a half pocket is ideal for a turnover. (Tip: placing a round of pita bread in a microwave oven on defrost for 20–30 seconds can make it more pliable.)
Quick Pita Bread Quiche
- 1 round of pita bread
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. diced bacon
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. low-fat milk
- Pepper, parsley and dried onion
- Press pita round into a small pie dish
- Beat together egg, Parmesan cheese, milk, pepper, parsley and dried onion
- Spread diced bacon on pita
- Pour on egg mixture
- Bake in a pre-heated moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 20 minutes
Variations: substitute one of the following for the diced bacon:
- ¼ cup mushrooms, chopped
- 2–3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 portion frozen spinach, thawed or ½ cup chopped spinach leaves
Pita Bread Apple Turnover
- 1 round of pita bread
- ¼ Granny Smith apple
- Cinnamon and sugar
- 1 tbsp. sultanas (optional)
- Peel and finely slice apple
- Place sultanas in a cup, cover with water, microwave for 60 seconds and drain (optional)
- Place apple on one half of round and sprinkle with cinnamon and a little sugar
- Add sultanas to filling (optional)
- Fold pita, wrap in baking paper and toast in sandwich press until crisp
- Allow to cool a little before cutting in two
Pita Pocket Apple Turnover
- 1 half pocket of a pita pocket
- ¼ Granny Smith apple
- Cinnamon and sugar
- 1 tbsp. sultanas (optional)
- Peel and finely slice apple
- Place sultanas in a cup, cover with water, microwave for 60 seconds and drain (optional)
- Place apple in a bowl and stir in cinnamon, a little sugar and sultanas (optional)
- Insert apple mixture into pita pocket
- Wrap in baking paper and toast in sandwich press until crisp
- Allow to cool a little before serving