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Khobz (Arab pocket bread)
خبز
The round, thin flatbread of the Levant and the Arab world, known in English as pita: a plain yeast dough rolled thin and baked for a few minutes in a very hot oven until it balloons into a pocket. This is the version of the baker Reem Assil, of Reem's.
- Servings
- 4
- Preparation
- 30 min
- Cooking
- 15 min
- Resting
- 1 h 45
- Total
- 2 h 30
- Difficulty
- Easy
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Rolling pin
- Pizza stone or a baking sheet turned upside down
- Peel or another inverted tray
Ingredients
Method
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave about 10 minutes, until foamy.
Timer · 10 min10:00Mix the flour and salt well, so the salt is evenly spread.
Stir the oil into the yeast mixture, add it to the flour and work into a dough. Add 1–2 tbsp of flour if it is sticky.
Knead about 10 minutes, until soft and elastic.
Timer · 10 min10:00Put in an oiled bowl, cover and leave about 1½ hours at room temperature, until doubled.
Timer · 1 h 3090:00Punch down, divide into 4, shape into rounds, cover and rest at least 10 minutes.
Timer · 10 min10:00Heat the oven to its highest setting, usually 260–290 °C (500–550 °F), with a stone or inverted baking sheet on a low shelf.
Flour each round, flatten it and roll to 3–6 mm (⅛–¼ inch) thick.
Slide onto the hot stone and bake 3–5 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden.
Why The sudden heat turns the water in the thin dough to steam, which splits it into two layers: the pocket.
Timer · 5 min5:00
Substitutions
- Plain bread → Mana'eesh (Assil's variation): spread 1–2 tbsp of a mix of ½ cup za'atar and ½ cup olive oil on each round before baking.
Common mistakes
- Rolling unevenly: thin patches bake through before the rest puffs, and the bread does not open into a pocket.
- A cool oven: the bread browns and dries without ballooning.
Storage & reheating
Wrap in a cloth while warm so the breads stay soft. Keep a day in a bag, or freeze.
Allergens
Gluten
Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.
Dietary
vegan
Arab bread
Reem Assil's recipe, demonstrated at a San Francisco Bay Area farmers market in 2016, calls the bread khobz and describes it as an Arab flatbread. It is a plain dough of bread flour, water, yeast, a little sugar, salt and oil, divided into four and baked on a stone in the hottest possible oven. The same dough becomes mana'eesh when it is spread with za'atar and olive oil before baking.
How the pocket forms
Assil rolls the dough to 3–6 mm and bakes it at 260–290 °C on a preheated stone. In 3–5 minutes the bread inflates and turns lightly golden. Thinner rounds puff more readily; very thick ones stay closed and bready.
How it connects
Place
- origin Levant In preparation
Recipe
- pairs with Moroccan fish tagine with chermoula