Khubz (Arabic Pocket Bread / Pita)
خبز (عربی پاکٹ روٹی / پیٹا)
*Khubz* simply means bread in Arabic, and across the Arab world it usually means the round, soft flatbread that puffs up in a very hot oven to form a pocket, known in the West as pita. It's the bread for shawarma and falafel, for scooping up hummus and mutabbal, and for every mezze table. It's easy to make: a simple yeast dough rolled thin and baked for just a few minutes, or cooked on a hot tawa like a soft naan.
- ⏱ Total: 35 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 15 min
- Easy
- Serves 8
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the oil and warm water and knead for 8–10 minutes into a soft, smooth, slightly tacky dough. Cover and leave for 1 hour until doubled.
Divide into 8 balls and rest for 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 250°C with a tray inside, or heat a heavy tawa until very hot.
Roll each ball into an even round about 4 mm thick. Even thickness is what makes it puff.
Bake on the hot tray for 3–4 minutes until puffed and just starting to colour, or cook on the tawa for 1 minute, flip, and press gently with a cloth until it balloons. Wrap in a cloth to keep soft.
Serve warm.
Kitchen notes
The oven or tawa must be very hot; a cooler surface gives flat bread with no pocket.
Roll evenly and don't let the rolled rounds dry out; cover them with a cloth while waiting.
Freeze cooled khubz in bags; warm in a hot pan or toaster.
The everyday bread
In homes and bakeries across the Arab world, khubz is the bread on the table at every meal. It’s used as a spoon, scooping up dips, salads and stews, and as a wrap for grilled meat and falafel. Bakeries produce it by the thousands every morning in huge, hot conveyor ovens.
How the pocket forms
When a thin round of dough meets very high heat, the moisture inside turns to steam and puffs the two outer layers apart, creating the famous pocket. Even rolling and a fully preheated oven or pan are what make it work.
Close to naan
South Asian cooks will find the dough very similar to tawa naan: flour, yeast and water, cooked hot and fast. The difference is that khubz is rolled thinner and more evenly so it balloons.
Serving
Serve warm with hummus, mutabbal and labneh, or use it for chicken shawarma and falafel. Leftover bread becomes the crisp pieces in fattoush.
Questions people ask
Why didn't my bread puff?
Usually the oven or pan wasn't hot enough, the dough was rolled unevenly, or it dried out before baking.
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Yes. Replace up to half the flour with whole wheat (atta) and add a little more water.
How do I make pita chips?
Cut khubz into triangles, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with za'atar or sumac, and bake at 200°C for 8–10 minutes.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 200
- Protein
- 5 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
