How to Store Pita Bread

Thaw your stored pita for a quick lunch of cheesy goodness.

Pita bread originates from the Mediterranean region, specifically, from the Greek word "pita," meaning, thin, flat layers. Today, pita bread has a broad range of culinary uses, from serving as a dipping bread for appetizers, to enveloping meats, cheeses and roasted vegetables in a pocket form. Pita bread should be soft and flexible. However, improper storage can render your pita dehydrated, stiff and easily breakable. Follow a few basic storage steps to preserve the freshness of your pita.

Things You'll Need

• Tin foil
• Freezer-safe zip-seal plastic bags

Instructions

Bread Box or Pantry

1. Move your pitas from their original plastic bag, or the oven, and allow them to cool if necessary. Putting steaming pitas in a plastic bag will cause condensation and excess moisture, creating soggy and potentially moldy pitas.

2. Place the pitas in a zip-seal plastic bag. Squeeze out all of the extra air until the plastic clings to the stack of pitas.

3. Seal the bag and place it in your breadbox or pantry for no longer than one week. The thin consistency of pitas means they spoil faster than other breads.

Freezer

1. Store your pita for up to four months by layering protective materials around the bread and freezing it. Allow the pita to cool and transfer your pita from its original bag to a freezer-ready zip-seal plastic bag. You don't need any additional wrapping materials beyond the freezer-ready bag and aluminum foil.

2. Squeeze out the excess air until the edges of the bag cling to your stack of pitas. The pitas should be cool to touch before you bag them; otherwise, the steam will leak moisture onto the pitas, making them soggy.

3. Place the sealed freezer zip-lock bag on a large piece of aluminum foil. Fold the foil around the plastic bag, covering it completely to add an additional layer of protection from the dryness of the freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid storing pita in the refrigerator; the dry climate will result in prematurely stale pita bread.

References

• Still Tasty: Pita Bread
• Bakery Equipment Ltd: Ethnic Food