You might not believe this but I do not in fact live off paleo breads, pastas, and straight up carbs. Well, today I may have taste-tested myself into carb bliss. But so you know, I am driven to write these sorts of recipes, not so they can replace nutrient based foods, but so that deprivation can feel smaller and smaller until it doesn’t have to exist at all.
People approach the grain free lifestyle differently. For some omitting the “bad stuff” is the best approach. For others, substitution provides more of a successful plan. When I first went gluten free in 2008, I found a gfree sub for EVERYTHING. Oreos, bread, burritos, you name it. And to be truthful a lot of it was still garbage. But because I was so desperate to feel normal I indulged.
There is a lot of debate about Paleo “junk food” (like breads and desserts) – that it defeats the purpose of eating Paleo in the first place. We should be focused on organic bone broth and organ meats, not bread… right???!
Well, here’s my two cents. If you are transitioning off of a fast food, TV dinner, Chinese take out based lifestyle, having a homemade Paleo Pita Bread might be the very thing that helps satisfy a craving without “oopsing” too many times. So when I think about the average person in our country and the diet they consume, I’d say eating a grain free pita is the not only the lesser of the evils, it ain’t all that bad to begin with…that said, you know this is not meant to take the place of kale or chicken liver. Kapish?
Watch my YouTube video HERE…
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups warm water (around 100 degrees F) *** You can start with 1 cup and work your way up – your dough should be claylike when you finish adding ingredients. Keep in mind tapioca flour is NOT the same as cassava flour. Also, different brands/batches will vary. I use Otto’s Naturals Brand and it ABSOLUTELY takes a full 1.5 cups of water to make this recipe work***
- 1 tablespoon honey or 100% maple syrup (for vegan option)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or cooking fat of choice)
- 2 cups cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Preheat oven to 450
- In a mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and honey and allow to sit for a couple of minutes
- Add in flour, salt, and oil
- Stir with a spoon and then kneed by hand until a large ball of dough is formed
- Divide into approximately 6 equal portions
- Take each portion, one at a time and make a ball
- Wet hands and dampen the ball of dough
- Next roll it out each ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper (each pita should be about 5-6 inches in diameter), the water helps prevent the dough from having cracked edges. If it cracks, use your hands to seal it back together. Remove the top piece of parchment after rolling out before baking.
- Bake pitas (as many as will fit on a baking sheet) for 5 minutes on each side or longer depending on preference of “pocket” or “dipping” pita.
- Note: Cooking time and thickness variation will help determine end product. Thicker discs with shorter cooking time will yield more of a soft pita bread you can stuff. Thinner discs with longer cooking time will yield a slightly crispier version, perfect for dipping.
- Note: If you prefer to use this as a pocket to stuff, cut the pitas in half soon after removing from the oven and then slice the pocket open while still warm. Once they cool they are harder to slit open.
- Need a yummy paleo friendly hummus to get your dip on? Go check out Zenbelly’s HERE!
Wow these look really amazing! I used to love pita bread. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of that cassava flour to make these!
You will have so much fun with it!!!
thhis looks amazing thank you! Been trying to transition my husband into eating more grain free like myself and been packing his lunch. He LOVES bread and this just might do the trick!
How many Pitas does this recipe make?
I want to say about half a dozen. Hope you love them!
Has anyone tried baking these instead of frying. Lots of wheat flour recipes call for baking in a very hot oven. I have done this back in the day of eating grains.
Thxs
These pitas aren’t fried, they are baked 🙂
Hi there!
Thanks for the recipe and apologies if this is common knowledge but Google seems to be a bit undecided on the matter…
Is cassava flour the same as Tapioca flour and can I use this in its place as I have some on hand?
Thanks in advance and I can’t wait to make this!
Hi there, cassava flour is in fact different than tapioca. They both come from cassava/yuca but tapioca is just the starch where as the cassava flour is the full root ground and dried. Does that help?
Yes, I Googled this but it seemed like cassava and tapioca flour are interchangeable. I did try making these just with my tapioca flour; did not have cassava flour. I ended up having to use additional gluten free flour. Still in the oven – no verdict yet. 🙂
Hope they work! In my experience it is not interchangeable but I am crossing my fingers for you!!
Yes! This was incredibly useful so thank you for your response.
Now just to find it in the UK! I’ll let you know the verdict once I find them and make them – thanks again!
Hi there, just wondere if you’d found it in the uk? I’m looking for it but can’t seem to find any!
What are you looking for? Cassava flour? Otto’s actually delivers to the UK via one of the websites that carries them I believe. You might want to reach out to Otto’s Cassava Flour to find out which suppliers are carrying it!
Do you cook these on a heated stone or pan or just slide it in the oven on a cold cookie sheet? Thanks! Can’t wait to get my hands on some flour to try this!
Cold parchment lined cookie sheet!!! Nuttin’ fancy!
Hi there! This recipe looks absolutely wonderful! I was wondering though, would the recipe still work if I didn’t use the yeast? If not, is there a good substitute for yeast that you know of?
Thank you so much for all of your incredible recipes! 🙂
– Lindsey.
I am not sure if it would puff the same without yeast, you could certainly try, but I can’t promise the end result unfortunately.
I *love* this recipe! And so many of your recipes. I think I’ve pinned them all to my pinterest. Sooo good. I know the paleo police think we should only eat bone broth and organ meats but that’s not realistic. It is so bioindividual and so much about listening to your body. I’m supposed to eat AIP all the time but I can’t/don’t. Eating is social and communal and I personally enjoy my food, and enjoy the activities I share with my family and friends around food, so however wide I can expand the net of options for meal/snack time, the more the better. It gets boring and unsustainable otherwise and of course it’s always a choice (I know nightshades and gluten are my enemies and if I choose to eat them, I definitely pay the price). Thanks for these many wonderful & delicious options!
Meera, thanks so much! Perfection is not really a “thing” in my opinion because if we are following the rules that stringently then we are likely overstressed in doing so which defeats the purpose. Balance is everything and knowing our bodies. I appreciate your feedback!
I tried this recipe, but it came out terribly!!! Too watery to even resemble a dough. I checked the recipe a dozen times.
Any idea why? Looking back it makes sense- I have never seen a dough form when the proportions are 1.5 cups water to 2 cups of flour!
It depends on which type of cassava flour you are using – I am using Otto’s Naturals Brand and it ABSOLUTELY takes 1.5 cups of water in order to make it doughy. Any less than that and I am left with a crumbly mess. Cassava flour I find is thirstier than standard wheat flour which would explain the differences you are finding. If you have ever worked with coconut flour, I am sure you appreciate that different flours behave extremely different than their gluten-ful counterparts. Be mindful too that cassava/yuca flour is much different than tapioca just in case that could be an issue.
I made the Pitas but they turned out gummy inside and didn’t look nice and brown like yours not even puffy and I used yeast any ideas what I did wrong? I used Ottos cassava flour too.
I am working on a video now that should hopefully help you. Baking times can always vary too depending on ovens and altitude.
I got the same flat, gummy, no puffiness results like Michelle. I’ve watched the video, too. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong….could it be something to do with the yeast?
I’m not sure to be honest, I know if it is rolled too thick it can stay a little gummy on the inside, especially while still hot. You might try making them thinner? The only other thing I can think of is oven variability – perhaps your oven runs a little cooler? Are you at a different elevation? I tried to make the video very straightforward to help with trouble shooting so I am not sure what other variables might be different in your kitchen?
I get gumminess in almost all of my cassava heavy bakes and have tried altering recipes to get it to bake through. I’m left wondering if it’s altitude. are you (Predominately Paleo) at a lower altitude?
I am at a lower altitude and cassava flour can definitely get gummy. What brand are you using?
Hi!
Have you tried Moon Rabbit Foods cassava flour? Is it as good as the Otto’s? I only ask because Otto’s claims on their website that other cassava flours have a musky smell to them because they’re sun-dried and kind of fermented, and I just wanted to know if you can speak to that issue — the two reviews for Moon Rabbit Foods cassava flour don’t mention anything like that so I’m hoping that it’s as good as Otto’s!
Sam
Hi Sam, I personally have not tried Moon Rabbit since I have been using Otto’s. I wish I could speak for them. My hope is that the quality is good but of course I cannot guarantee that without personal experience. Otto’s plans to ship out in February so depending on your time frame, you could just wait it out if you’d rather go the Otto’s route?
Thanks for the fast reply! I don’t know if I’m willing to wait another month so I might end up trying Moon Rabbit, and if I do I’ll report back 🙂
I like both Otto’s and Moon Rabbit. I’d say Otto’s is like white flour, Moon Rabbit is like whole wheat.
Totally agree… some things just cannot be substituted and created gluten-free. I hadn’t even attempted making gluten-free Pita bread because it’s so utterly perfect on it’s own, I didn’t see how rice flour or anything else could compare. I just got my hands on some of this Cassava flour and am soooo stoked to try this!! Your pics are making me a believer!
Hope you love it!
I’m really looking forward to trying some cassava flour recipes. Thank you for all your awesome experimenting and fun recipes! Also, my two cents is that it okay to eat gluten-free oreos when you first start to feel a little normal, and it’s okay to make Paleo baked goods when we’re surrounded by a world of food we can’t eat without getting sick. I SO remember that deep need to feel normal when my health was terrible and my diet was turned upside down and I didn’t know what to do. But I didn’t stay in gf oreo-land and neither did you! I think it’s so important for us to be really gentle with ourselves and have grace on the journey. We can all do this long-term if we’re not faced with ideas like, “I can never have a cookie again in my life.” That’s a lot of pressure. 🙂 So thanks for your post, you’re awesome!
You are so right Joy! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂
What did I do wrong? These did not puff and form a pocket at all. I proofed my yeast so I know that want the problem. I’m disappointed.
Sorry to hear that. Did you watch my video first? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAj-vB0yCjI
Measured everything on a scale and even double checked my hot water temp to make sure it was 100. Mine were gummy in the middle too. Still delicious, but the problem with that is that is that the gumminess acts like glue so that you don’t get the bubbles/ pocket. I tried a second round on a preheated pizza stone and they were a little less gummy in the middle and had a couple of bubbles. Also they sat for 30 minutes longer so the yeast had longer to work. I’m wondering if this is an altitude thing. I did watch the demonstration video, and my pitas look like they are about the same thickness as the ones you made. I’m going to retry in a 500 degree oven as I’ve read that this is essential for puffing. Maybe this is due to the differences in oven temps. Anyway, despite the imperfections in our outcome, these were still delicious with our baba ganoush (since we’ve been deprived of our beloved homemade hummus since eliminating legumes). Thanks!
Hi Liv, I think there could be a few things happening. Could be altitude or even each individual batch of cassava flour/yeast. I have noticed that sometimes when I make the bagel recipe from Yiddish Kitchen that I need more or less water and there are a few texture changes. So I suspect sometimes individual flour batch variations could cause this. Cassava flour is by nature gummy so you could always try to cut it with a little bit of another flour too but I find that the thinner you make them the least gummy they are for sure. Glad you liked them despite your challenges!
I have had the same problem and I don’t live in a high altitude area.
I tried letting the dough sit at first too but still not much puff and very gummy in the middle
Not sure what to do next
Did you watch the youtube by chance where I take you step by step?
My pita did not rise at all, no pockets either. Any idea why? I’m not sure what the yeast is for since steam is what causes the pockets in pita bread, not rising from yeast. Anyway, I ended up just cutting the cooked tortilla like discs into triangles and putting them back in the oven at a reduced temperature to crisp up which did make good pita chips. But I was hoping for pita pocket bread….
Have you watched my video? The thickness makes a difference too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkaLuaGpTyU
Can I use fresh yuca root instead of cassava flour in the recipe?
I am not sure how it would work, the texture might not be the same breadlike structure if using the dough.
Wow….these look yumlicious!! 🙂 I haven’t had pita bread/pocket in FOREVER!! Also, I appreciate the video. It helps a lot. Every time I use cassava flour I can’t seem to get any good results, which is truely frustrating because I see all the amazing things that can happen with this flour so this gives me hope that maybe, just maybe I will be able to get this right this time, especially the texture of the dough. *keeping fingers crossed* I’ll let you know. Shoot, I’ll probably let the whole world know!! Haha
I had much better luck making these smaller and cooking them in a skillet on the stove top. I tried a couple in the oven as directed and they were just gummy in the middle and wouldnt split open even with a knife. I put them in a skillet and they puff up like little pillows and split open perfectly.
Sounds great!
Made these precisely to the directions, and like others described, they were gummy in the middle and couldn’t split them. Tried them, texture was so gross. Used Otto’s. Going to try the skillet way that others had success with…
Did you watch my youtube? I do a step by step, walking you through the entire process and show how to produce a product that is not at all gummy.
I did, I watched the video and weighed and tried to follow perfectly. Not sure what happened! The only thing I can think of is, you mention rolling them to about 5-6 inches, which is what I did, but in the video they look a lot larger than that, like almost two hand widths, but I followed the recipe because I wanted to do it exactly how it was written so there were no variables just due to the comments of people having issues (we all know people rarely follow recipes fully;) ). My dough looked exactly the same texture as yours in the video, etc, so that’s the only thing I can think of, that you actually need to roll them to 8 or so inches for soft, even more for crispy maybe. Mine didn’t bubble at all in the oven. Even when I bumped up the heat. When I did a few in the skillet, one bubbled but the bubble was still gummy – they would have burnt before the inside cooked which leads me to believe they need to be rolled much larger. I ended up tossing them and making a coco flour flatbread, but I think I’ll try again rolling out to 8-10 inches.
As far as I know cassava & tapioca are the same root just different name in different places.
Cassava & Yuca AND Tapioca are “related”. From what I’ve researched, I believe that Cassava & Yuca are the SAME ROOT, called different names according to region. Tapioca, on the other hand, COMES from the Cassava or Yuca root. It is NOT a “flour”. It is the “starch” that is REMOVED from the root. So they are not interchangeable. However, Yuca & Cassava FLOUR are probably interchangeable.
I watched the video, but mine still turned out gummy in the middle and not puffy at all. I made half the recipe just in case and made 4 6″ pitas. I baked them for 5 minutes each side and had to bake an additional 6 minutes each side before they started browning. I didn’t want the outside to get too brown otherwise I would have baked them longer just to see what would happen. They did get eaten, but I was really hoping for something that looked like the photo ?
Hmmm, I’m not sure what happened if you followed the directions and also watched the video. All I can think of is that maybe there is some oven variability or variation in ingredient brands. You can always add a bit of coconut flour to cut the gum which is the nature of cassava flour.
First time I made these, they tasted delish but were gummy in the middle and like eating leather.
Second time I followed the video, used maple syrup and water from a kettle that had boiled 5 minutes before. They all puffed up and tasted delicious. Pic of them here: https://instagram.com/p/BQBn0slj8Iq/
Glad you got them to work out!
Have you figured the best way to store left over pitas so that they taste fresh? Can they be frozen?
I have not frozen them before, it’s possible they’d work but they might lose some fluff.
Our oven just broke, can this be made in a pan or deep fryer?
Ooooh good question, I’m not sure. Do you have a toaster oven?
Wondering in advance of making this why you don’t let the dough proof and rise before baking?
I just didn’t write the recipe that way but you can if you would like.
These are amazing! I couldn’t believe how much they resembled real pita bread in both taste and texture!
These are amazing!!!!!!!