The story of Woodfire Bakery began close to one-hundred years ago in Lebanon, a small country on the Mediterranean sea. In 1921, a family began baking thin authentic Pita Bread in traditional woodfired ovens. Five generations later, two brothers, Rami and Rawad, are continuing their family’s legacy of traditional Lebanese pita bread with WoodFire. WoodFire Bakery’s current products include thin-crust pita bread, crispy pita chips, and authentic hummus dip.
What makes Woodfire unique is not only their long history but also the style of chips they are producing. Lebanese pita bread is generally larger and much thinner than what you would think of as traditional pita bread. This makes for lighter, more crispy pita chips that are perfect for an afternoon snack on the go or to be served alongside your favorite dip. The traditional way to make pita is in a clay oven known as a tannur. This method can be traced back to ancient biblical times and has been almost unchanged in 2,000 years. The oven is built into the ground, and the dough is slapped on the sides of the oven. It is removed from the oven with a long wire hook. This method of pita baking has become significantly less common as machines have taken over to produce the bread at higher quantities.
Rami and Rawad are bringing back the traditional Lebanese-style with their thin pita chips. The family’s production facility and store, Wooden Bakery USA, are located just outside of Washington DC, in Vienna, Virginia, where it has been for the past 11 years. Today, you can find the thinly sliced pita chips in flavors, including Zaatar, Seasalt, and Parmesan, at Union Kitchen Grocery Stores throughout the city.
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