How to Make Perfect Homemade Pita Bread Every Time ~ making homemade Middle Eastern flatbread is so much easier than you think, and you’ll never go back to the stuff in bags again, guaranteed!
I promised you homemade pita bread when I posted last week’s Crushed Lentils, and here it is: the perfect, easy, user-friendly pita recipe. It took a few tries to get it just right, but now I’ve got it down, I’ll happily pass it along to you. We eat vast quantities of hummus in our house, so this recipe is going to be well used. This is a basic, no skills required bread, but even though it’s a simple process, you’ll still get that primal thrill when you turn flour and water into pillowy rounds of soft, warm bread. Rip it, cut it, fold it, wrap it, or stuff it — it’s a wonderfully versatile bread.
This is nothing like the mass-produced pita bread you find in the supermarket, which is usually dry and a little bit like cardboard. This bread is soft and chewy, and not at all dry. I’m going to be using the word soft a lot, I can tell, but that’s what I love about it. We will definitely experiment with whole grains eventually, but for this first recipe I’m sticking with all purpose flour, I think it makes a more appealing pita.
I used my stand mixer for the 5 minutes of kneading, and that made the whole process a breeze. That kneading turns a sticky blob into an elastic dough that rolls out easily. Use the same principle you would for pie dough; you want to start with a round disk, and roll from the center out, constantly shifting your rolling pin around the circle to keep it even. Don’t fret if you can’t get perfect circles, it doesn’t matter in the least.
The dough cooks right on the stove top, on a hot griddle or pan, in just a couple of minutes. Get the pan hot, at medium high heat, and leave it there. My gas burner goes from 1 to 7, and I kept it at mark 5. The dramatic puffing that you see above is a little unreliable…sometimes it puffs, sometimes it doesn’t, but the bread is great either way. The puffing is what makes the inner pocket, so that you can cut it and open it up, but I don’t generally use my pita that way, and I prefer the thicker, ‘pocketless’ version.
The minute they come off the heat you wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. The steam softens the bread and gives it the perfect texture. When they’re cool, store them in zip lock bags.
TIP: Ok, so now you’ve got your homemade pita bread, you’re going to need to check out my 50 Ways to Hack Your Hummus post so you’ll have something to go with it!
Homemade pita bread is one of those super satisfying projects. If you like hummus or other Middle Eastern dips you need to try this recipe. My husband likes to cut the bread in small triangles and toast them with a brushing of olive oil and a dash of seasoning, but mostly I like to use them as is, to enjoy their wonderful fresh baked quality. If you want to keep them for a few days, store them in zip lock baggies, in the fridge. You can freeze them, too, but I really recommend eating them right away!
For a slightly different spin on a Middle Eastern flat bread, try my Laffa Bread recipe!
Reader Rave ~
“Hi Sue!! Just wanted to say this recipe is AMAZING! These were actually the first time I made a bread or even baked with yeast, your recipe was a great start for a young baker like myself. It ended up tasting like…. bread! Thank you!!” ~ Page
How to Make Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup water at about 100F, or warm but not hot to the touch
- 2 tsp or 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp olive oil plus more for coating the dough and oiling the pan
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour fluff the flour before scooping and leveling
Instructions
- Put the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular bowl if doing by hand) and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Blend in the oil and salt, and then mix in the flour. Once the flour is incorporated, knead for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic.
- Coat the dough lightly with oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover with plastic and then a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm spot for an hour, it will double in bulk.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Cut it in half, and then cut each half into 3 pieces, so you have 6 total. I like to take each piece and form a round ball, that way it is easier to roll out evenly. Keep the rest of the dough covered as you work with each piece.
- Roll out one of the pieces of the dough into approximately a 6 inch round.
- Heat a skillet or cast iron pan on medium high until it is hot. My gas range goes from 1 (low) to 7 (high) and I kept the heat at mark 5. Lightly oil the pan for the first piece of dough, but after that you should be fine without adding anything additional.
- Lay the round of dough on the hot pan and cook for about 30 seconds, until you start to see bubbles, or lumps, appear. Flip it over and cook for one minute. Then flip it again, and cook for a final minute.
- Remove the bread and immediately wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. The steam will keep it soft. While one pita is cooking you can be rolling out the next piece of dough.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough, and keep all the pitas stacked inside the towel until they have cooled. Then you can store them in plastic baggies.
Cook's notes
Nutrition
156 Comments
Stella
March 30, 2021 at 10:43 amLove reading your posts and awesome recipes!!! Thank you for sharing
Wendy Kogler
February 5, 2021 at 11:16 amThis is the perfect pita to make pita pizzas!
Sue Moran
February 5, 2021 at 2:06 pmI hadn’t thought of that!
Leslie
December 8, 2020 at 7:22 pmThis pita bread was so easy to make and so delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Terri
May 15, 2020 at 1:43 pmHi, Sue!
Love your site and all your photos and recipes. Made these today; really a fun project! Was blessed to find yeast in the store! Blessings and stay safe!
Sue
May 15, 2020 at 4:24 pmThanks Terri, hopefully we’ll start to see yeast on a regular basis again 😉
Ann-Marie
May 4, 2020 at 10:13 amJust wanted to say that I love this recipe and made it many times. I think this is how I found your site!
Mary
April 14, 2020 at 12:40 pmEnjoyed making this recipe. During COVID 19 I purchased a case of garbanzo beans and plenty of tahini so I have been making my own hummus. No more pitas were in my fridge so I decided to make my own. Great recipe. Have you ever made Dhal puri? If you live in the Caribbean and have a Trini population around they make the best rotis with dhal puri. I think you would enjoy the process. The Dhal Puri is delectable, very thin with layers and pockets of yellow pea.
Sue
April 14, 2020 at 1:10 pmI’ll look up Dhal Puri, sounds right up my alley 🙂
Jud
March 9, 2020 at 8:34 pmHi, im gonna make this tomorrow and as im watching my diet counting calories and stuff, i was wondering if the 188.79Kcal are for the whole recipe or for just one bread.
Sue
March 9, 2020 at 8:54 pmIt’s for one bread, but they’re fairly substantial.
Shweta
March 9, 2020 at 12:09 pmHi! These look great! Do you think whole wheat would work instead of refined flour?
Sue
March 9, 2020 at 12:52 pmYes, you can definitely use whole grain flour, or a combination.
Karen M.
May 29, 2019 at 3:30 pmHi Sue! I have had this recipe in my bookmarks for years, probably – finally decided to make them! I followed your recipe and instructions exactly, and they turned out perfectly! I am so happy!!! They turned out like yours – soft and thick, more like Naan bread which WE LOVE! We will eat them tonight with our butter chicken. Two things that helped me: I used a heating pad set on Low to proof my dough (rested it on top of a coaster on top of the heating pad) and it rose beautifully. I also used a kitchen scale to ensure each of the 6 pieces was the same weight. They cooked up just great and I actually giggled the whole process through! Yeast breads do not have to be scary! Thank you.
Sue
May 29, 2019 at 4:07 pmGreat comment, thanks Karen 🙂 I love that you giggled through the recipe, that’s great! I love to use heating pads in the kitchen, I used to keep my homemade yogurt warm with one…
Joe
November 25, 2019 at 7:34 amI have found out for me after rolling out pita , I cover and let rest for 30 min . Results in a much fluffy pita and not as dense.
Yasmine
January 4, 2019 at 7:50 amHello Sue! I came across this recipe, fell in love with the pictures and decided to make it. Stupid me thought leuvre chimique was instant yeast when in fact it was baking powder (face palm) obviously had to redo it. I wanted to ask, is it normal that after 2 cups of flour the dough mixture becomes crumbly? Should I be adding more water? Thanks for your advice!
Sue
January 4, 2019 at 7:59 amFlours can differ in their moisture content, so if your dough seems extra dry you can add tiny amounts of water until it comes together Yasmine.
Yasmine
January 9, 2019 at 10:23 amThank you Sue. This is officially my husband’s favourite.
Sue
January 9, 2019 at 11:08 amYay 🙂
Heather M. Whipple
December 12, 2018 at 5:56 amThese look good, but since you are using active dry yeast, where is the sugar amount? Where is the proofing time that it takes to get the activedry
Yeast active? On the back of the packet it tells
You how much sugar you need to put with the yeast
And to let it proof or bloom to make it active.
Why don’t you have it listed in the ingredients ?
And instructions of this recipe?
Please let me know.
Sue
December 12, 2018 at 7:57 amThere is no sugar in this bread recipe Heather, it is not necessary to activate the dough. The recipe and instructions are in the post, above where you left this comment. Let me know if you still have trouble!
Jane
October 7, 2018 at 12:17 pmJust made pita’s first time ever following your easy recipe, thank you. They didn’t puff up this time, but still managed to open them up.
Page
August 10, 2018 at 7:09 pmHi Sue!! Just wanted to say this recipe is AMAZING! These were actually the first time I made a bread or even baked with yeast, your recipe was a great start for a young baker like myself. It ended up tasting like…. bread! Thank you!!
Sue
August 11, 2018 at 7:32 amI predict you have a lot of baking in your future Page, thanks for your feedback!
Jess
July 31, 2018 at 6:21 pmHi Sue! Just made these and they are divine – thank you! How do you go about crisping them up in the oven afterwards? Thought we might try them both ways. Any specifics? Thanks so much again!
Sue
August 1, 2018 at 7:08 amDo you mean making pita chips, Jess? If so , I’ve got a recipe for that here:https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/baked-pita-chips-with-black-bean-corn-chorizo-5-layer-dip/
Evangeline Maillet
August 8, 2018 at 6:27 pm?Could the pita be done with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose white?
Sue
August 8, 2018 at 8:03 pmYes, definitely, that will work.
Lauren
July 20, 2018 at 12:33 pmSeriously delicious!!!!! In the rareeee chance these are still around after a day or two what is the best way to store them? How long will they last? I’m thinking about doubling the recipe. Thanks!!
Sue
July 20, 2018 at 12:40 pmThanks Lauren, and I generally keep them wrapped in plastic, just like the store bought ones. If you want them to last more than several days, you might consider freezing them.
Kathleen
March 30, 2018 at 11:23 amCan I use instant yeast?
Sue
March 30, 2018 at 12:19 pmYes you can, and you can skip the 5 minute wait.
David
February 17, 2018 at 3:41 amSo glad you posted this on Facebook – the recipe looks so easy, and I cannot wait to try them!
Sue
June 12, 2018 at 12:56 pmLet me know how you like it David!
SueJean Heinz
January 6, 2018 at 9:04 pmSheer genius! Living in the wilds of Alaska, pita bread is a rare (as in almost NEVER) find in our little local groceries. I’ve looked at other recipes for making pita in the oven, but I’m not inclined to play around with 500 degree heat in my propane stove. Never saw a recipe that cooked right in my cast iron frying pan though I figured it was out there. Stumbled across this two nights ago and tonight we ARE converts! Our favorite hummus recipes now have the perfect vehicle for satisfying our love of it! YAY!!
Small hacks: I halved the salt just because 2 tsps seemed to be enough to taste and I didn’t want salty pitas. That worked great for us.
Big hack: I put all the ingredients in my bread maker on the dough setting. When the cycle was complete, I pulled out the dough, rolled in a little extra flour because my dough was a bit too wet to handle. Cut it into 8 pieces and patted it out into circles. Fried it up in my cast iron skillet lickety-split and we had PITA BREAD!!
I didn’t get “puffy” at all but it looks and tastes great. Like another reviewer said, it was more like naan bread in appearance, but I like naan bread too so doesn’t matter to me.
Confession: We couldn’t wait until they were cool. The smell overwhelmed us. Sorry.
Sue
January 7, 2018 at 8:21 amLove this SueJean ~ I know a couple of other readers have tried this is a bread machine with success, that makes it so easy. I’m so glad this recipe helped to bring this wonderful style of bread to the ‘wilds’! You’ll have to try my LAFFA BREAD next 🙂
Kat
December 8, 2017 at 12:03 amThese look lovely! I am in the UK though and was wondering about the right kind of flour to use. The internet tells me ‘in the UK plain flour can be used as a substitute for American all-purpose flour – unless you’re making bread, which calls for bread flour.’ But this is a flat-bread….so do you think that would that still apply? I’d welcome your thoughts on this as i’d really like to try the recipe.
Connie Strickland
April 29, 2018 at 4:55 pmKat, UK Plain Flour and U.S. All Purpose Flour should be the same. When it states that it is not suitable for make bread, it means high rise bread loaves because it does not have the necessary gluten structure. This is a flat bread recipe that does not require the gluten structure so the UK Plain Flour should be fine to use.
Sue
April 29, 2018 at 5:57 pmThanks Connie!
G Pavao
October 4, 2017 at 1:31 pmDecided to make these for dinner tonight. A few may have gone missing before the meal. lol Yummmm
Sue
October 4, 2017 at 1:35 pmSo glad they worked out for you, they’re habit forming!
G Pavao
November 1, 2017 at 10:08 amYou are not kidding. I am almost sorry I ever tried it because now I cannot stand to buy pita bread. ? Making another batch today. Tried another recipe cause I always like to experiment but like this one much better.
Shannon brewer
September 10, 2017 at 1:50 pmDo you think I could make the dough in my bread maker on the dough setting?
Sue
September 10, 2017 at 2:21 pmI think you probably could, Shannon, and I’d be interested to know if it turns out!
Jenna
September 5, 2017 at 7:28 amGoing to make these on Saturday! I love gyros and pita bread but have never made them at home. I can’t wait! 🙂
Sue
September 5, 2017 at 7:29 amHave fun Jenna!
Jenna Peach
January 13, 2018 at 9:28 amJust to let you know, these have been added to my bi-weekly meals! I love them and they always turn out so good!! Thanks for the recipe!
Sue
January 13, 2018 at 10:15 amYay!
Shannon brewer
September 10, 2017 at 2:31 pmI will let you know!
Lindsey Litton
August 26, 2017 at 7:32 amI made this last night and it was the most satisfying, easy project! Your instructions were great and the pita turned out beautiful and delicious. I’m going to try your laffa bread recipe today. Thank you!
Sue
August 26, 2017 at 8:07 amI’m grinning from ear to ear, thanks for taking the time to let me know Lindsey!
Sue
August 26, 2017 at 8:07 amOh, and you’re going to go CRAZY over the laffa bread 🙂
Rachael
August 13, 2017 at 7:21 amI would like to make these for work lunches. What would be the best way to have them available for the week? If I made them at the start of the week how long do they stay fresh for? Or could I make the dough and leave it in the fridge and cook them each day? Or maybe just freeze them?
Sue
August 13, 2017 at 8:02 amThey’ll keep once baked just like regular bread, in a plastic baggie. They could also be frozen after baking. I haven’t tried refrigerating the dough and baking each day, but I think that should work!
Karen Pardue
July 18, 2017 at 11:17 pmWe had Greek night and made these delicious pita’s for supper. We served with home made hummus and chicken souvlaki and Greek salad on the side. My hubby is still talking about how delicious everything was. This is definitely going to be a regular thing. I didn’t know they would be so easy to make.
Next time I will add the sugar to the yeast and warm water to help get the yeast jump started. Then I won’t add the sugar to the flour.
Also, I used my tortilla press rather than roll them out. I also formed some of them by hand by pressing the until the dough spread out.
Keep posting your awesome recipes!
Sue
July 19, 2017 at 7:22 amI’m so glad to hear all this Karen, it sounds like a memorable meal ~ and I think your idea of using the tortilla press is genius, I hadn’t thought of that, I love that thing!
Karen Pardue
July 19, 2017 at 7:07 pmSo today, we used the leftover pitas to make personal sized pizzas. We topped them with home made marinara, chopped chicken (also left over from supper last night), some pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. We polled them in the toaster oven and out came a delicious pizza! We love, love, love these pitas. Reminds me more of naan bread which I like better than pita anyways.
Sue
July 19, 2017 at 9:55 pmCan I come over for dinner, Karen????
Irma Brockelman
November 5, 2017 at 12:01 amI’d like to know about your tortilla press… I have arthritis in my hands making it painful to use a rolling pin.
Sue
November 5, 2017 at 6:57 amThis is the one I use, here, Irma, it’s very inexpensive and works great!
Alyssa
July 17, 2017 at 6:57 pmI made this tonight and had trouble with the dough not rising. Any tips for working with yeast to make sure it rises?
Sue
July 17, 2017 at 7:06 pmThere are so many variables, Alyssa…your yeast could be old, or possibly you didn’t have a warm enough environment for the yeast to grow. You can test your yeast by adding a teaspoon of sugar when you dissolve the yeast in the water, then let it rest for 10 minutes. It should start to bubble and fizz, which is a sign it’s alive. If nothing happens, your yeast is not active.
Alyssa
July 18, 2017 at 12:19 pmThanks so much Sue! One more question since I’m trying this tonight. Do I use that same yeast in the recipe with the sugar even thought the recipe doesn’t call for sugar? Also, have you ever made the pita on a grill?
Ivonne
July 14, 2017 at 10:15 amMade the pita bread! Loved it!!!
Sue
July 14, 2017 at 10:30 amThanks so much for letting me know, Ivonne 🙂
Jennifer
July 1, 2017 at 12:30 pmI was hoping for it to puff up more – it’s more like just thick tortillas. Not bad, but just not what I was expecting.
Sue
July 1, 2017 at 12:47 pmThe puffing is a little bit random, Jennifer ~ make sure your surface is hot and your pita is rolled thin. Some people swear by using about 20% whole wheat flour in the dough, although I haven’t tried that.
Tenzin
June 4, 2017 at 3:17 pmLove the bread! So soft and simple yet delicious, could you give me the nutrition facts to this pita bread? Thanks.
Sue
July 6, 2017 at 5:21 pmI’ve just added them, above, Tenzin!
Nelson Fabian
May 13, 2017 at 10:20 pmMy daughter is allergic to dairy product, even a small quantity of milk will leave bad effect on her. Breads means butter and milk, so its out of the question.
She loves to eat Indian and mexican dishes but those frozen pack breads leave a frozen food aroma to the bread when cooked. I have been trying other recipee from other post but so far Yours is the easiest and have the bread fluffy concistency we prefer. Thanks a lot!
Sue
May 14, 2017 at 7:54 amGreat news, Nelson ~ I also have recipes for homemade tortillas, (https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/minimal-monday-black-bean-corn-and-mango-salsa-with-homemade-tortillas/) and Naan bread is next on my list!
Chrissy
May 8, 2017 at 9:50 amCan you double the recipe or would I need to make the batches separate? Not sure if a double batch would rise right?
Sue
May 8, 2017 at 11:27 amI would probably just make two batches, Chrissy.
Michelle
April 17, 2017 at 4:43 pmJust tried this with my kids and it was super easy and turned out amazing! Thanks for sharing, I will never buy pitas again.
Sue
April 17, 2017 at 5:19 pmFantastic, Michelle ~ these will come in so useful with kids, and how nice that maybe they can learn to make their own 🙂
Jemma-Lou
March 6, 2017 at 5:37 amHi, I’ve just used this recipe to make Turkish style (quorn) mince pittas for mine and my guy’s lunch, they were fun, easy and delicious!! Got a good puff on one of them too in the frying pan on a hot electric hob 🙂 will definitely be doing this again! Thanks!
Jes
January 23, 2017 at 5:31 pmWondering if this would work with gluten free flour, have you tried that?
Sue
January 23, 2017 at 5:44 pmI haven’t tried that, but I’m pretty sure the texture would not be as ‘chewy’. It’s worth a try, maybe I’ll do an experiment and get back to you!
Lola Garrido
January 4, 2017 at 4:49 amI cannot wait to try this. I love bread. This looks easy. I am usually intimidated by anything with yeast. But this one looks like even I can make. I will let you know how it turns out. The only question I have is the recipe does not state what to do with the yeast I presume you put it into the water with sugar and let bloom?
Shari
October 21, 2016 at 7:04 pmThe ads on this post are out of control. Had to try 4 times before I could even see your content. Looks like a great recipe but don’t know if I can clear the ads long enough to read it.
Sue
October 21, 2016 at 8:11 pmShari do you mind telling me if you were on your phone, or desktop? I definitely want to fix that, sorry!
Kara
November 7, 2016 at 4:38 pmSame here! On my iPhone – I can’t hardly read your posts because of the ads in the way, and sometimes it just suddenly redirects to an ad page!
Michelle Batchelder
December 21, 2016 at 11:30 amI’m on my Samsung Tablet and am having the same issues, it’s horribly bad!
MB
December 30, 2016 at 7:51 amAgree. Can’t get to the content while using iPhone. I’m in advertising and get the value of it but these pop ups and interstitials actually lose readers for you when done this much. I’ll try again
lucia
October 13, 2016 at 2:08 pmmade these the other night and they were perfect – thank you. Planning on making again tomorrow but using some of the dough balls for my kids to make into individual pizzas for the oven. I think they would prefer toppings baked on while bread cooks in oven vs. putting toppings onto pan cooked pitas. Recommendations for temp. and cooking time if I put dough with toppings in oven to bake?
thank you
Sue
October 13, 2016 at 3:40 pmWhat a fun idea Lucia ~ I’m going to take a guess and say 400F because pizza usually cooks at pretty high temps ~ let us know how they turn out!
Donna
October 4, 2016 at 8:12 pmIt seems that when I make pitas that they seem to puff better if I let them sit (covered) for 15-20 minutes after rolling them out.
Cidi
September 17, 2016 at 7:46 pmI made these today and they turned out amazing! Only one of them puffed I don’t know why, may be I flipped them too early or too late. They taste so much better than the store bought ones! Thanks for this recipe 🙂
Sue
September 17, 2016 at 7:56 pmYou’re so welcome, Cidi, I hope you get lots of enjoyment out of this recipe 🙂
Jamie
September 15, 2016 at 6:25 pmI made these tonight for home made gyros. They turned out great! I’ll be adding this to my recipe book. Thank you!
Sue
September 15, 2016 at 8:38 pmI’m so happy to hear it, Jamie <3
Debbie
September 8, 2016 at 9:10 amWould love to make them with whole wheat flour, thats the kind we buy and make pita chips from… any ideas on how to make with W/W? do i have to add anything else
Sue
September 8, 2016 at 10:09 amNo, just substitute the whole wheat flour, Debbie, should be great!
Ash
August 13, 2016 at 1:09 pmSince I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago I’ve made this a few times, the last time with 2/3 wheat flour and a little bit of honey (maybe 1/2 tablespoon). I also do all the mixing/rising with my bread machine dough cycle, which works great.
Using it with hummus, for wraps, and mini pizzas.
Sue
August 13, 2016 at 1:37 pmThat’s great to know, Ash, I wish I hadn’t yard-saled my bread machine years ago!
Jess
August 2, 2016 at 12:46 pmThis recipe looks great and so easy! I don’t make breads much making and working with dough intimidates me! I was wondering if I can leave the dough to rise for longer than an hour? Thanks!
Kim
August 2, 2016 at 7:36 amTotally amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Jenny Nield
July 29, 2016 at 2:19 pmWhich attachment do you use on your stand mixer for kneading the dough?
Lynn Cordray
July 4, 2016 at 12:04 pmCan the pita bread be frozen if not all is eaten in a day or two?
Sue
July 4, 2016 at 12:19 pmYes, pita freezes well, but just be sure you wrap it airtight, like anything you’re going to freeze. And I wouldn’t leave it there too long, but that shouldn’t be a problem, once you make it you’re going to want to have it around all the time 🙂
Nata
July 23, 2016 at 11:25 amOMG, Lynn. My maiden name is Cordray, and my middle name is Lynn! What a coincidence!
Shoshana
July 3, 2016 at 8:14 pmThanks. These are amazing. I was wondering if you know about how many calories per pita round?
Sue
July 4, 2016 at 8:22 amI’m so sorry but I don’t, Shoshana. I’m looking into getting nutritional facts set up on the blog, though.
jasmine
July 3, 2016 at 10:43 amCan you do this with out a stand mixer?
Sue
July 3, 2016 at 10:58 amYes jasmine, you can knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes.
Laurie
September 19, 2016 at 8:05 pmCan you use a bread maker to mix and proof??
Sue
September 19, 2016 at 8:10 pmI assume you can, Laurie, I haven’t tried that. Please report back if you try.
Mary
May 10, 2016 at 9:14 amThis is going to be a very stupid question but in step one where you say “let that sit for 5 minutes” Do you mean turn on the mixer and let it mix for 5 or just let the yeast sit in the water for 5?
Sue
May 10, 2016 at 9:45 amNot stupid at all! I mean let it sit still, without mixing, to allow the yeast to dissolve and start to come alive.
Virginia
April 18, 2016 at 2:09 amGreat recipe. Worked perfectly and they were delicious. So much better than supermarket ones.
Sue
April 18, 2016 at 6:32 amThanks Virginia!
Natalie
April 17, 2016 at 3:26 pmI’ve made this today, and they’re delicious! The only thing I had an issue with was proofing the yeast. You have to add a pinch of sugar, and let it do its thing for about 10 minutes. I also wound up cutting this up into 12 pieces, and I could probably have gone up to 16 for smaller pitas. They cook up perfectly, and I’m really happy I found this simple recipe!
Sue
April 17, 2016 at 3:39 pmSo glad you liked it Natalie — and thanks for letting me know 🙂
maria
March 28, 2016 at 3:54 pmplease, could you post the flour in grams too? I always get such different results when i weight the flour…. 🙂
Amanda
March 26, 2016 at 10:18 pmWow! Thank you 🙂 I’m terrible with yeast bread making & this turned out wonderful. Followed directions to a T. My family loved them. I really surprised myself which says a lot about the recipe!
Maria
February 27, 2016 at 10:22 amA little tip for pita that has gone a bit dry or for the store bought ones .. Dip or rinse with water then throw on a hot pan for a minute on each side. They end up soft and warm.
Sue
February 27, 2016 at 10:50 amThanks for that Maria — we buy a lot of pita and sometimes the whole package is dry.
Barb
February 21, 2016 at 7:34 amHi! Do you think this finished dough rounds could be premade then frozen until time/day you’re ready to cook and serve (without diminishing the fresh-made taste)?
Sue
February 21, 2016 at 7:41 amI can’t honestly say for sure, Barb. It’s worth a try though.
Crissy
February 2, 2016 at 2:17 pmJust made these! The dough was so soft and pliable, did not shrink when rolled, and was easy to work with. My electric range is 1-10 so I set it at a six but noticed burning so 5 was perfect for soft fluffy pita bread. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sue
February 2, 2016 at 5:32 pmThanks for the feedback Crissy — I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
Alyssa S.
January 30, 2016 at 9:44 pmI made this tonight. So yummy – thanks! I was thankful that these only needed an hour to rise too, compared to some two hour ones. I ended up using 2.5 cups flour. I think the trick to getting more pockets may be letting them rise briefly (covered) after rolling them before cooking. I wasn’t really going for that though. 🙂
Nell
December 24, 2015 at 3:39 pmFinally! a Pita bread that turns out like the picture. I must say mine were a little darker (burned) but they were still good. This is an easy and very delicious bread.
Sue
December 24, 2015 at 4:49 pmYay! I’m always happy to hear this, thanks for the feedback Nell. Next time turn your burner down and you should get perfect results!
Lucie
November 18, 2015 at 10:16 pmFinally got to make some today. So easy and so delicious. Served it with Greek salad, tzatziki and chicken souvlaki. Thank you!!!
Sue
November 19, 2015 at 7:10 amThank you for giving me the feedback Lucie, there’s something about making your own bread that is so empowering, glad you liked it!
isea
August 7, 2015 at 11:04 amI just made a bunch of pita the other night using a similar recipe minus active yeast. It’s perfectly fine but I’m curious if adding yeast will make much of a difference? It puffs up like this one, though unevenly.
Sue
August 7, 2015 at 11:09 amHmmm, not sure, but that’s good to know you can leave out the yeast if necessary, I’ll have to give it a try.
Ashley
July 29, 2015 at 9:31 amI like pitta bread and it makes a good pizza crust. So I am glad I found this recipe. Thanks!
Sue
July 29, 2015 at 11:50 amI never thought of using it for pizza — I love that!
Judy at My Well Seasoned Life
July 27, 2015 at 9:08 amThanks for this recipe. I too love hummus but am disappointed at store bought pitas. You’ve totally demystified the process. Thanks so much.
Juztme
July 11, 2015 at 5:05 amAmazing breads! Thanx for the recipe! Abt the fluffing of the bread I think I have an idea….that is when u flip the bread press it down on the side of the bread to make the air inside go through the bread and make it fluff. Won’t work if there is a whole in the bread!
sophie
May 28, 2015 at 11:14 amThese look wonderful and i think that we would be eating them by the dozen but is there any chance that you might be able to convert the 3 cups of flour into grams for me. Every website that i go on has a different ratio of cup to grams in flour and then when you recommend fluffing the flour i imagine that changes the weight of the flour in the cup etc. Sorry its just that i felt it was worth asking as i am getting very varied results when trying to convert cups to grams ……
Thanks
Sue
May 28, 2015 at 11:39 amThat’s the age old problem, Sophie, I wish we could all get on the same system! I just got out my flour and my scale, fluffed and scooped a cup and it weighs 129 grams, making the 3 cups about 387 grams.
mahrukh
April 25, 2015 at 1:58 amThis looks like a great recipe.. I’m definitely gonna try this. Plz tell me if these pitas can b stored( with/ without refrigerator)and utilized by microwave warming after a couple of days or so ?
Sue
April 25, 2015 at 8:54 amYes, you can store them, for sure, just like you would with regular pita, only they won’t last a super long time since they are homemade, without preservatives, etc.
Joseph Brazelton
December 20, 2014 at 8:04 pmI just made these tonight and they were amazing! I can’t believe how simple they were. I am a man who is not known for his baking abilities and they still turned out better than most restaurants I go to. Thanks for a great recipe!
Sue
December 20, 2014 at 8:08 pmI’m so happy to hear it — I hope you get lots of use out of the recipe Joseph!
Darby
November 17, 2014 at 9:13 amI made these last night with black bean dip. Delicious. They bubbled a bit and rose but they didn’t puff up like pita…they just ended up like (delicious) naan. Any idea how to make the pocket on the inside like the one you have in the picture?
Sue
November 17, 2014 at 10:33 amThe puffing, like I said, is unreliable. Some of mine puffed and some didn’t. Some people say cooking the bread in a very hot oven makes them puff more, but then the bread is drier. The short answer is I think the hotter the heat, the better.
Choclette
November 17, 2014 at 7:06 amA great tutorial, thank you. I’ve made pita bread a few times, but I’ve not got it perfect yet. Could be because I use half wholemeal flour – hmmm! Yours look delicious.
Sue
November 17, 2014 at 8:19 amYou know I used half whole wheat and half white flour one of the times I made this Choclette and I had the same result, it wasn’t as good.
Susan
November 10, 2014 at 12:17 pmI agree with Angie – nothing beats homemade bread. I haven’t made pitas in so long I need to give your recipe a try. They look really good!
[email protected]+Floating+Kitchen
November 10, 2014 at 7:43 amOh I can just taste how warm and delicious these are. I’ve never made pita bread at home. But I totally need to be doing this. Thanks for the recipe!
bellini
November 10, 2014 at 3:05 amI also prefer the ticker pocketless version. Thanks for this foolproof recipe.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
November 9, 2014 at 9:12 pmI love pita bread and yours does look simply perfect!
[email protected]'s+Recipes
November 9, 2014 at 8:49 pmNothing beats the homemade bread! Your pita pockets look awesome, Sue.
[email protected]+The+Café+Sucré+Farine
November 9, 2014 at 6:55 pmIt’s so true what you said Sue. The store bought pita is nothing like homemade, really like comparing stuffed animals to the real thing 🙂 These have me wanting a bowl of hummus to dip.
Monique
November 9, 2014 at 6:50 pmThey look dreamy:-) Looking forward to trying them.
Amy
November 9, 2014 at 2:18 pmI’ve made your laffa bread recipe a few times and it is easy and oh so much better than store-bought bread. This one doesn’t call for sugar like the laffa bread does; otherwise I’m not sure what makes the two breads different? I will definitely try this!
Sue
November 9, 2014 at 3:04 pmThat’s a great question…the laffa bread is a slightly different consistency, it’s very stretchy, if that makes sense. And it has more of a burnt flavor from the grilling. Also, I guess, it’s much less regular in shape. But other than that they are, as you say, almost identical. I think it’s two names for basically the same type of bread.
cheri
November 9, 2014 at 1:01 pmThis is a home run Sue, I have been thinking about making my own pitas for the last 2 weeks, now I have no excuse.
Susan
November 9, 2014 at 10:51 amI am chuckling. This is one day too late. Many years ago, I made some beautiful pitas. Of course, that recipe is gone. So searched and searched and tried making them yesterday. Milk and water made too much liquid and total different consistency than I wanted. It tasted great, but it was more like Ciabatta bread. NOW…I will try your recipe. Thank you.
Sue
November 9, 2014 at 12:42 pmThat’s too bad! It’s funny, isn’t it, how such basic ingredients can morph in so many different directions depending on the details.
freerangegirl
November 9, 2014 at 10:39 amI love homemade pitta – they are a world away from the cardboard slippers sold in our supermarkets! these look delicious.