Making homemade pita bread is so easy to make right on your stove top. You’ll never have to buy flatbread again!
homemade pita bread is an easy skill to master
Depending on where you live, it’s possible you’ve never tasted really good pita bread before. The stuff in the plastic bags at the supermarket is like cardboard compared to the soft, pillowy texture of homemade. The bread served in Middle Eastern restaurants isn’t always much better. In Los Angeles we found wonderful pita at our farmers market, and at one or two favorite restaurants. Here in Wisconsin, we’ve had to rely more on our diy skills.
pita bread is one of the perks of an incredibly healthy Mediterranean diet!
Pita bread is your reward for eating all those healthy fats and fresh veggies. We eat vast quantities of hummus in our house, so this recipe is tried and true. It’s 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, nourishing food.
why make pita bread from scratch?
The first and obvious reason is because it’s simply better. Better than anything you’ll buy in your local store. When you make it homemade it’s soft, puffed, and chewy: nothing like the dry stuff in bags.
And if you appreciate good Mediterranean food, pita bread is a staple. If you take pride in your own homemade hummus it’s only natural that you’re going to want really good pita bread to go with it.
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.
ingredient list for pita bread
You can definitely experiment with whole grains, but for this recipe I’m sticking with all purpose flour, I think it makes a very appealing classic pita.
- flour ~ we’re using all purpose here.
- yeast ~ I like to use Instant Yeast, and make sure your packets aren’t expired.
- salt
- olive oil
- water
how to make homemade pita bread, step by step
- Dump your ingredients into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (You can do this by hand if you prefer, but it takes elbow grease.)
- Mix on low to combine, then turn the speed to medium and let the machine knead the dough for 5 minutes. You will probably have to stop and re-arrange the dough from time to time as it tends to climb up the paddle.
- Lightly coat the dough with oil, put in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half in a warm place. It should double in bulk.
- Punch down the dough and cut it into 8 equal parts. Form into smooth balls and cover completely with plastic wrap so it won’t dry out.
- Roll out each ball on a lightly floured surface. Use the same principle you would for pie dough; you want to 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.
- Cook the pitas on a hot griddle or skillet. I like to use cast iron. 30 seconds on the first side, one minute on the second, then flip once more for another 30 seconds or so. Sometimes they will puff up dramatically, but most often, not.
- The minute they come off the heat stack them and cover with 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.
what’s with the puffing?
The dough cooks right on the stove top (just like my homemade English muffins!) on a hot griddle or pan, in just a couple of minutes. Get the pan hot, at medium high heat, and leave it there. I’ve cooked these on both gas and electric stoves and you’ll have to find the sweet spot for your particular stove. My gas burner goes from 1 to 7, and I kept it at mark 5. You’ll need to experiment a little to get the temperature right on your stove.
The dramatic puffing that you see above is a little unreliable…sometimes it puffs, sometimes it doesn’t, and it’s a little hard to predict. 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.
turn your homemade pita bread into pita chips
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.
For a slightly different spin on a Middle Eastern flat bread, try my Laffa Bread recipe!
what to eat with your homemade pita
- Lemon Artichoke Hummus
- Instant Pot Hummus
- Muhammara (roasted red pepper & walnut dip)
- Spiced Lamb Meatballs with Hummus
- Jalapeño Goat Cheese
- Smokey Baba Ganoush
- Warm Hummus with Mushrooms
- Kofte Bowl with Warm Spiced Yogurt
“I 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!”
LINDSEY
How to Make Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm 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
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 in half, and then cut each one in half a final time, so you have 8 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.
- Your pitas will last several days, or you can freeze them for longer storage.
Notes
- The puffing can be a little bit capricious…if you really want it to puff and make an inner pocket, roll them on the thin side and make sure your pan is preheated. These can be cooked in the oven, but again, I tried that and wasn’t happy with the results. The pan gives you more control.
Decided to make these for dinner tonight. A few may have gone missing before the meal. lol Yummmm
So glad they worked out for you, they’re habit forming!
You 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.
Do you think I could make the dough in my bread maker on the dough setting?
I think you probably could, Shannon, and I’d be interested to know if it turns out!
Going to make these on Saturday! I love gyros and pita bread but have never made them at home. I can’t wait! 🙂
Have fun Jenna!
Just 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!
Yay!
I will let you know!
I 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!
I’m grinning from ear to ear, thanks for taking the time to let me know Lindsey!
Oh, and you’re going to go CRAZY over the laffa bread 🙂
I 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?
They’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!
We 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!
I’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!
So 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.
Can I come over for dinner, Karen????
I’d like to know about your tortilla press… I have arthritis in my hands making it painful to use a rolling pin.
This is the one I use, here, Irma, it’s very inexpensive and works great!
I made this tonight and had trouble with the dough not rising. Any tips for working with yeast to make sure it rises?
There 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.
Thanks 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?
Made the pita bread! Loved it!!!
Thanks so much for letting me know, Ivonne 🙂
I was hoping for it to puff up more – it’s more like just thick tortillas. Not bad, but just not what I was expecting.
The 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.
Love the bread! So soft and simple yet delicious, could you give me the nutrition facts to this pita bread? Thanks.
I’ve just added them, above, Tenzin!