Homemade Pita Bread Recipe

Several pita bread placed on top of each other from the front view.

5 from 1 vote

Once you make this Homemade Pita Bread Recipe you won't ever buy it from the store because it is not only easy to make, but also light years better. So, go ahead, make a batch use some for your favorite shawarmas, wraps, flatbreads or mezze platters and store (or freeze) the rest for later.

Prep Time15

Cook Time16

Resting tim2 15

Total Time2 46

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Diet: Vegan

Servings: pitas

Author: Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

1 cup luke-warm water 240 ml. (105-110 degrees F.)
1 packet active dry yeast 7 g.
1 teaspoon granulated sugar 4 g.
3 cups all-purpose flour 360 g., divided, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 teaspoon to coat
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

To make the dough, stir together water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl until combined.
In the same bowl, stir in 1 cup (120 g.) of flour and olive oil until smooth, breaking up most of the flour crumbs and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 minutes or until it starts to form bubbles.
Add the other 2 cups (240 g.) of flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon (or clean hands), mix to incorporate until a sticky ball forms, approximately 1 minute.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Holding the edge of the dough with your fingertips, fold it over halfway towards the middle. Turn the bowl at 45 degrees and repeat the same process until you complete a full turn. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil on top, rotate the dough ball, and spread the olive oil to cover the whole thing. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm place until it doubles in size, about an hour.
To prepare the dough balls, dust your work area with a small amount (3-4 tablespoons) of flour.
Transfer the dough and knead it for 30-40 seconds or until it forms a smooth ball.
Using a bench scraper (or a sharp knife), divide the dough into eight equal pieces, about 71 to 74 g. each.
Form each piece into a ball and place them on the lightly floured work surface with the seam sides down. Cover the balls and let them rest for 20 minutes.
To prepare the oven, adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. Place a baking sheet upside down (or a pizza stone) on the wire rack. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.*
Cut a large sheet of parchment paper into eight 6 by 8-inch squares.
Using a floured rolling pin, gently flatten each ball into a 6-inch circle. Do not press down too hard so you retain the air bubbles.
Brush any excess flour off before placing them on a square piece of parchment paper. Let them rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
You can bake it in the oven or cook it on a cast iron skillet:
Using the oven method: To bake the pita, work with two pita rounds at a time, and place the pita loaves with the parchment paper on the hot baking sheet. It is important to work quickly to maintain the oven temperature and allow the pita to “steam” open and create a pocket. Bake for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, flip over, and cook for another 2 minutes and 30 seconds, until lightly golden brown. Remove and repeat this process with the remaining dough.
Cooking it in a skillet: Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. It should be very hot. Using a brush or paper towel, lightly coat the bottom of the skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place a pita dough loaf onto the skillet and cook for 1 minute or until bubbles form. Flip and cook for an additional minute. Flip one more time and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the skillet and repeat until all loaves are cooked. You don't need to add more oil each time, but if the pan starts to look dry, you can add just a little bit more.
Serve while they are still warm.

Video

Notes

Yields: This recipe makes 8 loaves of pita. The nutritional values below are per pita.
Using a standing mixer: You can make this recipe using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Instead of working the dough with your hands, simply follow this recipe with your mixer set at low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Begin by mixing the water, yeast, and sugar for one minute. Then, mix in one cup of flour and olive oil until the dough becomes smooth (approximately one minute). After letting the dough rest for 15 minutes, add the remaining two cups of flour and salt and mix the dough until it forms a ball. When the dough separates from the bowl and begins attaching to the dough hook (in about a minute or so), you can remove it from the mixer’s attachment and let it rest for 30 minutes or until ready to fold.
Gluten free: You can use a 1-1 gluten-free flour to make this recipe. We tested it with Bob's Red Mills brand, and it worked well.
Fluffy pita pockets (troubleshooting): Two main factors to getting fluffy, soft pita bread are kneading and your oven’s temperature. Firstly, don’t skip on the last kneading, and don’t overwork your dough. If you press it too hard when rolling it, you may deflate the dough’s bubbles, leading to flat pita loaves. Secondly, keep your oven as hot as possible while baking, moving quickly to avoid any temperature decreases. Though these steps should ensure fluffy pita pockets, they’ll still be delicious even if they don’t puff up.
High-temperature oven: Knowing that not all ovens can reach 500 degrees F., we tested this recipe at 450 degrees F. The timing was slightly longer, with about 30 seconds more cooking time on each side of the pita bread.
Storage: Leftover pita can be stored in an airtight container (or a plastic bag) in the fridge for 3-4 days. Be sure to bring it to room temperature first.
Freezing: Wrap cooled pita loaves in plastic film and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible. Your pita will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.
Thawing and reheating: No need to thaw frozen pita. You can reheat in a low-heat oven (or toaster oven) until warmed to your liking.

Nutrition

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