Homemade Pitas

5 from 1 vote
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This homemade pita bread recipe makes soft and puffy pitas that are great for wrapping and dipping. It’s easier than you think, and the results are way better than store-bought. All it takes is 6 ingredients!

Like my homemade naan bread and flour tortillas, these homemade pitas need minimal kneading and no fancy shaping. 

Fluffy homemade pita breads stacked on a blue cloth.

 

Our local Greek restaurant is one of my husband and I’s favorite “date night” spots. The food is so fresh, especially their pita bread that’s made in-house. Store-bought pita bread just doesn’t compare! So, I set out to recreate those perfect, puffy bread pockets at home. These homemade pitas are soft and fluffy, and I was pleasantly surprised by how simple they are to make. Even if you’re new to working with yeast, if you follow the steps, this homemade pita bread turns out delicious every time!

Why I Love This Homemade Pita Bread

  • Like store-bought, but better. Nothing beats warm and fresh homemade pita bread. The dough is softer, fluffier, and more flavorful when you make it from scratch. Ever since I started making these, I haven’t gone back to store-bought.
  • Puffy, open pockets. I’ll share a quick and easy cooking method that creates big, beautiful open pockets in these homemade pitas.
  • Easy to make. Like other leavened breads, pita dough takes a bit of time. But it’s so worth it! You need just 6 ingredients, and the steps are simple. A lot of the recipe is hands-free resting time.
  • Versatile. These work great as souvlaki pitas, or I’ll use them to make gyros, pita pockets, and chicken wraps. I also like to cut the baked pitas into triangles and bake them again to make pita chips.
Ingredients for homemade pita bread.

What You’ll Need

I’ll start with some quick notes on the easy ingredients needed to make these homemade pitas. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.

  • Warm Water – You’ll need warm water (no warmer than 110ºF) to wake up the yeast.
  • Active Dry Yeast – Check the dates on your yeast packets and make sure you’re using fresh yeast. If your yeast is expired, it won’t activate.
  • Sugar – Sugar feeds the yeast. You can use granulated sugar or brown sugar.
  • Flour – All-purpose flour works best.
  • Salt – I recommend kosher salt or sea salt.
  • Olive Oil – Or another mild oil, like avocado or canola oil.

How To Make Pita Bread

Here’s a visual step-by-step showing how to make perfect pita bread from scratch. You’ll find the printable directions in the recipe card below the post.

Wet dough mixture in a glass bowl.
Pita dough in a glass bowl.
  • Prepare the yeast. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in a bowl of warm water. Then, stir in about ½ cup of flour and let the mixture rest. After 15 minutes, it should look foamy and bubbly. If not, it’s likely because the yeast has expired, and you’ll need to start over with fresh yeast.
  • Make the dough. Mix in the salt, olive oil, and another 1 ½ cups of flour. I recommend using a wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together into a shaggy dough. At this point, I like to use my hands to shape the dough into a ball.
A hand kneading pita dough on a white surface.
A ball of pita bread dough in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap and a white and blue striped dishcloth.
  • Knead. Turn the dough ball out onto a floured surface and knead it, resting for 10 minutes or so in between. It should be smooth and pliable, and not sticky.
  • Leave the dough to rise. Place the ball of dough into an oiled bowl, and let it rise, covered, until it’s doubled in size. This usually takes about an hour.
A ball of risen pita dough in a glass bowl.
Pita bread dough rolled out into a flat circle.
  • Roll out the pitas. Divide the pita dough into 8 pieces and let it rest under a towel, this time for 10 minutes. Afterward, roll each pita into a flat, 6-8” circle.
  • Preheat the pan. While you roll out your pitas, pop a pan, skillet, or baking sheet into a 475ºF oven so that it can preheat.
A pita puffing up on a hot pan.
Pita bread dough puffing up on a hot skillet.
  • Cook. Place the pitas onto your preheated pan in the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through until the bread is lightly browned on both sides. Wrap the finished pitas in a towel to keep warm while you cook the rest. You can also cook them on the stovetop, see below.

Stovetop Method

If you’d prefer to cook your homemade pita bread on the stove instead, add the pita dough to a preheated skillet. Cook each pita until bubbles start to form on the surface, about 1 minute. Flip, and cook for another minute. Keep in mind that pitas cooked on the stove won’t puff up quite the same as they would in the oven.

Fluffy homemade pita breads stacked on a countertop.

Recipe Notes

  • If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a little bit of flour over your workspace while kneading. How much flour you’ll need depends on the humidity in your kitchen and the dough itself. You’ll likely have some flour left over, and that’s OK. 
  • Don’t overwork the dough. The secret to big, puffy homemade pitas is to not overwork the dough. Too much handling deflates the air bubbles. Take care to only knead the dough as needed, and give it plenty of hands-off time to rest and rise.
  • Get your cooking surface nice and hot. The second key to a perfect, open pita pocket is to cook the dough on a hot surface. Preheat the pan in the oven, and preheat your skillet if you’re cooking on the stovetop. If you try to cook the pitas on a non-preheated surface, they won’t puff up consistently.
  • Cook in batches. Depending on the size of your preheated pan, cook only 1-2 pitas at a time. Overcrowding the pan will steam the bread rather than brown it.
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff. These pitas should puff up as they cook, but if they don’t, that’s fine, too! They’ll still taste delicious and they’ll work great as wraps. The pitas just won’t have a pocket. 
Fluffy homemade pita breads stacked on a blue cloth.

What To Serve With Homemade Pitas

This puffy baked pita bread is great for making gyros and wrapping marinated chicken or chicken souvlaki into homemade chicken pitas. We also love slicing the pitas down the middle and stuffing our pita pockets with Greek meatballs or falafel smothered with tzatziki. Just add a classic Greek salad or tabbouleh salad on the side, or try this Mediterranean Balela salad made with chickpeas.

When we’re not folding these pitas into wraps, I love tearing them up to dip into homemade dips and hummus. Or, for a fun twist on the weekend, roll the contents of these breakfast bowls into easy breakfast pitas!

How To Store

  • Room temperature. Store your pita bread in an airtight container or sealed bag. It’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat. I like to warm the pitas gently in a skillet or the oven to soften them up again for serving.
  • Freeze. Homemade pitas freeze well for up to 3 months. Freeze them airtight and thaw them at room temperature.

More Homemade Bread Recipes

Fluffy homemade pita breads stacked on a blue cloth.
5 from 1 vote

Homemade Pitas

By Erin
This easy homemade pita bread recipe makes soft and puffy pitas that are great for wrapping and dipping. All it takes is 6 ingredients!
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Rise: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours
Servings: 8 pitas

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together water, yeast and sugar until they are dissolved. Stir in ½ cup all-purpose flour until combined. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes. There will be bubbles forming on the surface. If there are not bubbles after 15 minutes, it most likely means your yeast is old and you should start over.
  • Add the salt, olive oil and 1 ½ cups of the flour. Mix using a spatula or wooden spoon, until it starts to come together in a very shaggy dough. Switch to using your hands, and mix knead the dough into the bowl until it forms a nice ball, this should take about a minute.
  • Sprinkle a small amount of the remaining flour onto a clean surface, place the ball of dough onto the surface and knead for 2 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, knead the dough again for 2 minutes. It should be nice and smooth and easy to work with. If it is sticky sprinkle just a tiny bit of flour over the surface and knead it into the dough.
  • Once you have a smooth ball of dough, place in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a towel to let it rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
  • Preheat oven to 475º F, and place a cast iron pan, heavy skillet or baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.
  • Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes. After the dough has rested use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each piece into a 6 to 8 inch circle. Keep the dough covered while you are not working with it.
  • Working 1-2 at a time, depending on the size of your pan, place the dough onto the hot surface and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes until very lightly browned. Remove and continue with the rest of the pitas.
  • Keep cooked pitas warm in a towel until ready to serve.

Notes

  • You will probably have a little leftover flour remaining. How much you’ll need to add while kneading depends on the humidity and your dough.
  • Pitas should puff up as they cook, but it is okay if they don’t. They will still be delicious, they just won’t have the pocket on the inside. 
  • Stovetop method: Heat a heavy-duty skillet to medium-high heat. Add the pita and cook for 1 minute, it will start to form bubbles on the surface. Flip and cook for an additional minute. It will not puff up the same as the oven but will form bubbles as it cooks. 
  • Recipe Source: NYT Cooking

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 437mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Erin
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rise: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 8 pitas
Calories: 206
Keyword: homemade pita bread, homemade pita bread recipe, homemade pitas
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About Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.

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