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This simple Homemade Pita Bread is easy to make and better than anything you can buy at the store! Learn to make pita bread at home.
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is one of those things that seems super intimidating but actually is pretty easy to make. I tried out a few recipes and I think that this one is the best, mostly because it requires very little hands on time and it gives you soft, fluffy pitas that work as well dipping into humus as they do a sandwich wrap.
Best Pita Bread Recipe
It can be a little difficult to get the “pocket” feature, where the two side puff up leaving a hollow middle. I found that the best way to do that is to gently shape the dough into a disc, then carefully roll it out. The goal is not to press out all the air, but you want to roll it to about 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. Even if it doesn’t puff into a pocket, it still tastes amazing.
Homemade Pita Bread is easy to make and is better than store bought!
I used my pizza stone to bake these on and I really think that is ideal (I have THIS one – that is my affiliate link). I use my pizza stone mostly for pizza, but it works great for baking bread as well. I do think you will get better results with a pizza stone because it gets very hot. But if you don’t have a pizza stone, I would suggest using a cast iron skillet or you can just use a baking sheet.
A Very Hot Oven Makes the Best Pita Bread
You need a very hot oven for this, so I pumped mine up to 515 degrees F – since I was opening it every few minutes and letting out heat, I wanted to keep it as high as possible.
How to make a Pita Bread
I did bake my pita bread one at a time, which made this take a little longer – but since they only take a few minutes each to bake, it wasn’t that bad. If you use a baking sheet you could probably do a few at a time, which would cut hands on time. I really didn’t mind making one at a time though, because I could roll one out, start baking it, then start rolling the next one as the first was baking. Sort of like a pita bread assembly line, only run by one person. You want to keep these covered as they come out of the oven to keep them soft.
Does Pita Bread Reheat well?
Pitas are so great served warm, but if you want to make them ahead of time just keep them covered. They do reheat well. You can reheat them in the oven wrapped in foil to get that fresh out of the oven feeling.
And stay tuned, I will be bringing you a killer easy hummus recipe soon so you can start dipping these pitas ASAP!
Homemade Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup warm water not hot
Instructions
- Add water, yeast, and sugar to a large bowl, stir to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour, whisk together. Allow to sit uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and salt, and two cups of flour, stir with a wooden spoon until dough starts to come together.
- Sprinkle a little more flour on top, then use your hands to knead in the bowl for 1 minute until dough starts to form a ball.
- Turn dough onto a floured work surface, knead for two minutes. Cover for 10 minutes. Then knead again for 2 more minutes. Add flour as needed, but try not to use too much.
- Place in a clean mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel.
- Allow to sit for one hour or until dough has doubled.
- Place pizza stone or other baking surface** on the bottom rack of the oven. Heat oven to 515°F.
- Divide dough into eight pieces, rolling each into a ball. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Working with one dough ball at a time (leave the others covered), use your fingers to start to shape the ball into a disc, being careful not to press all the air out. Finish by using a rolling pin to roll disc into a flat 7-8 inch disc. Disc should be 1/4-1/8 inch thick. (be sure to flour the surface to avoid sticking.).
- When first disc is rolled out, flip it onto the hot pizza stone and bake for about 2 and a half minutes. Then flip it and bake for another 1 and a half minutes. Remove from oven and cover with a towel while other pitas bake.
- Continue the process for each pita until done. If you have a larger baking surface you may be able to bake several at a time.
- Keep baked pitas covered until ready to serve.
- To reheat, wrap pitas in foil (can wrap several in one package) and heat in oven until warm.
Notes
**If you do not have a pizza stone, use a cast iron skillet OR a baking sheet.
***To ensure a pocket, make sure your oven is very hot and don't roll your pita too thin!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Adapted from New York Times Cooking
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2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water not hot
3 cups All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Just wondering why ingredients weren’t listed in order. Minor detail. They came out great!
I made these using instant yeast and it came out fantastic, they pocketed nicely. I recently purchased a pizza stone and I’m trying to find non-pizza uses for it, it seems that was the real game changer for homemade pita bread. Served this with boneless skinless chicken thighs in a greek yogurt and zaatar spice marinade with lots of garlic.
It’s so great on the pizza stone! So glad you love them!
I never get tired of watching these puff up! This is my go-to recipe for pita bread.
So happy to hear that!
Oh so delicious. And easy too. My son, the 12 yo food critic, even said they were better than our local restaurant.
Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you loved it! And glad to hear the 12 year old approved 🙂
Can the dough be frozen? I am thinking about making the dough ahead of time and baking it another day.
Also, can I use instant yeast instead?
Thank you!
Hi Denisse – I have not tried freezing the dough, but I think it would be fine. To use instant yeast, just use about 25% less than the recipe calls for.
Perfect pita! Mine even had pockets. I will not buy pita again. Well done!!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
The temperature is on bake, not broil, correct? Thank you so much! Love this recipe.
Hi Nina, yes that is correct.
Came out perfect!!!
Wonderful! So happy to hear that!
I have a question if I use a wired pizza rack do I still need to flip them?
Hi Becca – I am not sure how that will turn out because you won’t be getting high heat directly in contact with the pita. It might be better to use a baking sheet or a cast iron skillet that has been preheated in the oven so it is really hot. Then follow the same directions.
Oh My Goodness! These were SO good! I made these to go with the Mediterranean Bowl recipe you have on your site. Gonna have to make another batch today for our leftover bowls. My oven went off during the cooking of these and I finished them up in the air fryer. They puffed up better there than in the oven! Nothing beats hot fresh bread and this recipe was easy to do and oh, so delicious!
Hi Linda – what a great idea! I’m going to try them in an airfryer too. So glad you loved the recipe!
I made this recipe to go with my Indian meatballs. A very easy and delicious recipe.
I pinned the recipe, its a keeper!
So glad you loved it Teresa!
I knew as soon as I felt the finished dough, it would be great. Soft and silky dough and crazy soft and light pitas. This recipe is a keeper for sure!!! Thank you for posting this. Store-bought pita will NEVER enter my kitchen again!
So happy you loved them Suzanne!
Just made these to go with a middleastern feast some friends made us for the hubs birthday – the middleastern bakery was out of pita and we were hesitant to get grocery store ones so I searched for a recipe and this popped up.
They are SO GOOD. And pretty simple and quick to make. We brushed with a little olive oil for flavor, but it didn’t necessarily need it.
Thanks for such a great recipe!
So happy to hear that, thanks Mindy!
Just made these…. this recipe was super easy for my novice baking self and they turned out great! Thank you!
Hi Jenny – Yay, I’m so happy to hear that!
I am super impressed! I love homemade bread of any kind, but pita bread is one of my favorite. This recipe looks totally doable… thanks!
Thank you Carly! This pita is seriously on the easy side of bread baking. I hope you love it!
hi Meghan
do i have to add sugar, or can i make it without?
because nowadays there is sugar everywhere! and i don’t think it’s healthy to eat so much of it! 🙂
if it’s only to get the yeast going, then i can start it in some lukewarm water. that does the trick!
thank you and kind regards
heidi
Hi Heidi,
I think the sugar is just to help the yeast along. It is such a small amount, I’m not sure if it will affect the flavor. You could also consider replacing the sugar with honey. I have not tried to make it without the sugar, but it would be worth a try! Let me know how it turns out!
Lovely! I have tried to make pita bread before but it has never turned out quite so beautiful. I will have to try your recipe for sure! 🙂
Thank you Rachel! I would love to hear how they turn out!