Simple 4-ingredient homemade pita bread – not only miles better than any store-bought versions but possibly even the best homemade pita recipe you’ll ever try!
Yes, you read that right- these are possibly the best homemade pita bread you will ever try. After failed attempts, many recipe and method tweaks, I finally hit the jackpot. This baked pita bread is fluffy and light, with the perfect ‘pocket’ shape for filling up with tons of delicious fillings.
If you’re not entirely sure what pita bread is – it’s a flatbread that uses yeast and is popular in countries all over the world. The most well-known feature of this flatbread though is its ‘pocket’ shape, that allows you to cut it in half and fill with a variety of toppings (like a sandwich).
I know some people are probably wondering why you’d bother making your own at home when they’re so cheap from the store. And, okay, store-bought pita (or ‘pitta’ here in the UK) isn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s always a faff to open and can be quite ‘dry’ and just not up to par with these fresh, homemade versions.
I’d never go back to store-bought version now because everything from the taste, to the texture, is just so much better when homemade.
As bread recipes go, I’d still consider myself a bit of a novice – I have yet to get into sourdough making or anything – but these simple pitas are just so easy to make, that I come back to the recipe time and time again.
Plus, if you’re wondering ‘is pita bread vegan?’ (which I know many of you will be) then I’m happy to tell you that yes, it is! In fact, this vegan pita bread uses just five ingredients; yeast, sugar (needed to feed the yeast), warm water, salt and white flour.
How to Make Pita Bread
What’s needed
- white flour
- dry yeast
- salt
- warm water
- sugar (optional)
The Steps
Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl and leave to rest, until the mixture rises and foams (this is just optional if you wanted to make sure your yeast is active). This can take a different amount of time depending on the temperature of your water, the room and more. 10-15 minutes should be enough.
In the meantime, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Be careful not to put the salt in the yeast mixture, as this can harm the yeast growth.
Add the yeast mixture into the flour and mix well, until a slightly sticky dough begins to form.
Knead the dough on a clean surface for 15 mins until it’s soft, smooth, elastic and pliable. Add a bit of flour if needed, to help with the dough sticking to your hands (or use a floured work surface).
Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer and dough hook. To check that the dough is ready, you can use the window
At the end, form into a ball. Your dough should be smooth and moist but not sticky at this point.
Place the dough in a large bowl. With wet hands, moisten the top of the dough (you can do this with water or olive oil), then cover it with a towel.
Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size, during this time.
Once the dough has risen, cut it into four equal parts if you want large pita bread or 8 balls if you want medium to small size pitas. You can even use a scale to be precise. Then, form into dough balls.
Roll each dough piece with a rolling pin on a floured surface, till it’s about 1/4 inch thickness.
To make a perfect circle, you can use a bowl/plate to cut out the dough. Or leave as is, if you don’t mind a more ‘rustic’ look.
Place the rolled out dough on a floured surface (such as a baking sheet). Cover it with a slightly damp cloth/towel and let it rest for a further 30 minutes.
Place a baking tray/pan upside down in the oven. Then preheat the oven to 250ºC. Make sure the inverted tray is inside the oven before you start heating your oven.
Note: The inverted tray needs to be inside the oven during preheating so that it heats up.
Then, carefully place each rolled dough on the inverted pan for 3- 4 minutes.
Note: depending on the size of your pita bread and the size of your baking tin, you might have to do this in batches.
The pita bread bakes quickly – it will puff up within minutes and then get a brownish/golden colour.
As soon as you remove them from the oven, cover them with a dry cloth. This will keep the pita soft and will prevent them from crisping up.
With this recipe, I made four medium-large pita bread. You can make 8 small thinner version one.
Other Recipes You May Like
If you’re looking for ideas on how to use your newly baked pita, then how about with with some homemade hummus (5 ways). In terms of pita pocket style fillings, you might like these Rainbow Vegan Falafels 5-ways to make a Homemade Easy Falafel wrap
I also love to have flatbread served alongside a variety of mezze style dishes like this Traditional Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli Salad), Simple Spinach Yogurt Dip (Borani) or Vegan ‘Moutabal’ Aubergine Dip.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. You can also tag me in your recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie.
How to Make Homemade Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups white flour 250 grams
- 2 tsp dry yeast 7 grams
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tBsp sugar optional
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a small bowl and leave to rest, until the mixture rises and foams. This can take a different amount of time depending on the temperature of your water, the room and more. 10-15 minutes should be enough.
- In the meantime, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Be careful not to put the salt in the yeast mixture, as this can harm the yeast growth.
- Add the yeast mixture into the flour one and mix well, until a slightly sticky dough begins to form.
- Knead the dough on a clean surface for 15 mins until it's soft, smooth, elastic and pliable. Add a bit of flour if needed, to help with the dough sticking to your hands ( or use a floured work surface). * At the end, form into a ball. Your dough should be smooth and moist but not sticky at this point.
- Place the dough in a large bowl. With wet hands, moisten the top of the dough ( you can do this with water or olive oil) , then cover it with a towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour. The dough should double in size, during this time.
- Once the dough has risen, cut it into 4 equal parts. You can even use a scale to be precise. Then, form into dough balls.
- Roll each dough piece with a rolling pin on a floured surface, till it's about 1/4 inch thickness.
- To make a perfect circle, you can use a bowl/plate to cut out the dough. Or leave as is, if you don't mind a more 'rustic' look. You can see how I did it on the video in the blog.
- Place the rolled out dough on a floured surface (such as a baking sheet). Cover it with a slightly damp cloth/towel and let it rest for a further 30 minutes.
- Place a baking tray/pan upside down in the oven. Then preheat the oven to 250ºC.**
- Then, carefully place each rolled dough on the inverted pan for 3- 4 minutes.***
The pita bread bakes quickly - it will puff up within minutes and then get a brownish/golden colour. - As soon as you remove them from the oven, cover them with a dry cloth. This will keep them soft and will prevent them from crisping up.
Kate
Hi! Thanks for this recipe. I used a bread machine on the dough setting to knead and rise the dough, and then baked them (without the 30 minute wait, I didn’t have time!) and they turned out great! Super easy. I loved the inverted sheet pan for cooking. Brilliant idea.
Support @ Alphafoodie
Thank you for your comment, Kate. So glad you could adjust the recipe to what works for you!
May
Absolutely faboulous!!!