The Best Authentic Homemade Pita Bread

4.99 from 55 votes
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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.

Homemade pita bread

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.

Pita breads

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

Pita bread ingredients

  • 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.

Pita bread dough

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.

Pieces of Pita bread dough

Roll each dough piece with a rolling pin on a floured surface, till it’s about 1/4 inch thickness.

Rolling Pita bread dough

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.

Upside down baking tray for pita bread

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.

Freshly baked pita bread

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.

Baked pita bread

With this recipe, I made four medium-large pita bread. You can make 8 small thinner version one.

Homemade pita bread

Homemade pita bread

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.

Easy Homemade Pita Bread Recipe

4.99 from 55 votes
By: Samira
Combine five ingredients to make easy homemade pita bread, a recipe so easy to put together that you’ll never go back to store-bought pita again!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4 medium-large breads or 8 small ones

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 

Make The Dough

  • In a small bowl, combine the yeast and water. Leave to activate for 10-15 minutes - it should have a foamy top and bubbles. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, then add the yeast mix and mix until it starts to form a dough.
  • Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and soft. You can also use the dough hook on a stand mixer. Transfer to a bowl and wet the top with olive oil or water. Leave, covered, to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Shape The Pita

  • Turn out the dough and cut into equal portions - four parts for large pita, eight for smaller. Turn into dough balls, then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
  • Put on a floured baking tray, cover and prove for a further 30 minutes.

Bake The Pita

  • Put a baking tray upside down in the oven, then preheat to 480°F/250ºC. Place the dough balls onto the hot tray - do this in batches.
  • Bake for 3-4 minutes. The pita bread will puff up and start to gently brown. Remove from the oven and cover immediately with a kitchen towel to stop them crisping up.

Video

Notes

Store at room temperature in a bag or container for up to 5 days or freeze in Ziplock bags for up to 3 months. Warm in the oven or toaster to enjoy. 
Course: DIYs
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Freezer friendly: 2 Months
Shelf life: 5 Days

Nutrition

Serving: 1Pita, Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 124mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 3mg

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

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Recipe Rating




43 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Really great authentic fresh Pita, nothing like the nasty dry supermarket versions. Really quick to cook so can be made a kept warm in a tea towel just before you need them.

      1. Bonjour,
        Peux t’on congeler les pitas après ?
        Merci beaucoup ! J’adore toutes tes recettes !

      2. Bonjour Marine,
        Thank you for your comment!
        Yes, you can freeze the pitas after baking them. You can keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.

    1. Hi Loana,
      Yes, you can make pita bread without using yeast by using baking powder instead. This will give the bread a slightly different texture and flavor than traditional pita bread. Mix the baking powder with the flour and then you can proceed with the same steps.

  2. 5 stars
    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.

      1. Hi,
        All the ingredient measurements are included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post! I hope you give it a try.

  3. 5 stars
    I made these for the second day running. I wish I could post a pic of the party-sized ones I had with salad and homemade hummus today. I learnt my lesson from yesterday and made a double batch (half large, half small). I can see these as being my go-to summer meal bread. My son was really happy to see a new batch for lunch. Thankful to have found your recipe!

    1. I’m so glad you’re enjoying these! Feel free to tag me in any pictures on Instagram @Alphafoodie – I love to see recreations <3

  4. 5 stars
    This is a perfect recipe. If you make the four, it makes the sandwich sized pita’s you’d find in the supermarket (about the size of a bread plate) but they hold together far better then the supermarket ones as you cut and fill them. I am wishing I made double or triple the recipe as 3 of the 4 have already disappeared. I did have to add a few teaspoons more of water while it was mixing, but that can be due to the temperature on the day, and I might not need to next time. Keep close to the oven as you cook, they brown very quickly once they puff and they’re too good to waste from burning 🙂

    My son is known to be picky and he loved these, quickly asking for a second and he’s already asked to try them with another filling next time. He had his with a hot filling of lamb and lettuce, and I had mine with a cold filling of goats cheese and salad on still warm-from-the-oven pitas. Mmmm so good!

    1. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed them and the helpful tips! Yes, I’ve found the amount of water needed in any bread recipe can change for everyone slightly based on the temperature, climate, etc.

  5. I made 8 small and followed directions exactly. New yeast but only two of my pita’s puffed up. Any suggestions?

    1. Hi Karen, sorry to hear that only two puffed up. Two things are normally to check for: 1) thickness of the dough, too thick it might have trouble puffing, or temperature is not too hot on the oven tray? Hope this helps for next time 🙂

    1. Hi Nila, sorry for the late reply. It would be because your dough might be a bit thick, you need to try with a thinner version? hope this helps.