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Somewhere between tortillas and naan lies pita bread.

What is pita bread?

Pita bread is a notorious flatbread common in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and surrounding areas. It’s often enjoyed with hummus and chicken shawarma.

What’s the difference between pita bread, tortillas, and naan?

Well, for starters the ingredients. Naan is made with all the ingredients in this pita bread recipe, plus eggs, yogurt, and butter. Meanwhile, tortillas are made with flour, baking powder, and water. The flavors are different in each one of these breads and that’s why they are all individually unique.

One thing all these breads have in common though, is that they’re best when eaten freshly made. And where can you really go to find fresh pita bread? Oh yeah, no where! So, the perfect solution is to make them yourself.

Now that may sound a bit overwhelming. But trust me, it’s not hard at all. It just takes a little arm work and some time. Oh yeah and like four ingredients.

Pita Bread Recipe
Homemade Pita Bread

What do I need to make pita bread?

Flour. I use all purpose in this recipe but feel free to use whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, spelt flour, or whatever type of flour you have on hand. Go ahead and get creative if you’d like, but to achieve the traditional pita we all know and love, you’re going to want to stick to all-purpose or whole wheat flour.

Oil. I used olive oil, but avocado oil works too. Don’t substitute for any other type of oil, and make sure it’s high quality. This really matters in this recipe.

Salt. Pretty standard component in this recipe and absolutely necessary. Feel free to add more or less depending on how you prefer. What’s listed in the recipe is a standard amount for the quantity yield.

Yeast. Duh. How else are we going to form fluffy pita bread? We need our dough to rise, so yeast is an essential ingredient here. Seriously, you’re going to have to run to the store for a pack of yeast to make this recipe.

Now let’s make something clear. There’s pita bread, which has a pocket in the middle, and then there’s pocket-less pita, Arabic bread, Syrian bread, Greek pita, and more. What I’m trying to emphasize is that there’s so many variations of this amazing flatbread, so try the different variations and find which one you like most.

Why make pita bread at home?

Well, I already explained how great fresh pita is. If that wasn’t enough convincing then let me just tell you about how much I love this recipe. It’s a simple dough to prepare and yes that I love.

But I enjoy the actual cooking process because if the dough is prepared correctly, then you’ll have inflated pitas on your stove top or in oven, depending on how you decide to cook you pitas. It’s a cool process to watch and definitely gives you that little extra satisfaction knowing that you can make a perfect, pocketed pita bread!

How do I store extra pita bread?

If you plan on enjoying your pita within 2 days then store it in a air tight container or bag at room temperature. Otherwise, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to enjoy.

How many pitas does this recipe make?

This recipe make approximately 8 pitas. Feel free to scale the recipe to whatever fits your needs.

Pita Bread

Easy Pita Bread Recipe

Franchesca Livraghi
Somewhere between tortillas and naan lies pita bread. One thing all these breads have in common though, is that they’re best when eaten freshly made. And where can you really go to find fresh pita bread? Oh yeah, no where! So, the perfect solution is to make them yourself. Now that may sound a bit overwhelming. But trust me, it’s not hard at all. It just takes a little arm work and some time. Oh yeah and like four ingredients.
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Prep Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 rolling pin
  • 1 skillet, or heavy duty pan
  • 1 baking stone, or baking pan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp dry active yeast or 1 packet dry active yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 – 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, combine yeast, water, and 1 cup flour. Mix until combined and set aside for 10 minutes
  • Add salt, 1 tbsp oil, and 1 cup flour. Mix until combined and add the remaining flour, if necessary, in small doses until the dough is not sticky nor dry.
  • Kneed dough for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
  • Place in bowl with remaining oil and cover. Let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
  • Remove dough from bowl and roll out into a log. Cut log into 8 pieces and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Roll each piece into a circle and let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into round flatbread's about 1/2 thick.
  • Bake on stone or pan at 475 for 3 minutes, flipping once. Or, cook on skillet or pan on medium heat for 3 minutes, flipping once.

Notes

  • If you plan on enjoying your pita within 2 days then store it in a air tight container or bag at room temperature. Otherwise, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to enjoy.
  • This recipe make approximately 8 pitas. Feel free to scale the recipe to whatever fits your needs.
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