This homemade Pita Bread Recipe puffs up beautifully to form that perfect pocket inside. It has a soft, flavorful crumb, and even beginners rave about how easy it is! Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make Pita Bread in the oven or on the stovetop.
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Helpful Reader Review
“The addition of the wheat flour gave them more flavor. After several attempts with other recipes, these turned out perfect. Thank you!“ – Robin ★★★★★
Homemade Pita Bread Video
Making yeasted pita bread at home is simply so much fun! I love to watch them puff on the stove or in the oven to create a pocket, and the payoff is huge!
What is the difference between pita bread and naan or flatbread?
Pita is a quick-cooking, yeast-leavened flatbread that puffs up when it’s cooked to form a pocket in the center. Pita bread is a lighter bread that is leavened with yeast, while flatbread is not. Naan usually has an egg and yogurt base.
Ingredients for Pita Bread
My homemade pita dough is made with these basic pantry staples.
- Warm water – should be 110˚F to 115˚F on a thermometer
- Instant yeast – 1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp of instant or rapid rise yeast – check the expiration date!
- Sugar – to help jumpstart the proofing process
- Flour – we love a combination of mostly all-purpose flour to keep the pita very soft, with a little whole wheat flour to add flavor and color. You can swap the whole wheat with all-purpose flour, if needed.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use extra virgin for the best flavor
- Salt – we use fine sea salt. As with any bread, salt is critical for a great taste!
How to Make Pita Dough
Check out my video tips as you go so you can see exactly how pita bread should look at each step.
- Proof Yeast – Use a large mixing bowl to combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and whole wheat flour with a whisk, and then rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead – Knead for 5 minutes. Add flour if it seems too sticky, since it should be soft and tacky to the touch.
- Proof Dough – Grease a clean mixing bowl and dough with 1 tsp olive oil, and then cover the bowl and place it in a warm (100˚F) place for 45 minutes, or at room temperature for 90 minutes, until doubled in volume.
- If baking in the oven – Once the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 500˚F with a baking stone or inverted baking sheet on the bottom rack position.
How to Form Pita Bread
- Divide dough – Punch the dough down, and then cut into 8 even pieces. Roll the first piece of dough until the dimple underneath is smoothed out. Cover with a damp kitchen towel for 15 minutes.
- Roll dough – Flour the work surface, then press a doughball flat with your fingertips. Use a rolling pin to roll dough balls to 7″ disks, and then cover with a damp towel in one layer for 10 minutes.
Pro Tip:
To keep the dough from drying out, cover it with a damp kitchen towel after rolling. Also, cover the pita bread with a dry kitchen towel 5 minutes after it is cooked, or it will get dry.
How to Bake Pita Bread
- Bake on the fully preheated pizza stone at 500˚F for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Once puffed, transfer to a rack for 5 minutes, and then cover with a dry towel.
Make Stovetop Pita Bread
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil and then cook rounds for 30 seconds. When it begins to bubble, flip the dough and cook 1 minute until it puffs.
Why did my pita bread not puff up?
After many batches (and a freezer packed with homemade pita bread), we identified all of the tips and tricks to get that mesmerizing puff and perfectly formed pocket in the center.
- Fresh Ingredients – Make sure your ingredients are fresh, and yeast or flour is not expired.
- Preheat baking stone or cast-iron pan – Preheat the pizza stone and oven for at least 20 minutes, or preheat the pan until a drop of water immediately evaporates. The super-hot surface traps steam to puff up the center of the pita.
- Generously flour the counter before rolling the dough. If the dough sticks to the counter while rolling, the pita may tear, causing steam to escape so it won’t puff properly.
- Prep the dough – Roll the dough until you no longer see a dimple at the bottom (which can prevent the pita from puffing properly, or cause a tear/deflating). Also, press the dough before rolling to distribute the air bubbles.
How to Serve Pita Bread
Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy homemade pita bread:
- Gyros – fill with gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, and Tzatziki Sauce.
- Fajita Pitas – put Shrimp Fajitas, Chicken Fajitas (or Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas) over pita bread and serve.
- With Dip – slice up the pita bread into wedges, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and serve with Tzatziki, Hummus, or Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
- Stuffed Pitas – Cut pita bread in half, open the pita pocket, and fill with Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad.
- Toasted Chips – Follow our tutorial on How to Make Pita Chips alongside – Greek Chicken Bowls, Maroulosalata Greek Salad
Make-Ahead and Storage
We store cooled, fresh pitas on the counter in a zip-top container for up to 3 days, and then store homemade pita bread in our freezer!
- Freezing: once cooled, store in a freezer-safe zip-top bag with all the air removed in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t pack them tightly stacked because they will be difficult to separate later.
- To Reheat: Warm pitas in an oven, air fryer, or microwave until thawed and just warm.
There’s no match for soft and fresh homemade pita bread. This recipe makes for the best pita pockets every single time! Bake in the oven or on the stovetop for, and let me know how you love to enjoy pita.
Homemade Pita Bread Recipe
Homemade Pita Bread is easy to make and puffs up to form a stuffable pocket inside. They are soft and flavorful and taste so much better than store-bought! We included instructions for baking in the oven or cooking pita bread on the stovetop. These freeze well, so you always have homemade pita pockets on hand!
Ingredients
Servings: 8 pita breads
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 1 packet
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus another 1 tsp to oil the bowl
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust, measured correctly
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
How to Make Pita Dough:
- Proof yeast – In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast, and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour. Whisk to combine, then set aside for 15 minutes until puffy and foamy on top.
- Add olive oil, 2 1/2 cups flour, and salt, and stir together with a wooden spoon until shaggy.
- Knead – Turn out onto a clean, smooth surface and knead vigorously for 5 minutes. The dough should feel sticky to your hands but will get less sticky as you knead and should not be sticking to the counter. If the dough is too sticky to knead, sprinkle with a little more flour and continue kneading. Dough should be soft and tacky to the touch.
- Proof dough – Wash and dry the mixing bowl and grease the inside of the bowl with 1 tsp olive oil inside the bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat in oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm (100˚F) place for 45 minutes, or at room temperature for about 90 minutes until doubled in volume.
- If baking in the oven: Once dough has doubled, preheat oven to 500˚F with a baking stone or baking sheet on the bottom rack position. You need to let the stone heat up for at least 20 minutes, or the pita won’t puff properly
How to Form Pita Bread:
- Divide dough -Punch dough down and transfer dough to a clean surface, and divide into 8 even pieces. Cup your hand around each dough ball and roll until you no longer see a dimple or seam underneath. Cover balls with a damp kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes for the gluten to relax and make it easier to roll them out.
- Roll dough – Place a dough ball onto a surface generously dusted and press gently into a disk with your fingertips to disperse bubbles. Roll dough balls to 7” wide and less than 1/4” thick. Move the disk several times while rolling to ensure it doesn’t stick to the counter. Keep rolled disks covered with a damp towel so they don’t dry out. Do not stack pitas. Let the disks rest 10 minutes before baking, and they will puff better.
To Bake Pita Bread:
- Bake – Place 2-3 pieces of dough on the preheated pizza stone and bake at 500˚F for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until puffed. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack for 5 minutes, then cover with a dry towel to keep the pitas from drying out.
Stovetop Instructions:
- Preheat cast iron skillet over medium/high heat and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay pita on the hot skillet for 30 seconds. Once you see bubbling, flip the pitta and cook for 1 minute – it will puff, then flip and cook another minute.
Notes
Storage – once cooled completely, store in a ziptop bag on the counter for 3 days. Be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible to keep the pitas fresh.
Freeze – Pack cooled pita bread into a freezer-safe ziptop bag for 3 months, removing as much air from the bag as possible. You can stack the pitas, but be sure not to pack them tightly, because they may be difficult to separate.
Reheat – thaw in the air fryer, oven, or a skillet until just warmed through.
Nutrition Per Serving
198kcal Calories34g Carbs6g Protein4g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Pita Bread Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
198
% Daily Value*
Fat
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Sodium
440
mg
19
%
Potassium
88
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
34
g
11
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
1
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
9
mg
1
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Filed Under
More Homemade Bread Recipes
These easy bread recipes will make you feel like a pro. Enjoying a warm slice of homemade bread makes the process completely worthwhile.
- Foccacia Bread
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Classic French Bread
- Banana Bread (or Pumpkin Bread)
- Irish Soda Bread
- Brioche Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Homemade Hamburger Buns
I’ve used this recipe numerous times and they always come out great. I use my kitchen aid to mix and knead and brush with a little garlic butter while still warm. My Grandkids ask for these to be part of every Sunday dinner and most of the time they get them!
I love this recipe. It’s very easy to follow spot on. What if I wanted to add some flax to the recipe what would I have to do for that? Thank you.
I’m glad you loved this recipe! You can add and use ground flaxseed for easier digestion, you cam mix it directly with the dry ingredients.Take note that flax absorbs a lot of moisture so you might want to add some extra liquid.
Hi, Natasha! I made your pita bread recipe for the second time and have a few questions. The first time I made them in the oven and they rose up pretty well. This time I made them in the skillet as I didn’t want to turn the oven on in this hot weather. Some of them didn’t rise at all, and a few of them rose just halfway. They tasted great and I loved the browning effect that the skillet gives but wondered if you could give me your thoughts on why some wouldn’t rise or rose only halfway. Thank you!
Hi Susan, it’s hard to say without being there, be sure your skillet is heavy bottom and pre-heated. The cast iron we found works best. I wish I could be more helpful from afar.
Loved it, easy to make and you could find ingrediants that you use every day, hopefully you could make a recipe for garlic bread tho. I would love it!
Hi Emma! I have a recipe for Easy Garlic Bread.
This recipe is my go to recipe. They’re so good and soft. I followed the recipe minus the sugar.
Recipe works like a charm!! And simple to make.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Susan!
Great recipe! I tried them and they puffed up as they were supposed to and tasted great. If I wanted to make the dough in my bread machine, would I have to change any of the recipe amounts? Thanks!
Hi Sue! I haven’t tested this in a bread machine to advise. I’m sorry.
OK, I’m going to try the recipe as is in my bread machine (using the dough cycle only). I’ll post an update on how it goes. Thanks!
Using the bread machine to make the dough was a success! In fact, I’d say the dough was better than when I made it by hand. I didn’t modify the recipe at all – I just put everything into the bread machine in the usual order (liquids first, flour and yeast last, etc.) and ran the dough cycle. Perfect!
This is the best pita recipe that I have tried, hands down. I always had trouble getting them to puff, I suspect my oven just isn’t hot enough, so I used your cast iron directions and got a puff every time! All of the little hints are very helpful, and I think really contribute to this being such a successful recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I did it! Sweet success! Thanks for the recipe. My faith in Pinterest recipes has been restored..for now. 😂
I’m so glad you found this recipe!
While my pitas didn’t puff, (most probably user error), the flavor if fab!
The addition of the wheat flour gave them more flavor. After several attempts with other recipes, these turned out perfect. Thank you!
Can I make with out using the wheat flour ? By using all purpose flour in enplacement and of the wheat?