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
Oh my gosh these are so good and easy! I’ve tried other pita recipes but looks like yours is my new favorite (& go to!). They puffed up perfectly (I baked them on a stone in the oven) and break open the way they should. Can’t wait for dinner…I’ll try not to eat them all before falafel night; thank you so much!
I’m so happy you found a favorite on my blog, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review with me!
Good morning, I love watching your videos and enjoy making your recipes. The dough was beautiful for these, but mine did not puff, what might I have done wrong?
Hi Carol Ann, Forming dough balls properly is crucial to the pita bread puffing up. Ensure you 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).
I already had something the oven, and so I opted for the stovetop cooking method. Terrific!!! I will definitely be making this recipe often!
Glad that worked out well! Thanks for the good review and feedback.
Hi Natasha,
What does this mean?
“roll the dough until you no longer see a dimple at the bottom”
I never made Pita before and not sure what a dimple is? And then there is only one dimple? I don’t get it.
Thanks,
Jim F.
HI Jim, the dimple refers to the seam of where the dough comes together to form a ball.
🙏 thank you so much for sharing this recipe…can’t wait to try it. Especially appreciate the nutrition disclosure and the metric conversion option 🙏
I hope you love it, Donna!
We used this recipe several times. Pitas always puff up. We eat them right from the pan with herb butter or make sandwiches later.
We make dough in a bread maker. After that follow above directions. Easy.
Hi Sveta! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for your feedback.
Unfortunately, mine did not pop up. They were very doughy. I did them in my cast iron pan. Maybe better luck net time.
Hi Doreen, darn, I wonder why they didn’t work. I recommend reviewing the steps again and ensuring nothing was altered in the recipe.
Hi. The dough was fantastic. And they puffed up. But afterwards there was no way to slit them open. They were stuck together… Did they not cook long enough??
Hi Mary Jane, that may be the culprit, but also ensure everything was preheated really well and your oven was hot enough. I recommend using an in-oven thermometer.
I am obsessed with your easy recipes…love the pita bread…made it twice in a week 💓
Thank you so much
Isn’t it the best to make things like this at home?! I’m so glad you loved it, Menka!
This was my first go at Pita Bread, I chose your video because your tutorial was amazing and so easy to follow.
They did cook up just like they should, and there was zero confusion because you did such a great job on your video…… but the pitas taste just awful, and I mean, awful. I followed everything to a T, changed absolutely nothing, added nothing except using active instead of instant yeast, which is not a big deal….. they are so salty that they are inedible. My daughter who we make fun of as a salt feign ate two, but the rest were thrown into the trash.
I have spent the last 4 hours researching if perhaps I did not let them proof long enough, if there was something in your recipe that goes against using regular active yeast (salt shouldn’t be an issue there), and finally, I just looked at tons of other recipes, and yours has almost double the amount of salt as any of the other recipes, and always a 1/3rd more (1tsp is normal).
I don’t understand why you have more salt than not, nor how mine ended up so salty they were inedible, but there you have it.
I gave you 3 stars because seriously, amazing job on the video tutorial, I can not thank you enough for that, it made it so simple, but the recipe itself is just awful. Sorry.
HI Day, I haven’t had them come out too salty and definitely not to the point of being inedible. Did you possibly use a Tablespoon measure instead of a teaspoon? 1 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt should not seem too salty with nearly 3 cups of flour unless too much salt was added?
Sea salt and regular iodized salt are very different, iodized salt is much saltier! That could be the difference
I’m trying this recipe for an event this weekend. Do you think they will stay fresh for a day or two, so I can make them in advance?
Hi Stephanie, yes, you can transfer to a zip bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Do you have a recipe or recommendation for making your own gyros meat/loaf?
Hi Kathryn. I do not, I’m sorry.
One says all purpose flour and the recipe itself says whole wheat?
Hi Rachel, please review the recipe card for ingredients. This recipe uses both.
These were so delicious and easy to make. Can’t wait to make them again. Thanks for a terrific recipe!
Thank you for the awesome feedback, Sherry!
Fabulous pita recipe! I’ve never had such success in getting pitas to puff up. Absolutely perfect.
Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, KM!
Made these last night and they came out perfectly! Great recipe.
Have you made whole wheat ones?
Hi Rachael, I have not, but I bet that would work! If you happen to try that, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Best pitas I’ve ever made! Great instructions! Puffed perfectly and came out looking picture perfect. Will def be my go-to pita recipe from here on out! Thank you!
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lilie!
I had the same problem as Dedere, my pita did not puff up my yeast was fresh and I measured everything I thought correctly. I will try again soon, they taste good for flat bread 😁
Also — why proof instant yeast? And why use instant rather than regular active dry? Thanks.
Hi Jeff, I have always made this pita recipe with quick rise so I can’t speak to active dry but I would assume it should work fine with a little longer rising time.
Hi Natasha — My pita breads are still not puffing up hardly at all! I’m using a baking stone, and a kitchen scale to measure the flour. I’m having trouble rolling the dough balls so the dimple disappears, do you have any advice? Also, even though I make sure the warm water is 110-115 degrees, my yeast doesn’t foam up very much (and it’s nowhere near expired), could that be part of the problem and if so what to do? Thanks!
Hi Jeff, it could be due to the yeast if you aren’t seeing any puffing happening. Make sure your yeast isn’t getting too hot or too cold. I would start with a fresh un-opened packet of yeast and see if you have better results. It also sounds like maybe you are using too much flour? Make sure to measure flour correctly since too much flour can make the dough tough to roll and will hinder the rise.
Hi JeffL,
I have had issues with yeast not activating in the past (I use Fleischmann’s quick yeast in the jars). There is an expiry date, but they also recommend that you use it within 6 months after opening. So now, I mark the date that I open the jar, and then store it in the fridge. Most times it does still activate after the 6 months, but if not, I buy new.
If your yeast is not foaming after 5 minutes, you will need to buy new yeast.
Hope this helps. Best of luck!
These were perfect! Even the most picky family members loved them! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you!
Hello Judy, thanks for the fantastic feedback. I’m happy to hear that!