HealthyHappyLife.com

  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
search icon
Homepage link
  • recipes
  • cookbooks
  • about
  • subscribe
  • mom life
  • travel
  • blogging
  • videos
  • free gift!
  • shop
×
  • This Is What Five Years of Motherhood Does to a Career Girl
  • Plant-Based Recipes for Hot Summer Days
  • Simple Vegan Cacio e Pepe Pasta - One-Pot Meal
  • Summer Dress Try-On: My Favorite Twirl-Tested, Celebration-Worthy Picks
  • Face: What Our Skincare Routines Say About Modern Motherhood
  • Still Obsessed: My Rothy’s Code + Review (2025)
  • My Pandemic Baby Is Graduating Preschool
  • 5 Comfy-Cute, One Piece Swimsuits - Long Torso Edit
  • Spring Fling: Best Garden & Outdoor Finds for Your Home & Kids
  • Plant-Based Protein Sources: The Ultimate Guide // Back to Basics Series
  • Overthinking Won't Save You — But This Might
  • Creative Mom Working From Home: Glitter, Chaos, & On-Brand Post-its
Home » Recipes » All Posts

Homemade Pita Bread

by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Oct 19, 2023 · published: Sep 4, 2020 · About 5 minutes to read this article. Leave a Comment

pita bread

This Homemade Pita Bread is pretty magical when you think about it. Somehow, simple circles of fluffy dough, magically bake up into puffy balloons with steamy centers, ready for stuffing with your favorite goodies. Hummus, falafel, veggies, tahini, hot sauce and anything else you dream up...

pita bread dough
fluffy pita bread

Puffed Up Pita Bread..

Yup, this bread actually puffs. I was skeptical myself since you don't do anything extra to make it puff. But that extra hot oven and baking surface is what does it. I used the griddle top from my stove, but a pizza stone or cast iron baking sheet or sorts would also work.

I sat on my kitchen floor, peered into my oven and watched the puffing magic happen in just a few minutes...

pita bread in the oven

Never Buy Pita Again

When I made this homemade pita bread, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I really never needed to buy pita bread again. I actually had some store-bought pita bread in the freezer at the time and comparing the two was like night and day.

The store-bought pita bread was thin and dense. No bubbles or browning. The freezing seemed to shrink the bubbled center even more. And the flavor quite average. while the freshly made pita was bubbly and browned, lots of character in the shape and texture. Fluffy and light, with a nice amount of chewiness from the gluten.

pocket in homemade pita bread
 homemade pita bread

These Homemade Pita Bread pockets are perfect for stuffing with hummus, veggies, falafel. Vegan meal.

Try my Sweet Potato Falafel.

stuffed  homemade pita bread

Simple Ingredients

Despite it's magically puffy presentation, homemade pita bread doesn't contain any magical ingredients. The lineup is very similar to any dough you might whip up for a loaf, bagels or rolls...

  • water - basic liquid for keeping things moist
  • flour - I used mostly bread flour, with a bit of spelt -- but all purpose flour or all bread flour could be used. You can also experiment with other flour mixtures like whole wheat, all spelt, gluten-free or sprouted grain could be used. You just may need to adjust the water a bit.

    Though optional, I love the touch of spelt in my recipe - here are some reasons to try spelt flour
  • yeast - to get that fluffy rise
  • sugar - just a hint for some sweetness and to help out the yeast
  • olive oil - just a splash, gives some richness to the dough and helps the chewy texture and browned edges.
  • salt - helps bring out all the earthy flour flavors

...And that's really it! The rest is in the method, which again, is super simple. You can absolutely do this even if you do not consider yourself a "baker" or even a "pro-baker."

pita bread

Homemade Pita Bread

This fresh, fluffy and lightly browned pita bread has tons of character and flavor. Ready for stuffing with your favorite ingredients like falafel, veggies and hummus.
4.50 from 4 votes
click the stars to rate
Print Pin
Prep: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Total: 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
  • 2 ¼ cups bread flour
  • ½ cup spelt flour, (or more bread flour)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • flour, for dusting work surface

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add flour, water, coconut sugar. (Regular sugar can be subbed.) Stir to dissolve yeast and sugar. Let sit for ten minutes.
  • Add in the olive oil, flour and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens, then start kneading with your hands either in the bowl or onto the countertop - lightly flour first. Knead for 2-3 minutes.
  • Keep dough in the bowl - or place back in the bowl and cover with a clean dish towel or a lid. Allow the dough to rise for two hours.

After dough has risen..

  • Preheat oven to 475. Place either a cast iron sheet, thick baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven. If you do not have those, using the basic metal rack in the oven will work, but may not be as effective since you want a HOT surface for the dough.
  • When dough is risen - turn out onto a lightly floured countertop or large cutting board. Knead for 1-2 minutes then section the dough off into 6-8 pieces (depending on how large you want your pita bread.)
  • Using your rolling pin, roll out your dough round into flat circles - about ¼ inch thick and 6-8 inches wide. If you want a thinner pita, you can roll the dough out to 8 inches wide and ⅛ inch thick. I like my pita a bit thicker though.
  • Open the oven and add the pita rounds, 2-3 at a time. Be careful as the oven will be very hot. Place the dough on your hot plate tool (stone, sheet, cast iron..) and close the oven. Wait 2-4 minutes for the pita to puff up and brown, then using tongs, flip pita. Allow 1-2 more minutes to bake, then remove from the oven. Repeat with remaining dough rounds.
  • Serve right away or freeze for later. Best served right after baking.

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • cast iron baking sheet or pizza stone of sorts - optional
  • mixing bowl
  • tongs
recipe author: Kathy Patalsky

Notes

recipe adapted from NY Times

nutrition estimate | per serving

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
baking, bread, Side Dish
American, Mediterranean
baking, bread, pitas, vegan, yeast
Did you make this?Snap a pic + tag me! @KathyPatalsky
pita bread

More All Posts

  • The Ultimate Copenhagen with Kids Guide: Where to Stay, Eat & Play
  • Back to Basics: The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Egg Replacers
  • kathy patalsky hbd 44 joy
    I Bought Myself a Cameo for My Birthday - And No, I Haven't Watched it Yet
  • Easy English Muffin Pizzas for Kids (Vegan & Kid-Approved!)

About Kathy Patalsky

Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

Hi, I'm Kathy! I'm so glad you are here! I've been sharing my vegan life and recipes here on the blog since 2007...

More about me →

my cookbooks
my books

Latest Posts

  • 44. birthday post.
  • 7 Foods for Lung Health During Wildfire Pollution
  • Letter from the Editor: Embracing the Holiday Time Glow
  • Vegan Holiday Recipe Quicklist

Trending

  • All Posts
  • appetizer
  • Mom Life
  • recipes
  • personal
  • dessert
  • holiday
  • Smoothies
  • snacks
  • kid recipes
  • kid crafts
  • salad
  • Sandwiches
  • entree
  • 101 Things I Love. Happiness Reflection.
  • 5-Minute Skillet Chickpeas
  • Vegan Dining at Disneyland - 2023 - Complete List!
  • 7 Tips for Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
  • avocado toast with mushrooms
    Mushroom Avocado Toast
  • peanut butter chickpeas
    Easy Peanut Butter Curry Chickpeas

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • about kathy
  • press
  • © 2024 polished dc, llc
  • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • sign up..
  • subscriber gift: vegan cheat sheets!

Contact

  • work with me

Goodies

  • shop
  • cookbooks
  • finding vegan
  • videos

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required