Homemade Pita Bread

Homemade Pita Bread

I used to be intimidated by yeast breads, until I realized that they’re all just about the same.

This bread dough recipe is excellent for pita bread, but I also use it for pizza crust, focaccia, sandwich bread…pretty much whatever I feel like making!

I have a stand mixer with a dough-hook attachment and I LOVE it, but this recipe can easily be done by hand.

If you don’t have a cast iron pan or griddle, you can use a non-stick pan or griddle. You may need to add a small amount of oil to the pan while you are cooking your pita.

Ingredients (Yield: 8 pita rounds)

2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 cup of warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

OPTIONAL: thyme, cracked black pepper, chili flakes, or any other seasonings that you’d like!

Instructions

Combine your warm water, yeast, and sugar in your mixing bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast “blooms” and becomes foamy and fragrant. 

Add your salt, oil, seasonings (optional) and one cup of flour to your mixture and stir to combine. 

Add the rest of your flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and continue to mix until a smooth, elastic dough forms. My mixer can usually get me all the way there, but sometimes I will finish the dough by hand-kneading it.

In a bowl (the bowl you were just using works great!) pour a small amount of oil into the bottom. Place your dough into the bowl and then turn the dough over a few times until it’s lightly coated with oil. 

Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap, and allow your dough to rise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size. 

After 1 hour, heat a cast-iron pan or griddle to medium-low to medium heat. If I’m using a cast-iron, I don’t grease my pan at all.

Dump your dough out onto the counter and use a knife, bench scraper, or your hands to divide the dough into 8 even pieces.

Roll out one of the 8 pieces until it is flat and thin, about 8-10 inches in diameter. It doesn’t need to be a perfect circle!

Carefully, place your rolled out pita dough into your heated pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until there are golden brown spots on both sides.

If the spots are blackish, you may want to turn down the heat. Once your pita is done cooking, set it on a paper towel to cool.

I prefer to roll out the next piece of dough while the first one is cooking, rather than rolling out all of my pieces of dough at once.

Eat your pita hot or cold. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Bonus! Want to make pita chips??

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Take your fresh or slightly stale pita breads and slice them into 6-8 wedges each. 

Brush the tops of the pita wedges with oil and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper or other seasonings. 

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden and crispy. 

Let cool slightly and serve with salsa, bean dip, or hummus.