Easy Homemade Pita Bread
By Elizabeth Ciobanu ·
Soft, fresh pita with a naturally formed pocket, perfect for stuffing with your favorite Greek fillings.
This soft, fresh pita has a naturally formed pocket, perfect for stuffing with your favorite Greek fillings. It doesn't even bear comparison with store-bought pita, which is usually tough and bland.
Once you've had fresh pitas, you'll never go back to buying them store-bought again!
The process is not too hard either. You'll be surprised how easily it comes together. And it's so satisfying to watch them puff up in the oven to create that classic pocket in the middle.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 2 hr 20 min
- Makes
- 6 pitas
Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) whole wheat flour, freshly milled if possible
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of lukewarm water into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add 2 teaspoons of yeast (or 1 packet).
- Add 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt.
- Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
- Mix with a whisk or fork just enough to disperse the yeast.
- Add the freshly milled whole wheat flour and use the dough hook on the stand mixer to mix for about 30 seconds.
- Add 2 cups of unbleached flour and mix with the dough hook attachment on the knead setting for 4 minutes.
- Add up to 1/2 cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too sticky. It should form a ball around the hook, look slightly rough, and still be a bit sticky.
- Form the dough into a rough ball and leave it in a loosely covered bowl to rise for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F with a pizza stone or other ceramic cooking tile on the middle rack. (A cast iron skillet or other cooking tray will also work.)
- After the dough has become pillowy and doubled in size, turn it out onto a generously floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 6 equally sized pieces (it doesn't have to be exact!).
- Stretch and tuck the edges under each ball and pinch them together at the bottom. You want the top surface to be smooth and tight.
- Let each ball rest for 5-10 minutes before rolling them out.
- Flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Roll out two dough balls to about 1/8 of an inch thick or about 6-8 inches in diameter, keeping everything well-floured to prevent sticking.
- Place these 2 dough rounds on the preheated baking tile in the oven and bake for 2 minutes. Use this time to roll out 2 more dough rounds.
- By then they should be nicely puffed up. Turn over with tongs or a fork, and bake for another 1-2 minutes. They should still be pale in color with just a few hints of browning.
- Remove the finished pitas and keep them under a kitchen towel to stay soft while the rest are cooking.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until all the pitas are cooked.
- Serve immediately, or allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight plastic bag.
Notes
- For smaller pitas, you can divide the dough into eight equal-sized pieces.