Pita Bread Recipe

Whether we’re talking falafel or deli ham, pockets of pita bread are one of my top choices for
sandwiches. So portable! So neatly contained! So easy to eat! The pitas you make at home are
worlds apart from the stuff you buy in stores, and watching them puff to glorious heights in your
oven or on your stovetop is culinary magic at its best. Here’s how we do it.
Pita is actually a very straightforward bread dough: water, flour, yeast, salt, and that’s about it. What
makes it puff so impressively is the dual action of water turning to steam and the yeast becoming
hyperactive when both are hit with the heat from the oven or stovetop. The pita has been rolled so
thin that this action forces the top and the bottom of the dough to separate and balloon outwards.
Image credit: Apartment Therapy
You can make pita bread either in the oven or on the stovetop, and there are advantages and
disadvantages to both. In the oven, pitas puff up much more grandly and make softer pockets, but
they stay pale-colored and fairly mild-tasting. On the stovetop, you lose some of the impressive
puffing, but gain tasty and crunchy toasted spots on the surface of the dough. You can also make
several pitas at once in the oven, where you can only make one at a time on the stovetop. Both
methods work equally well, so the choice is yours!
Pita is also great make-ahead bread. I often prepare the dough through the first rise, punch it down,
and then keep it refrigerated for up to a week. The flavor actually improves after a few days of
chilling. You can bake the whole batch at once or cut off just what you need to make one or two
flatbreads at a time.

Testing Notes:
I make and love homemade pita just as much now as I did when I first wrote this tutorial. It’s an
easy and nearly fool-proof recipe for those who are just getting into baking and don’t feel quite
ready to make a full-on sandwich bread. It’s also a good one if you’re cooking for just one or two
people and maybe have a hard time finishing an entire loaf of bread before it goes bad. I love that I
can make the dough for this ahead of time and pinch off just enough for one quick pita whenever I
want it. Yum.

How to Make Homemade Pita Bread

Ingredients
• 1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)
• 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

Equipment
• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
 • Cast iron skillet (for stovetop baking)
• Baking sheet or a baking stone (for oven baking)

Instructions
1. Form the Pita Dough: Mix the water and yeast together, and let sit for about five minutes
until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for
kneading), salt, and olive oil (if using). Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.
2. Knead the Dough: Sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your clean work surface and turn
out the dough. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work
surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much. If you get tired,
stop and let the dough rest for a few minutes before finishing kneading.
3. Let the Dough Rise: Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and film it with a little olive
oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean
dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.
At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or
two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep
refrigerated for about a week.
4. Divide the Pitas: Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work
surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk.
Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour and then cover them with a kitchen towel or
plastic wrap wrap until you're ready to bake them.
5. Shape the Pitas: Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 8-9 inches
wide and about a quarter inch thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll to make
sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if its starting to
stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue
rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get into a rhythm, you can be
cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)
6. To Bake Pitas in the Oven: While shaping the pitas, heat the oven to 450°. If you have a
baking stone, put it in the oven to heat. If you don't have a baking stone, place a large baking
sheet on the middle rack to heat.
Place the rolled-out pitas directly on the baking stone or baking sheets (as many as will fit),
and bake for about 3 minutes. I've found it easiest to carry the pita flat on the palm of my
hand and then flip it over onto the baking stone. The pita will start to puff up after a minute
or two and is done when it has fully ballooned. Cover baked pitas with a clean dishtowel
while cooking any remaining pitas.
7. To Bake Pitas on the Stovetop: Warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a few
bead of water sizzle immediately on contact. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the
excess.
Lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to
form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the
 underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should
start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the
surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean
dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.
8. Storing the Pitas: Pitas are best when eaten immediately after cooking. Leftover pitas will
keep in an airtight bag for several days and can be eaten as they are or warmed in a toaster
oven. Baked pitas can also be frozen with wax paper between the layers for up to three
months.

Recipe Notes
Storing the Dough: Once it has risen, the pita dough can be kept refrigerated until it is needed. You
can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will
keep refrigerated for about a week.
Pitas That Won't Puff: Sometimes you get pitas that won't puff. The problem is usually that the
oven or the skillet aren't hot enough. Make sure both are thoroughly pre-heated before cooking.
Even pitas that don't puff are still delicious and can be used wraps or torn into pieces for dipping in
hummus.