Recipe: Homemade Pita Bread

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Who doesn’t love bread? I know we all feel like Oprah in that commercial, “I Love Bread. I. LOVE. BREAD!”

While we enjoy the carb-filled goodness, many of us don’t love making bread. It can be time consuming. It can be frustrating. But, my partner and I have been slowly been perfecting a recipe for our favorite kind of bread—pita bread!

Is it worth making pita at home? Absolutely. Store-bought pita is often several days old and simply doesn’t taste as good as hot out of the oven bread. Warm, toasty home-baked pita is worth the effort. It puffs up perfectly for ‘pocket pita’ sandwiches and pairs great with your favorite hummus.

This pita bread recipe produces a nutty,  rich flavor along with a light, airy consistency. Once you taste it, you won’t be buying pita bread at the store again. …  Okay, at least not when you have the time to make your own.

What are you waiting for? Give it a shot!

Cheers & happy cooking!

Jocelyn

Homemade Pita Bread

***Please feel free to share widely, just give me some credit or a link back. Heavily adapted from Serious Eats. Check them out!

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Prep Time: 50 minutes
Rise Time: 60 minutes
Proof Time: 20 minutes

Yield: ~Six  5″ pitas

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
  • 1 tablespoon real vegan sugar
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1½ teaspoon salt
  • 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more (EVOO)

Directions

  1. Move oven rack as low as it will go, and preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water, EVOO, vegan sugar, yeast, salt, and whole wheat flour with a wooden spoon.
    • The consistency should be smooth.
  3. Next slowly add in the all-purpose flour.
    • The dough will begin to look a bit rugged.
  4. Knead the dough in the bowl for 10 minutes.
    • Eventually the dough should become elastic and smooth.
      • If it’s too sticky to work with add a small amount of all-purpose flour.
  5. Take the dough out of the bowl and roll it into a smooth ball on a lightly floured area.
    • Coat a new mixing bowl with EVOO and place the dough ball inside.
    • Roll the ball around the oil making sure to coat all sides.
    • Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and then let it rise for one hour.
  6. Line a baking sheet with a large kitchen towel and set aside.
    • Flatten the dough and place it on your lightly floured work area.
    • Cut the dough into six sections.
    • Take each section and roll the dough into a ball.
    • Put the dough balls on a plate and cover them with cling wrap (lightly oiled) or a damp towel to rest for 10 minutes.
  7. Roll each piece of dough into a 5-7 inch circle.
    • Aim for ¼ inch in thickness all around.
    • Cover the dough again to proof until it starts to puff up — 15-25 minutes.
  8. Take each dough section and place it in the oven to bake until it puffs up and is golden brown. Do not overcook! This should take just a few minutes. 
    • After each pita is made, place it on a towel lined sheet and cover with another towel.
    • Repeat until all pitas are baked.
  9. If you would like a toasted, charred look and taste add the following steps:
    1. Heat a griddle or cast iron skillet until smoking.
    2. Briefly heat each pita until slightly charred. This will happen very quickly due to the high heat.
    3. Return the pita to the towel lined sheet and cover.
  10. Serve immediately with your favorite hummus or other dip!

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10 thoughts on “Recipe: Homemade Pita Bread”

  4. I would eat this ALL the time! I know that I definitely feel the same as Oprah!! I was also wonder what is the difference between regular sugar and real vegan sugar? Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    1. Some sugars are surprising grated using bone in the processing. I tend to purchase a vegan-friendly sugar from Whole Foods. There are lots of smart phone apps out now that can tell you if a product is vegan by barcode.

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