Homemade Pita Bread

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

My 5-ingredient Homemade Pita Bread is one of the easiest bread recipes for beginner bakers. The pillowy, no-knead bread is incredible for wrap sandwiches or to scoop up dips.

Homemade pita bread wrapped in a white towel on a plate.

Whether you fill them to make a sandwich or cut them to use for dipping, homemade pita bread is soft, scrumptious, and totally addictive.

This version is easy to make and ideal for wrapping your next gyro or serving with a Mediterranean Buddha bowl. Your next baking project awaits!

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for homemade pita bread.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Active dry yeast: Fleischmann’s, Red Star, Bob’s Red Mill, or Saf are all good brands of yeast. Just make sure it’s fresh and hasn’t expired. To begin this Homemade Pita recipe, you’ll bloom the yeast with warm water that’s between 110 and 115 degrees. Within 15 minutes, the yeast should look foamy. If it doesn’t, the yeast isn’t alive and should be discarded. Yeast activates at 40 degrees and dies at 140 degrees.
  • Sugar: I promise this doesn’t make the pita sweet! The yeast just needs some sugar to fuel its work to make these Homemade Pitas puffy.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 15 minutes, until mixture foams.
Blooming yeast in warm water.
  1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand, add oil, salt, and flour and mix until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky (about 1 teaspoon at a time). Dough should be soft and moist.
Homemade pita bread dough in a silver bowl.
  1. Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
Homemade pita bread dough in a glass bowl.
  1. Place a pizza stone or large cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Using your hands, punch down dough and turn it out onto floured surface. Divide dough into 4 even sized pieces and roll into balls (about 3 ounces each). Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes. 
Four balls of homemade pita bread dough on a cutting board.
  1. Working one at a time, roll each round into a ¼-inch thick circle, about 8-inches wide, sprinkling dough with extra flour if it starts to stick to the surface. 
Homemade pita bread dough flattened and in balls on a cutting board.
  1. Working as quickly as possible, open your oven and carefully place as many pitas that will fit on your skillet or stone without touching. Bake until air pocket balloons form and the pita start to become golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining rounds. 
A slice of homemade pita bread on a cast iron skillet.
  1. Place baked pita on sheet pan and cover with kitchen towel to keep warm.
A stack of pita breads wrapped in a towel.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes four (8-inch) pitas.
  • Storage: Store pita bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Do not store in the refrigerator (it will dry out).
  • Freezer: Wrap pita bread in a double layer of plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
  • Get spicy: Infuse more flavor into every crumb by brushing the still-warm pita with olive oil or clarified butter. Immediately sprinkle with any dried herb, such as oregano or marjoram, or spice blend, like za’atar.
Homemade pita chips on a platter with bowls of hummus.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between pita bread and naan?

Pita bread is made from flour, sugar, yeast, oil, and salt. Naan has those ingredients, too, but also butter, eggs, and yogurt.

What goes well with pita bread?

Pita bread is tasty enough to snack on its own, warm from the oven. It’s also the ideal wrap for beef and chicken gyros, or as a dipper for hummus, tapenade, tzatziki, or roasted eggplant dip.

Three beef gyros on a plate.

Chicken Gyros

Whatever you’re throwing on the grill this weekend, there’s room for Chicken Gyros. The tender, yogurt marinated chicken tastes incredible tucked into pita with fresh veggies and slathered with an easy, homemade tzatziki sauce. Making…

1 hour 30 minutes
View Recipe

Favorite dips for pita bread

Join Us

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
Three pieces of homemade pita bread wrapped in a linen towel on a blue plate.

Homemade Pita Bread

My 5-ingredient Homemade Pita Bread is one of the easiest bread recipes for beginner bakers. The pillowy, no-knead bread is incredible for wrap sandwiches or to scoop up dips.
Author: Meggan Hill
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Proof Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
Servings 4 pita
Course Bread
Cuisine Mediterranean
Calories 339

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup warm water (between 110-115 degrees)
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 packet, see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (see note 2)
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 15 minutes, until mixture foams.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand, add oil, salt, and flour and mix until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky (about 1 teaspoon at a time). Dough should be soft and moist.
  • Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
  • Place a pizza stone or large cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Using your hands, punch down dough and turn it out onto floured surface. Divide dough into 4 even sized pieces and roll into balls (about 3 ounces each). Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes. 
  • Working one at a time, roll each round into a ¼-inch thick circle, about 8-inches wide, sprinkling dough with extra flour if it starts to stick to the surface. 
  • Working as quickly as possible, open your oven and carefully place as many pitas that will fit on your skillet or stone without touching. Bake until air pocket balloons form and the pita start to become golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining rounds. 
  • Place baked pita on sheet pan and cover with kitchen towel to keep warm.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Active dry yeast: Fleischmann’s, Red Star, Bob’s Red Mill, or Saf are all good brands of yeast. Just make sure it’s fresh and hasn’t expired. To begin this Homemade Pita recipe, you’ll bloom the yeast with warm water that’s between 110 and 115 degrees. Within 15 minutes, the yeast should look foamy. If it doesn’t, the yeast isn’t alive and should be discarded. Yeast activates at 40 degrees and dies at 140 degrees.
  2. Sugar: I promise this doesn’t make the pita sweet! The yeast just needs some sugar to fuel its work to make these Homemade Pitas puffy.
  3. Yield: This recipe makes four (8-inch) pitas.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pitaCalories: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 10gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 880mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

Culinary School Secrets
Pro-level tricks to transform your cooking!

You May Also Like

Questions and Comments

Thank you for your comments! Please allow 1-2 business days for a reply. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST, excluding holidays. Comments are moderated to prevent spam and profanity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. in the picture you show Pita in roasted Triangles can you give instructions how to make these into chips for the dip? Which dip recipe is shown?