Homemade pita bread is surprisingly easy to make. It’s a simple yeast dough left to rise briefly. And it bakes up into deliciously puffy pita pockets. They are perfect for dunking into dips or spreads or for stuffing full of sandwich fillings.
I may have made a big mistake as a mother by leading my son to believe that it’s perfectly normal to come home from school on a Wednesday afternoon to find a fresh batch of homemade pita bread cooling in the kitchen.
He is going to either be sorely disappointed when he grows up and discovers that most living situations don’t provide freshly baked bread on a weekly basis or he’ll be the type of guy to whip up his own bread once a week, only time will tell.
The thing is, homemade pita bread turns out to be really easy to make! The recipe I use is in my book The Complete Convection Oven Cookbook.
The convection oven turns out especially puffy pitas, but the recipe is easily adjusted to suit a conventional oven.
This recipe requires about 15 minutes of hands-on time, but serving your own homemade pita bread is so worth it. People will think you are a genius.
What ingredients do you need?
One of the best things about this recipe is that it uses just handful of basic pantry ingredients.
- Instant yeast
- Warm water
- Sugar
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
How do you make it?
The process of making pita bread is so easy!
- Stir the yeast, warm water, and sugar together and let stand until the mixture becomes foamy.
- Beat in salt and the flour, 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a shaggy dough that is slightly tacky, but not sticky.
- Knead the dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes or in a stand mixer using the dough hook for about 4 minutes. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal-size balls.
- Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a ¼-inch-thick disk.
- Arrange the disks on a baking sheet. Let them rise at room temperature for about 40 minutes, until they begin to puff up.
- Just before baking, flip each disk over on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 400° in a convection oven or 425ºF in a conventional oven.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the pitas are puffed and light golden brown.
- Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
- Serve warm.
Tips for success
The key to getting that airy void in your pita bread is to make sure your oven is fully preheated. Also, be sure to flip the dough rounds over just before putting them in the oven.
If you are making the pitas ahead, cool them to room temperature and store them, in a resealable plastic bag, for up to 2 days at room temperature. You can store baked pita bread in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make a double (or triple!) batch of dough and store extra in the refrigerator or freezer so that you can bake fresh pita bread any time. Warm the pitas in the oven before serving.
How to serve homemade pita bread?
Serve your freshly baked pita bread with Instant Pot Hummus, Zhoug Sauce, Curry Hummus, Roasted Beet and White Bean Hummus, Muhamarra, or Whipped Feta Spread. You can also stuff your homemade pita bread with Falafel or roasted vegetables.
Can you make the dough ahead of time?
Yes, you can make your pita dough and freeze it. Make a double or triple batch for the freezer and you can have freshly baked pita bread any time you like.
After the dough rises, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If the dough has been refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before baking. This usually takes 30 to 45 minutes sitting on the kitchen countertop.
If the dough has been frozen, let it thaw on the countertop until it reaches room temperature before baking. This will take 1 to 2 hours.
More great recipes you’ll love
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- Warm Potato Salad
- Kale Salad with Miso Dressing
- Zucchini Salad with Almonds and Corn
- Beet Salad with blue Cheese
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More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love
- Honey Cake
- Jewish Beef Brisket
- Meat-Filled Borekas or Pastelicos
- Passover Orange Sponge Cake
- Passover Potato, Tomato, and Olive Stew
- Hamentashen
- Kreplach with Beef Filling
- Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
- Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
- Classic Chopped Liver
- Vegetarian Chopped Liver
- Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and watching the rounds puff up in the oven is so, so satisfying. I like to stuff these puffy pockets with chicken or tuna salad, or other sandwich fillers, or cut them into triangles and use them to scoop savory Middle Eastern dips like my Curry Hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki. This recipe is from my latest cookbook, available in stores now, The Complete Convection Oven Cookbook. You can make this bread in your convection oven (or using the convection setting on your oven), or in a standard oven.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1¼ cups warm (105ºF to 110ºF) water
- Pinch sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface and rolling pin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
- Using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat in the salt and 1½ cups of flour. Add the remaining 1½ to 2 cups of flour, ¼ to ½ cup at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. Note: You may not need the last ¼ or ½ cup of flour. The dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky.
- On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, using the dough hook of an electric mixer on low speed, knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal-size balls. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a ¼-inch-thick disk and arrange them on a baking sheet. Let the disks rise at room temperature for about 40 minutes until they begin to puff up.
- Select Convection Bake and preheat the oven to 400° (If you are using a conventional oven, set the temperature to 425ºF).
- Flip each dough disk over on the baking sheet and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until the pitas are puffed and light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before serving. Serve warm. To serve after they’ve cooled, wrap them in aluminum foil and heat in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
• If you are making the pitas ahead, cool them to room temperature and store them, in a resealable plastic bag, for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer. Make a double or triple batch and you’ll have homemade pita bread any time you need it.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 176Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 267mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 2gSugar 0gProtein 5g
Jewish Recipes
Jewish recipes are the heart of every Jewish holiday celebration. There’s a special dish (or five!) for every occasion, from the high holidays to Shabbat dinners! Here are my favorite Jewish recipes for the holidays or any day.
Brisket with Apricots, Prunes, and North African Spices
Brisket is braised in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, dried fruit, and North African spices for a Mediterranean take on the traditional Jewish holiday dish. This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Jayne Cohen in Bon Appetit.
Potato Latkes
You can make a gluten-free version by substituting gluten-free brown rice flour for the flour. You can also jazz up the recipe by adding thinly sliced scallions or substituting sweet potatoes, parsnips, or apples for some (or all) of the potatoes. This recipe serves about 4 people and is easily doubled or tripled.
Instant Pot Applesauce
This Instant Pot applesauce is super quick and easy to make. It's delicious on top of crispy potato latkes--or just eat it plain!
Instant Pot Falafel
Crispy, golden brown patties are tender and moist on the inside. They're seasoned just right with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fresh parsley.
Instant Pot Hummus
This Instant Pot hummus from scratch starts with dried chickpeas and takes less than an hour to make—and that's start to finish time. There's no need to soak the beans. The result is lush, rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seed, Pistachios, and Hummus Vinaigrette
This is a great way to use up leftover cooked couscous. The dressing can be whisked together in a bowl, but is especially easy to make in a food processor—chop the parsley leaves in the processor first, then add the other ingredients and process until smooth.
Lamb Kofta Kebabs
Ground lamb is mixed with lots of fresh herbs, aromatics, and spices and then grilled on skewers. I like to serve these with pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, harissa or chermoula, and a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with lemon dressing. Brown basmati rice is a great accompaniment as well.
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and watching the rounds puff up in the oven is so, so satisfying. Use them for sandwiches or cut them into triangles and use them to scoop savory Middle Eastern dips like my Instant Pot Hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.
Matzoh Fattoush or Bread Salad for Passover
This bright, fresh, kosher for Passover salad—a take on the popular Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush—gives the plain crackers new life. Spiced, baked matzo “chips” replace the usual flat bread, but other than that, this hearty salad packs all the fresh herby, tangy, spicy flavor you expect from fattoush.
Whipped Feta Spread with Garlic and Fresh Dill
Whipped Feta Spread is a great addition to a mezze appetizer platter. It's a tangy, salty, creamy dip with a punch of garlic and fresh dill. Scoop it up with pita chips or raw veggies.
Grandma Fran's Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Made of mostly walnuts, butter, and onions, this chopped liver is just as good as the original, but meat free!
Easy Homemade Jelly Donuts or Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot are traditional Israeli jelly donuts often eaten during Hanukkah, along with other fried foods. Because, of course, fried foods celebrate the miracle of the oil! This recipe makes a simple, lightly sweetened fried dough that can be filled with jelly or the fillling of your choice and dusted with powdered sugar.
Israeli Salad with Egg and Feta Cheese
Israeli Salad, distinguished by finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers, is described (by Wikipedia) as "the most well-known national dish of Israel." Variations on the theme are limitless. Our version includes hard boiled eggs and feta cheese.
Beef Kreplach
Kreplach are tender dumplings plump filled with a savory filling of ground beef and onions. They are super easy to make because they use wonton skins in place of homemade dumpling dough.
Orange Sponge Cake
This simple orange sponge cake is light, moist, and full of citrus flavor. It's perfect for Passover, but delicious any time of year.
