Description

This Easy Pita Bread Recipe yields soft, fluffy homemade pita pockets perfect for stuffing with your favorite fillings. Made from simple pantry ingredients and cooked on a stovetop or baked in the oven, these pitas puff beautifully to create a pocket for sandwiches, dips, or wraps. The dough is simple to prepare and requires just a little kneading and resting time before being rolled out and cooked to perfection.

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour (divided)

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Instructions

Activate Yeast: Whisk together the sugar and yeast in a large bowl, then stir in the warm water. Let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes, or until frothy, indicating the yeast is alive and ready.
Add Salt, Oil, and Flour: Add the salt and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Using a wooden spoon, gradually add 2 ½ cups of the flour, stirring continuously. Add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead Dough: Dust a clean counter with some remaining flour and turn the dough out onto it. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes by hand until it becomes smooth, soft, and stretchy. If using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead for 10 minutes. Add flour sparingly during kneading to prevent stickiness without making the dough tough. The goal is a tacky yet manageable dough texture.
First Rise: Tuck in the dough edges and lightly oil the same bowl with olive oil. Place the dough back in the bowl, rolling it to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size. Check readiness by pressing two fingers into the dough; if the indent remains, it’s ready.
Divide and Rest Dough Balls: Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 10 equal pieces, each approximately 2 ounces. Shape each piece into a tight ball by tucking in the edges. Cover the dough balls with a towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.
Roll Out Pitas: Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a disk about ¼ inch thick and roughly 6 inches in diameter. The shape doesn’t have to be perfect; an oval or circle will work.
Heat Skillet and Prepare for Cooking: Let the rolled-out dough rest for 5 minutes as you preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the skillet with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Cook Pitas on Stovetop: Place one pita onto the hot skillet. Cook for 20 to 30 seconds until 4 to 5 bubbles form on the surface, then flip and cook for an additional 20 seconds. Flip again and cook for 1 minute, allowing the pita to puff up. Flip once more to encourage more puffing, then remove it from the pan and cover with a towel to keep soft and warm. Repeat for remaining pitas.
Alternative Oven Cooking: Preheat a pizza stone or large cast iron skillet in the oven to 475°F. Lightly oil the pizza stone and arrange as many pitas as will fit without overlapping. Bake for 2 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for 1 more minute. The pitas will puff up in the oven as well.

Notes

Use warm water (about 110°F) to activate the yeast properly.
Don’t add too much flour while kneading to avoid tough pitas; the dough should be slightly tacky but workable.
Cover cooked pitas with a clean towel or foil to keep them soft and warm.
Not all pitas will puff up fully; large bubbles indicate they are cooking properly.
Allow dough to rest well after dividing to help with gluten development and easier rolling.
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan can be used, though cast iron yields the best results.
For a crispier texture, bake pitas in the oven instead of stovetop cooking.