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Pita is a fast, easy bread to make. This homemade pita recipe renders light, fluffy pita. Pita bread is great for sandwiches or just dipping into spreads like hummus. Follow my tips below to ensure fluffy pita every time!
Ingredients to Make Pita
With just a handful of ingredients you likely already have, you can make fluffy pita at home very easily. Let’s talk about the ingredients:
- Flour. All purpose flour is perfect for pita. If you want to sneak in some whole grains, you can sub out as much as 50% of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
- Water. This recipe has a slightly high hydration which helps create fluffy pita.
- Olive Oil. A little bit of fat in the dough keeps the pita soft.
- Sugar. Just a little sweetness helps activate the yeast and assist with browning when baking.
- Yeast. Active dry or instant both work great. If using active dry, dissolve it in the water first before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt. Balances the flavor while helping the yeast perform.
How to Make Fluffy Pita at Home
Making pita at home is really easy, With just a few tricks, you can have fluffy pita every time.
Mix and Knead the Dough
I very highly recommend using a mixer to mix and knead the dough. This pita dough is slightly sticky, even when fully kneaded. You can toss all the ingredients (except the salt) into the mixing bowl and just knead. (If using active dry yeast, first add the yeast to the water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Once frothy, add everything else except the salt.) Let the dough knead for several minutes so that it really comes together. Then slowly add the salt. Allow the dough to knead for several more minutes. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape down the sides a couple of times. I recommend using a bowl scraper.
The dough should look fluffy and just clean the sides of the bowl. It should also pass the windowpane test. That means that when you take a small piece of it and stretch it between your fingers, it should be translucent without ripping.
Bulk Ferment the Dough
Cover the dough and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size. This should take approximately one hour.
Shape the Pita
Fold the dough over on itself to degas it and to even out the temperature throughout the dough. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions (each approximately 95 grams) and shape each into a ball. Cover and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to approximately 6 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick. Place on a lightly floured surface, dust with a little more flour, cover and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
Bake the Pita
I recommend using something flat, like a cutting board or a pizza peel, to launch the pita doughs into the oven. I like to launch and bake two at a time. Make sure to lightly flour the cutting board or pizza peel. Gently transfer two pita doughs onto the prepared board or peel. Give the board or peel a little shake to make sure the pita is not sticking to the surface. Launch the pita doughs onto the hot pizza stone or steel. Alternatively, you can place a baking sheet upside down in the oven when you preheat it. Cook for 3 minutes, during which time the pita will puff up. Flip over and cook an additional 1 minute. Transfer the cooked pitas to a tea towel and immediately cover with another tea towel. The trapped heat will lock in the moisture from the hot pitas and render soft, fluffy pita.
A Note About Measuring
The reasons I explain for weighing vs. measuring could not be more true for this pita recipe. Measuring flour can result in having too much or not enough flour. When weighing, you get the exact amount of flour needed for this dough, which is a huge contributing factor to obtain fluffy pita.
If you’re looking to make your own hummus, the recipe I use is from Love and Lemons. I have no affiliation with them. I just love their hummus recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Pita
Do I need a pizza stone or pizza steel to make pita?
While it is ideal to cook the pita on a hot surface like a pizza stone or pizza steel, you can flip over a baking pan (a jelly roll pan) to preheat in the oven and launch the pita dough onto that instead.
Should pita dough be sticky?
For fluffy pita, the dough will be more than just tacky and slightly sticky. Dust the surface with just a little flour to enable you to handle the dough without it sticking.
Pita
Ingredients
- 294 grams water (1¼ cups)
- 2½ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
- 420 grams all purpose flour (3½ cups)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 45 grams olive oil (3 Tablespoons)
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all ingredients except the salt. (If using active dry yeast, allow it to dissolve and foam up just in the water before adding the rest of the ingredients, except for the salt.) Once all the ingredients are combined and the dough is starting to look smooth, slowly add in the salt. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, cleaning the sides and bottom of the bowl, and looking almost fluffy. It will be more than just tacky and a bit sticky.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately one hour.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured countertop. Divide into 8 equal portions (about 95 grams each), shaping each one into a ball. Sprinkle just a little flour on top and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.
- Place a pizza stone or pizza steel in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 500° F.
- On a lightly floured surface, flatten each ball of dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a circle, approximately 6 inches in diameter, between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow each pita to rise an additional 30 minutes.
- Gently transfer the pitas, one or two at a time to the baking stone or steel. Bake for 3 minutes, then flip each one over and bake an additional 1 minute.
- Immediately transfer the cooked pitas onto a tea towel and cover with another tea towel, allowing them to rest until they come to room temperature.
6 Comments
These pitas were so much better than what I find at the grocery store. Easy to make and so yummy!
I don’t think I’ll buy pita bread again after making this recipe! Was quick to create and the taste is delish. Great for pita pockets, dipping or just snacking on with a bit of butter.
Nothing better than homemade freshly made pita. I prepared a doble batch it’s delicious 🤤
First time making my own pita bread and it turned out great! It’s awesome having another recipe to use with my pizza stone too. Delicious!
This pita bread was amazing. The first time I made the recipe I made them thick like your pictures. The second I made them thin, and made chips out of them. Really tasty.
Homemade pita is delicious, I tried it with homemade salad and soup. My family enjoyed it.