Homemade Pita Bread

Homemade Pita bread is a type of Middle Eastern flatbread made of flour, yeast, salt and sugar. This simple recipe is the key to making your own delicious homemade flatbreads with only a few ingredients you have in your kitchen. It is very easy to make, vegan friendly and taste much better than shop-bought ones.

There are many ways to use this versatile bread. You can make wraps/sandwiches for your lunch box. Or you can use them as a spoon to dip into your favourite dishes and dips such as Authentic Hummus, Yoghurt Dip (Haydari) or Mediterranean Whipped Feta Dip.

You can prepare the dough for the pita bread beforehand and keep it in the fridge until you need it, for up to three days. Make the dough following the instructions below. cover and let it rise somewhere warm. When risen, keep it in the fridge until you need it. Give some extra time at room temperature when you want to cook the pita bread.

How to Make Homemade Pita Bread?

You might find daunting the idea of making your own bread at home. The good thing is that pita bread is straightforward to make when you follow few simple steps:

• Get the dough consistency right – The right consistency for the dough is soft and slightly sticky, with a silky texture. The amount of flour in this recipe has to be taken as a guide. Always add the flour gradually until you achieve the right texture. There are other factors to affect the consistency such as the humidity of the room or the type of flour you are using. To make the dough, Add the water, sugar and yeast to a large bowl. and stir. Leave it for 10 minutes until it forms bubbles then add the salt and flour. Mix until forming a soft and sticky dough. Depending on the type of flour or the humidity of the room, you might need less flour than the recipe calls for. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it until smooth but slightly sticking to your hands. Add a little bit of extra flour if it’s too sticky. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled the size up.

• Give the dough enough time to rise – Once you make the dough to desired consistency, cover it with a clean kitchen cloth and let it rise in a warm place. It might take up to 2 hours in the winter. You can use your oven to reduce the rising time. Preheat your oven to about 120°C then turn it back off. Place the dough in the oven and close the oven door. Let it rise until it doubles the size up.

• Let the dough rest after rolling out -When the pita dough doubled the size up, gently deflate it and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6-8 equal pieces and turn them into balls. Place them few centimetres apart from each other and lightly sprinkle with flour. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Shape them into the desired size using a rolling pin, cover with a kitchen cloth and let them rest again for another 10 minutes before proceeding to cook.

• Use high heat to cook the pita bread – If you want to cook pita bread in the oven, preheat it to 230°C. Place a baking tray or pizza stone in the oven and let it heat for 10 minutes. Place the dough on a baking sheet and transfer it to a heated baking tray or pizza stone. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are puffed up and formed pockets.

If you want to cook pita bread on a skillet or pan, heat the skillet or pan until few drops of water sizzle immediately on contact. Lay one pita dough in the pan and cook for 30 seconds or until it starts forming bubbles then flip it with a tong. Cook the other side for few minutes until brown toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip it again and cook for few more minutes until the other side is cooked.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this fluffy vegan pita breads as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.