Homemade Pitta Bread
Homemade pitta bread is so easy to make and taste so much better than ready made. The pockets are perfect for all your favourite fillings or eaten with a tasty dip like hummus.
Homemade Pitta Bread is much easier to make than you think, you can even get the kids involved. They will love watching the pittas balloon up in the oven! If your pittas don’t balloon up, it’s usually because the oven isn’t hot enough. Don’t worry though, they still taste delicious and can be eaten with hummus or simply rolled around your filling.
Our favourite filling here at the Kitchen Shed for those handy pockets is Chicken Kebabs Take Away Style.These gorgeous pittas are made with white flour, although I have included a choice of wholemeal too. Fully wholemeal pitta breads can be extra fragile so I tend to use ⅓ wholemeal flour to ⅔ white flour.
Tempted? If you’d like to try this recipe for yourself, here it is an easily printable form. Just hit the PRINT button on the recipe card below.
Homemade Pitta Bread
Equipment
- You will need: 2 or 3 large baking trays/sheets with liners or baking parchment
Ingredients
- 450 g white bread flour or 150 g wholemeal bread flour and 300 g strong white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 250 ml tepid water
Instructions
By hand:
- Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the oil and a little water, mix well adding a little water at a time until you have formed a ball of dough.
- Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
KitchenAid:
- Add flour, salt and yeast to the mixing bowl, make a well and the oil and water.
- Mix on slow speed number 1 for 1 to 2 minutes and then on number 2 speed for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Check your dough is ready by using the windowpane test.
Prove your dough:
- Place your dough in a large greased bowl and cover and leave to rest in a warm place for about one and a half hours or until doubled in size.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide into 90 g portions, 8 balls. I like to weigh them to make sure they get an even bake but you can divide into 8 equal portions by eye if you prefer.
- Shape into balls, cupping in your hands and place them on a large baking sheet.
- Gently press the balls of dough to flatten them a little.
- Cover with greased clingfilm/plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave to rest for approximately 10 minutes.
Bake your pittas:
- Preheat oven to 475℉/240℃/Gas mark 9
- Place a baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven to get nice and hot.
- Roll out your flattened dough balls into pitta shapes as thinly as you can get them, approximately 4 to 5 mm thick and place the rolled out pittas on to a spare baking sheet with a liner, you may only get 3 or 4 to a sheet, you want them spaced well apart so they don’t touch when they rise.
- As soon as you have your first tray ready with rolled pittas, take it to the oven and slide your liner with the pittas on to the hot baking tray.
- You can if you wish place the pittas straight on to the tray with a paddle or your hand, I just happen to be a bit clumsy and either get burnt or fold the pitta. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes until your pittas balloon up.
- Once your pittas have ballooned up remove them from the oven – if you leave them any longer they will go too crispy. Transfer to a wire rack. Once you have a stack of pittas, wrap them in a clean tea towel.
Notes
Pin Homemade Pitta Bread for later:
I’m entering my homemade pitta bread recipe into a couple of challenges:
- Bake of the Week hosted by Helen over at Casa Costello.
- The Alpha Bakes Challenge hosted by Caroline Makes and co-hosted by The More Than The Occasional Baker.
So glad I tried this recipe, it worked perfectly. I found the dough easy to knead by hand (on a lightly oiled surface) , the shape easy to roll and they cooked so quickly! They looked exactly like good shop bought -coming from a keen cook who has mixed success wherever yeast is involved – and tasted better as the yeast came through. Thanks (trying to give 5 stars but screen not letting me)
Just made these pitta breads and they are fab. Only one didn’t puff up fully but probably something I did wrong. Will be my go to recipe in future. Thank you.
That’s great news Ann-Marie. It’s quite normal to get the odd pitta bread that doesn’t puff up so I shouldn’t worry too much about it. Pleased to hear you’ll be making them again, you can’t beat homemade pitta breads 🙂
Hi, I noticed sugar in the comments but not under the ingredients list? Yeast requires sugar to rise. Did I miss it? Thanks
Hi Caroline, thanks for visiting my blog and spotting a typo. As I’m using instant yeast I don’t find it necessary to always use sugar in savoury bread and I haven’t used any in this recipe, the sugar in the recipe instructions is a typo. Amending the instructions now and thanks so much for letting me know.
I’ve just stumbled on your website and you’ve inspired me!!!!! Chicken kebabs and homemade pittas on the cards tonight!!!! Thank you and I’ll let you know how they turn out 🙂
Hi Caz, so pleased you stumbled across my blog. Looking forward to hearing how you get on, I hope you enjoy Homemade Chicken Kebabs and Pittas as much as we do 🙂
The pittas are complete and the chicken marinating. Had to use dried oregano as don’t have fresh unfortunately!
The pittas are amazing. I had to eat one just to test they were OK of course……….
Talk about fun watching them balloon up. Fantastic recipe easy to make. Thank you!
Caz
That’s great Caz, thanks for getting back to me. I’m sure the chicken will be delicious with dried oregano and you know I never tire of watching the pittas ballon up in the oven. It’s a pleasure to share the recipe and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Seems so easy to make! Definitely going to have to try this instead of buying them from the store!
They really are Derek, do let me know how you get on. thanks for popping by 🙂
Great recipe, thanks for sharing! Homemade breads are the best.
Thanks, it’s a pleasure to share the recipe 🙂
I love pita, especially for making my lunch wraps, but don’t think I have made my own. (side note: I know it as pita, but I see you have it as pitta… is that a regional thing, or a different variety?)
They really are easy to make Jacquee. Pitta is the same as Pita, it’s us Brits, we spell ‘pita’ with 2 ‘t’s. I almost thought I’d spelt pitta wrong when I came to write the recipe up as my computer flagged it up. Thanks for popping by 🙂