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.
My kids adore pita breads. But I’ve gotten lazy and buy a good brand at the store. No reason I couldn’t make these beauties and store them in the freezer for impromptu dinners, right? Nothing beats homemade–even if they don’t puff up. So right! Thanks.
No reason at all Lynne, pittas freeze so well and defrost so quickly too. You can’t beat homemade and freezing them is the perfect solution to having some at hand.
I do love fresh, home made pitta bread. I make it quite often in my kitchen too, nothing beats it !:)
I totally agree, I’m not keen on the dry pittas you get in packets which are full of unwanted added extras.
Thanks for the recipe. Have been using store bought pita bread which as you can guess is never fluffy or soft enough. This sounds good and something I plan on trying. Thanks for the tip about the oven being hot for the bread to rise.
You’re most welcome Ticker, I hope you enjoy homemade pitta bread as much as we do. A hot oven is the key to making pitta, do let me know how you get on.
Can’t wait to try my hand at making these!
Thanks Sarah, do let me now how you get on.
These homemade pita pockets look like so much fun to make!
They are Erica, I never tire of waiting for the pittas to puff up in the oven.
i like to make pita pizza with storebought version or with hummus. i cant wait to give this a try!
What a great idea, I love a pitta pizza, they’re are so many toppings to choose from. Thanks for popping by Dixya.
It’s been a long time since I’ve said “I want to try to make pitta bread at home”. I think the time has come! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I’m so pleased my post has made you want to make pittas again. A pleasure to share the recipe and thanks for popping by.
These pita bread looks absolutely gorgeous. I must give them a try.
Thanks Aish, hope you do get to try the recipe.
I love, love Pita Bread and you make it look easy to make so I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing Sarah!
They really are easy to make Fred and I would love to know how you get on. Thanks for popping by.
I love pitas!! I’ve tried them once… didn’t end up so good but I’ll give your recipe a try! Yum!
I do hope you have success with your pittas this time, hopefully my tips should help you on your way. Look forward to hearing how you get on.