Easy Pita Bread (Better than Store-Bought)

How to make pita bread that beats anything you can buy at the store! Bake these in the oven and watch them puff like clouds for perfect pita pockets. Or, cook them in a skillet for soft and fluffy flatbread. Easy pita recipe with lots of tips below!

Since learning this easy pita bread recipe from Chef Richard, we’ve made it almost every weekend. These homemade pita cook up to be soft and fluffy, and when baked in the oven, have the perfect pita pocket for stuffing with hummus, falafel, and more!

We’ve been searching for a great recipe for pita bread for a while now, and we’ve finally found it. We’ve already shared our easy flatbread, which uses baking powder. This pita recipe swaps the baking powder for yeast, which makes the pita taste amazing and helps with that airy pita pocket.

Our Tips for How to Make Pita Bread

Forget store-bought pita bread and bake your own pillowy pita pockets at home!

With just a few simple ingredients — flour (all-purpose or bread flour), warm water, instant yeast, sugar, and salt — you can make fluffy, soft pita bread ready for pita sandwiches or dipping.

To make pita bread with that airy pocket, we’ll need yeast. Activate it by combining warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and wait for 5 to 10 minutes until it froths and bubbles. Gradually add flour and salt, gently knead the dough in the bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise in a warm corner for an hour until it doubles. We share the same tips in our recipe for pizza dough.

Once our dough has doubled, divide it into six equally sized portions. Roll each into a smooth ball, then flatten into disks. I use my fingers to flatten the dough to preserve as many air bubbles as possible. Let the dough rest, and then you are ready to cook them.

How to Cook Pita Bread 2 Ways: Skillet or Baked

You can cook pita bread two ways: in a skillet on the stovetop or bake them in the oven. The skillet makes the softest Greek-style pita without a big pocket in the middle, closer to what you see at Greek restaurants. If you’re looking for the big, tall pocket in the middle, bake them instead.

The photo below shows pita dough that was cooked in a skillet (top of photo) and pita baked in the oven (bottom of photo). The skillet pita is soft and fluffy, while the oven-baked pita has a pocket in the middle, perfect for making sandwiches. Both are delicious!

To cook pita bread on the stovetop, heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add some oil — I love avocado oil for this — and then cook the pitas until blistered on both sides and cooked in the middle.

To cook pita bread in the oven, preheat your oven to 475 °F (246 °C). A hot oven is the secret to getting that pocket. I cook the pita bread on my pizza steel, which promotes the pocket even more. If you do not have one, place a baking sheet into the oven while preheating to mimic the baking steel.

For baking pita, squares of parchment paper help move them to and from the oven. Lightly flour the squares of parchment paper and place the pita rounds onto them. When your oven is hot, transfer the pita on the parchment to the pizza steel or baking sheet, close the oven door, and bake until puffed and light brown around the edges.

Make Ahead Tips

• Refrigerate dough: Make pita dough and complete the one-hour rise at room temperature. Rub the dough with olive oil and store it in an airtight bag or container for up to three days. Bring it to room temperature, then divide it into 6 equal portions. Continue the recipe as written.
• Freeze dough: Make pita dough and complete the one-hour rise at room temperature. Divide into 6 equal portions, then freeze the balls individually for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then continue the pita bread recipe as written.

Storing Homemade Pita Bread

• Room temperature: Cool the cooked pita bread completely, then store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days.
• Freezer: Cool the cooked pita bread completely, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Consider adding a piece of parchment paper between each pita to prevent them from sticking together as they freeze.

How to Warm Pita Bread

To warm up pita bread, simply bake it in a 350°F oven, wrap it in a damp paper towel, and microwave it, or heat it in a dry skillet on the stovetop.

Why Won’t My Pita Puff?

If you’re having trouble getting your pita bread to puff up in the middle, make sure you’re using active yeast and that your oven has been preheated for at least 30 minutes. Stovetop pita bread is delicious but less likely to puff in the middle. For the best chance of achieving a pita pocket, we recommend baking them in an oven that has been preheated for at least 30 minutes.

What to Eat With Pita Bread

Dips and Spreads: Pita is perfect for dipping. Here are some of our favorite dips:

• Homemade Hummus – one of our most popular recipes!
• Baba Ganoush – a delicious roasted eggplant dip
• Tzatziki – a cucumber yogurt sauce)
• Spinach Artichoke Dip – homemade and so creamy!
• Labneh – a Middle Eastern strained yogurt cheese

Sandwiches and wraps: Stuff almost anything into your homemade pita. I love Homemade Falafel with Tahini Sauce. I often tuck in grilled chicken, veggies, seared halloumi cheese with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and this Smashed Chickpea Salad.

Salads: Serve with this authentic Greek Salad, Homemade Caesar, or on the side of your favorite salads.