Ultimate Pita Bread Homemade Recipe

Who doesn’t love pita bread? It’s soft, fluffy, and perfect for stuffing with your favorite filling. With this Pita Bread homemade recipe, you will understand why the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries couldn’t keep it a secret.

Pita bread is a versatile bread that can be eaten plain, used as a dipper with hummus or Tzatziki, or filled with your favorite veggies or meats. The good news is that you can easily make it at home with simple ingredients. Let’s look at the steps to make delicious and fluffy homemade pita bread.

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Are Pitas Healthier Than Bread?

Yes and no. It depends on what you’re comparing it to and what your personal dietary needs are. There are heaps of different breads to compare but the less sugar, and less refinement your ingredients went through, the healthier your bread will be.

Maybe a better question to ask is are homemade breads healthier than store-bought?

This recipe calls for honey while your typical store-bought bread will have sugar. We also use whole wheat flour increasing the nutritional value and fiber.

What’s different about this Pita Bread Homemade Recipe?

You won’t find any preservatives in this recipe and you can use the highest quality ingredients you can source. In short, this ultimate homemade pita bread recipe is healthier than any bread you can buy at the store.

What is the Difference Between Naan and Pita?

Naan, with its roots in the Indian subcontinent, is a larger, fluffier bread with a light texture and uneven gas pockets. This softness comes from its enriched dough, which typically includes yogurt, milk, and sometimes eggs or butter. The inclusion of these ingredients not only gives naan its distinctive taste and texture but also increases its calorie and fat content.

Pita bread, on the other hand, originated from the Middle East. It is thinner, smaller, and leaner. It’s known for its pocket-like structure, which makes it ideal for stuffing with salads, falafels, or kebabs. Unlike naan, pita bread is made with a simpler dough, usually just water, flour, yeast, and salt, resulting in a lower calorie count.

Another notable difference is the cooking method. Naan is traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven, giving it a slightly charred and smoky flavor. Pita, however, is typically baked at high temperatures in a standard oven, which causes the dough to puff up and form that signature pocket.

What Goes Best with Pita Bread?

This Pita Bread Homemade Recipe goes well with vegetables, meats, dips and sauces, salad, and even cheese. Use them as a healthier burger bun, or serve them with Tzatziki. It might be easier to list the ways you shouldn’t be using these Pita Breads because I honestly can’t think of any.

Vegetables

Serve up these hot, fresh Pita Breads with an array of fresh or cooked vegetables. I suggest grilled vegetable kabobs with bell peppers, red onions, baby Bella mushrooms, and zucchini.

Meats

Lamb, grilled chicken, steak, Koobideh, or Gyro are all great choices for serving with or even inside these Pitas.

Dips and Sauces

I’m partial to Hummus or Tzatziki on homemade Pita Bread, but you can also try Zhoug (spicy green cilantro) or an apricot sauce for a nice change of pace.

Salad

Pita Bread screams salad on the go. Fill it with Chicken Caesar salad or a classic Greek salad with those bursts of flavor from the Kalamata olives and the pepperoncini. Need I say more?

What is Pita Bread Made of?

Ultimate Pita Bread Homemade recipe only calls for 7 ingredients. Water, Yeast, Honey, Whole Wheat Flour, All Purpose Flour, Salt, and Olive Oil.

Because you are making these at home you don’t have to put in all of the extras that give store-bought pitas longer shelf life. These limited ingredients make pita bread naturally dairy-free. It can easily be Vegan if you substitute agave for honey.

How do You make Pita Bread from Scratch?

While these are rather easy to make, they do take a little forethought. The beauty of this recipe is you can bake them in a matter of minutes making it easy to coordinate their timing with the rest of the components to your meal.

First Make the Sponge

In a mixing bowl combine the whole wheat flour, the all-purpose flour, and salt. Stir to mix. In a separate mixing bowl combine the honey, water, and yeast. Whisk to combine.

Take 2 large serving spoonfuls of the flour mixture and add it to the wet ingredients, whisk to combine creating your sponge. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Make the Dough

Add the Olive oil and pour the rest of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Dump the bowl onto a clean work surface and knead the dough until you have a smooth ball.

Cover your dough with the mixing bowl and rest for 10 minutes. Knead the dough a second time for a few minutes and place it into an oiled mixing bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

In case you’re wondering, we use a plastic shower curtain cap to cover our bowls. They are circular and have an elastic band that makes them fit snuggly around circular bowls. Shower caps make excellent mixing bowl covers.

Divide the Dough into Balls

Your dough should have doubled in size, dump it on your clean work surface and cut it into 8 equal portions. Roll each piece into a ball and set aside covered by a clean dish towel.

Roll out and Bake

Preheat oven to 475°F with a baking tray, cast iron, or pizza stone.

In batches of 1, 2, or 3, roll out the dough balls to 8-inch rounds with a rolling pin and bake for 2 minutes on one side. Then flip over and bake an additional 1 minute on the other side.

Your goal is a little browning and soft finished bread. If you leave them in too long, they will get crunchy like a cracker. After the first 2 minutes in the oven, they should be partially or fully inflated.

Transfer the cooked pitas into a cloth-lined basket or bowl and keep them cozy and warm for serving. For best results serve immediately, however, these are still tasty the next day.