Homemade Pita Bread Recipe

Step 1

Whisk together the sugar and yeast in a large bowl, then stir in the warm water. Let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes, or until frothy.

Step 2

Add the salt and olive oil, and then using a wooden spoon, add 2 ½ cups of flour.

Step 3

Continue stirring and add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides.

Step 4

Dust a counter with some of the remaining flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it for 15 minutes. If you have a stand mixer with a kneading attachment then you’ll only need to knead for 10 minutes. Add a dust of flour as it gets too sticky to handle, but don’t overdo it or the dough will become hard. The dough should be tacky but not too sticky to knead.

Step 5

Tuck in the edges of the dough then coat the same bowl with olive oil that you used before. Add the dough and roll it around in the bowl to coat it in the olive oil.

Step 6

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.

Step 7

Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into 10 equal pieces that weigh about 2 ounces each.Tuck in the edges of each of the pieces to form balls then cover them with a towel and let them rest for 20 minutes.

Step 8

Roll one of the dough balls out into a ¼ inch thick disk that’s about 6 inches across. (These do not have to be perfect, just form the best circle or oval that you can.)

Step 9

Let the uncooked pita rest for five minutes as you heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan in some olive oil then place one of the uncooked pitas in the pan.

Step 10

Cook for 20 to 30 seconds or until you see 4-5 bubbles start to form, then flip the pita over and cook for another 20 seconds then flip it again and cook for 1 minute and allow the bread to puff up.

Step 11

Flip it again and let it puff up more then remove it from the pan and cover with a towel to trap the steam and keep them soft. (Not all of the pitas will puff up, but they should all form large bubbles.)

Step 12

Repeat the process with the remaining uncooked pitas, then serve!