Homemade Pita Bread couldn't be easier to make! It's soft, delicious, and only requires 10 minutes to prep! They are versatile and freezer friendly too!
The easiest bread you'll ever make yourself, is Homemade Pita Bread.
The easiest bread you'll ever make yourself, is Homemade Pita Bread.It takes just MINUTES! You don't need a fancy mixer, no kneading the dough, and there's no long rise time, plus you can make the pita bread dough days ahead and leave it in the fridge, cooking it whenever you want fresh, warm pitas!
The ingredients are dirt cheap, and the cooked pitas freeze really well; basically making these yourself is a no brainer! Affordable, easy, and tastes so much better than store bought. This pita bread recipe is a staple at our house when making Gyros for dinner, or to serve with Shawarma bowls, Chicken Tikka Masala or Hummus.
Don't miss all of my bread recipes like English Muffins, Cheesy Breadsticks, Buttermilk Biscuits, or Pizza Dough!
How to make Pita Bread:
Prepare Dough: Combine water, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil, and 1 cup flour. Gradually add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together but is a little sticky. Rub some flour on your hands then knead the dough in the bowl for a minute or so, until smooth. The pita dough should be very soft and not too sticky. Place in a well-greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rest for 40 minutes (or refrigerate until ready to cook). Divide into 8 equal pieces.
Cook: Roll each pita bread into a thin circle then heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Lightly grease the pan with oil then lay a pita flat in the center. Cook for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom. Flip and cook for another minute then remove and place inside a clean, dry kitchen towel to keep warm. Cook remaining pitas in the same way.
Enjoy as gyros, dipped in hummus, broken on a salad, or see more ideas below.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The pita bread dough can be prepped ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let the cold dough sit at room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes before dividing and cooking. The rolled pita circles can be kept covered in the refrigerator for a few hours ahead of time before cooking.
To Freeze: Follow the recipe to make the dough then transfer to a freezer safe container and freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then allow to rise at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before continuing. To freeze cooked pitas place a piece of parchment paper between them and store in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Rewarm in the microwave for a few seconds.
Enjoy Pita Bread With:
- Gyros: Lamb, Chicken, or Beef Gyros
- Hummus
- Buddha Bowls
- Chicken Kabobs or Steak Kabobs
- Toasted on Burrata Salad
- Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- Charcuterie Board
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Kid's Lunch
- Pita Bread Sandwich
- Yellow Curry, Red Curry or Chickpea Curry
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Recipe
Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (237g)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)*
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (281g)
Instructions
- Make Dough: Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil, and 1 cup of flour together. Add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together but is still a little sticky. Flour your hands and knead it in the bowl for a minute or so until it’s smooth. The dough should be very soft and not overly sticky.
- Rest: Place dough in a well-greased bowl, cover, and rest for 40 minutes (or refrigerate until ready to use).
- Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a very thin circle.
- Cook: Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, lightly grease the pan with oil and lay pitas flat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden on the bottom. Flip and cook for another minute or so, then remove from heat and place inside a clean, dry kitchen towel to keep warm while you cook remaining pitas.
- Store leftover cooked pitas in an airtight container at room temp for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze (see notes). Leftover pitas can also be made into pita chips (see notes).
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2023. Updated March 2025.
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Made these tonight for some lamb/beef gyros and they were SO soft and delightful! I was surprised at how easy it was, and my hubby said the meal as a whole was one of his favorites I’ve ever made (and that the homemade pita bread really made the meal!). My toddler was also a huge fan, which is a big deal in my book lol. Thank you so much!!
Making these right now and I neglected to read the prep for the yeast and ended up adding all the ingredients together in the bowl as in step 1. We shall see if it’s a fail. Hoping it works out though!
I’ve made these twice, and both were extremely sticky, even after adding at least 62 more grams of flour. Impossible to use a rolling pin because the dough sticks so badly, so I just flatten them out by hand. They are really good after cooking, but I lose half the dough on my fingers. Sugestions on what I’m doing wrong please
It is a soft dough, but if it’s clinging to your fingers like that, try adding a bit more flour right at the start—just enough so it comes together but still feels soft. Also, don’t skip flouring your surface and rolling pin like crazy. Glad they still tasted good tho 👏 that’s a win!
-Stacy
Thank you for responding so quickly. I’m going to make them again tomorrow with an additional cup+ of flour. Trust me, my rolling pin and counter surface were flour plentiful. I love all of Lauren’s recipes and have her books, so I was really baffled by this recipe.
Agreed. Great recipes but this one is way too sticky. Need to recheck the weight of the flour
How can I make the pita recipe gluten free. I am a celiac.
These were delicious and I enjoyed making them. They disappeared quickly:)
It seems to be too much water for the amount of flour. My dough was too sticky and unmanageable, despite everything being measured exactly. I ended up adding about 50 more grams of flour.
Best pita recipe ever! I doubled the recipe for my family of eight and they came out literally perfect.
These are so easy and tasty, I would use them for so many things however, mine break when try to fold them so can’t fill them with anything. I thought I might not be rolling them out thin enough so did that, same thing , they rip. What do I need to know?!!!!
Hi! I’ve made these pitas twice and each time they have been amazing! Would this dough also be able to be used to make individual pizzas?
I hadn’t even thought to make pitas! I’ve been looking for whole wheat pitas here and can barely find regular ones! I’m going to modify it a bit for whole wheat. Thanks so much, Lauren!
Delicious! I substituted the olive oil for sesame oil, as that is simply our household oil preference as it has more flavor, and I lightly salted both sides of the pita bread as I was frying each in the skillet. They turned out so wonderful! We ate this alongside with Lauren’s chicken tikka masala recipe, which I served atop jasmine rice cooked in an instapot, and the meal as a whole was just incredible.