Homemade pita bread that is quick and easy and absolutely delicious! You’ll never want to buy pita bread at the store again!
Isn’t pita bread kind of neat? I don’t know, something about a pocket being inside your bread to stuff things into.
And don’t even get me started on watching them puff up in the oven when you make them yourself!
Homemade pita bread is even cooler than the store-bought stuff. I don’t even need to tell you that it tastes way better too!
That’s just a given I think. Homemade bread is pretty much always better.
These homemade whole wheat pitas are pretty fantastic. I’ve tried many, many recipes for pita bread, and have always liked it, but it’s never been amazing.
Usually a little thick, a bit dry, and rather undependable in the puffing department.
And that’s just plain disappointing when you have a bunch of kids staring into the oven waiting for the magical puffing bread to balloon up in the oven and it doesn’t happen!
Now I won’t say that these will all puff up without fail every single time you make them. They probably won’t.
But this recipe does work a thousand times better than any other one I’ve ever tried.
Plus, it’s faster, easier and tastes better too. That’s a winning recipe in my books!
The trick is to flip the pitas over onto the hot stone or prepared baking sheet so the side that was resting on the countertop while rising is facing up in the oven.
Having the side of the bread that is not as dry facing up in the hot oven helps with the puffing. So does rolling them out as evenly as possible.
I find that this is easier to do if you try to roll them out with as few rolls as possible, and to keep the surface you’re rolling on lightly floured so you don’t have bits of your pita bread sticking to the countertop.
Regardless of how many of your pitas do the magical puffing trick in the oven though, this pita bread still tastes amazing, even as flatbread!
So you definitely need to make it soon even if you think yours won’t puff. And when they DO puff up for you, it’ll be really exciting! You know, for the kids.
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Homemade pita bread that is quick and easy and absolutely delicious! You'll never want to buy pita bread at the store again!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, salt, all-purpose flour, and 1 1/2 cups of the whole wheat flour.
- With the dough hook attachment, mix to combine all the ingredients. The dough should come together and start to clear the sides of the bowl quite quickly, if it remains really sticky after about a minute of mixing, add more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time until it clears the sides of the bowl.
- Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes with a machine, and 8-10 minutes by hand, until it is smooth and elastic, and just tacky to the touch, but not overly sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and divide it into six equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and cover the dough pieces with a clean towel and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a round disc, about 1/4 inch thick, keeping it as even as possible. If you end up with really thin sections they probably won’t puff as well in the oven.
- Leave the discs on the counter, covered with a clean towel, to rest and rise slightly, for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- If you have a baking stone, place it in the oven to heat up at the same time. If not, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- When you’re ready to bake, pick up one pita at a time carefully, and flip it onto the hot stone, turning it so the drier side (the one that was facing up) is now on the stone (or lined baking sheet). The side that was on the counter will be more moist and the pita will puff better if this side is facing up. If it’s really dry you can spray them lightly with some water but I didn’t find this was necessary.
- Bake the pitas (I baked 3 at a time, the others are fine resting on the counter a little longer) for 8-10 minutes until they are lightly browned and puffed up. Sometimes a pita doesn’t puff up, but it is still ready so don’t leave it in longer. It can still be used as flatbread!
- Let the pitas cool completely on a wire rack. They keep well at room temperature for a couple of days, or can be frozen once they’ve cooled.
Notes
Source: Adapted very slightly from Under the High Chair via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 pitaAmount Per Serving: Calories: 324Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 357mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 8gSugar: 0gProtein: 12g
Dar
Sunday 31st of May 2020
Can u use coconut or almond flour to make those pocket pitas instead of whole wheat
Stacey
Sunday 31st of May 2020
I haven't tried with either of those, but I think they would not work as they wouldn't develop gluten to give them the right texture.
mary
Friday 11th of August 2017
Why not mist the top of the pita just before you place it in the hot oven? This will save turning the pita over on the baking stop and risking a deformed round. I often mist the top of my breads to keep them from forming a harder surface during oven rising.
stacey
Friday 11th of August 2017
That's a great idea - I'll have to try that next time! :)
Jackie Marshall
Monday 9th of May 2016
They puffed up great! Nice chewy yummy bread.
stacey
Monday 9th of May 2016
Thanks Jackie - I'm so glad they turned out well for you!
Cranberry Orange Breakfast Pitas - Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Wednesday 16th of September 2015
[…] a little more finicky in the puffing department. They definitely don’t puff as easily as regular pita bread. In fact, it’s a little hit and miss with the puffing, in that they usually don’t […]
Jess @ What Jessica Baked Next
Thursday 28th of May 2015
I've always wanted to learn how to make homemade pitta bread! These look perfect, Stacey! Definitely going to give these a try! Thanks for sharing! :D
stacey
Thursday 28th of May 2015
Thanks Jess! Hope you like them!