Fresh, warm pita bread pockets made in a bread machine from scratch, are perfect to go with any Mediterranean sandwich or to dip in hummus.
Jump to RecipeIf you’ve ever had a Greek gyro then you’ve probably had pita bread pockets before. Pita bread is commonly served with hummus. Meditteranean cuisine commonly uses pita bread. Pita bread pockets are made similar to regular bread but are baked at a high temperature. This turns moisture into steam and separates the sides forming its characteristic pocket.
Pita bread can also be cut into smaller pieces and baked again to make pita chips for dipping. I’ve had storebought pita chips before, but haven’t tried making them myself (yet) from this recipe. If I do get adventurous next time, I’ll update and let you all know how it goes.
I’m a cheater when it comes to making bread and doughs because I use my bread machine. This could definitely be done by hand. But I’ll be honest, I just don’t have time for that. Especially when I have a perfectly good bread machine sitting in the cabinet just waiting to be used. Seriously, if you enjoy bread, you should consider investing in a bread machine. I use mine at least once a month, if not more often than that.
For this recipe, I am going to assume you have a bread machine. Partly because that’s how I make it. Also because I’ve never made it by hand. I wouldn’t be able to fully instruct you. As with almost all baking recipes, make sure you use exact amounts for everything so your dough comes out the way it should.

Step by Step
Dough
Pour all of the ingredients into the bread machine. Set it on the dough setting and let it do its thing.

Once the machine is done making the dough, turn it onto a lightly floured working surface. Gently roll and stretch the dough until it forms a 12-inch rope. It doesn’t have to be perfect at this point. It just needs to be stretched out a bit.

Divide the dough into eight equal(ish) pieces. I like to use a dough slicer for this since it easily cuts through.

Roll each chunk of dough into a small ball.

Use a rolling pin (or your hands) to flatten out each piece of dough into a circle about 6-7 inches in diameter. This will be the size of your pita pockets. You don’t want to stretch them too far, otherwise, they won’t rise properly.

Keep these flattened pieces on a heavily floured countertop and cover with a towel. Let them rise for about 45 minutes until they get slightly puffy.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 500F and place the pitas on a baking sheet. I can’t ever fit them all on one, so you will have to cook these in batches. I can fit three on my cooking stone, so it takes me about 30 minutes total.
Cook the pitas for 7-10 minutes, until they puff to form the pockets and begin to brown. Remove the pitas from the oven and immediately place them in a sealed brown paper bag or in a large bowl covered with a damp towel. Keep them in here until they are soft, adding the next batch as you go.
After they are softened and cooled, the pitas are ready to eat. You can cut them in half to form two sandwich pockets or tear off the end if you want to stuff the entire pita. I like to use them for hummus so often end up just tearing them to pieces to dip.


Recipe
Originally Published On: August 20, 2018
Last Updated On: February 22, 2020

Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cup warm water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in bread machine and set to dough
- Turn dough onto lightly floured surface
- Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope
- Divide dough into 8 pieces
- Roll each into a smooth ball
- With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-7 inch circle
- Set aside on a heavily floured countertop and cover with a towel
- Let pitas rise about 45 minutes until slightly puffy
- Preheat oven to 500F
- Place pitas on baking sheet and bake 7-10 minutes or until puffed and tops begin to brown
- Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover with a damp kitchen towel until soft
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
I have never had much success with any from scratch bread like items, but this recipe looks super easy to follow. I will have to try to make these for my family soon.
Usually, I let the bread machine do most of the work when it comes to bread items. But there’s not a good way to use that for these. It’s one of the few I make from scratch. Mine don’t always puff up correctly, but they taste good just the same!
My Indian friend Mamta introduced me to pita. Now, I am going to look so fancy to be able to make my own pita.
I knew pitas were used in Greek cuisine, but I didn’t know they are used in India as well. It’s fun to make your own 🙂
I love the magic that is bread. I haven’t tried this kind and I really want to give it a wack.
Me, too! I love bread in almost any form.
Love making my own bread. And you make it look so easy! We always buy pita bread, maybe next time I’ll make homemade ones. They’re always so much better.
It’s always better to make them from scratch. More work, but worth it in the end. Mine don’t always puff up, but they taste good whether they do or not!
As per usual, I love Love LOVE your recipes! I have been trying to find a good pocket pita in stores for such a long time, and I can never seem to find what I’m looking for. I cannot wait to try these!
Thanks, Marie! Hopefully these work out for you so you can have that wonderful pita bread you are craving.
I love pita bread but have never even considered making it myself! Now I’m intrigued and will have to try it. Fingers crossed!
I was the same way for a while, but decided we needed to try. They don’t always puff perfectly for me, but the flavor is great!
Power to the pitta breads!! Love the look of these and can be used with a lovely fresh salad instead of bread too x
My husband has used pitas to make a Greek salad before. I’m not a huge fan of olives or feta or cucumber, so I don’t eat a lot of Greek food but he loved it!
I love pita but never thought I’d be able to make it at home. This looks like a recipe I can manage. I can’t wait to try it!
It takes a little bit of work and time, but most of the time is letting the dough rise. Just make sure to use a lot of flour so they don’t stick to the counter at all.
Yumm! Have you tried making these with gluten free flour?
I’ve never tried with gluten free flour because we don’t have any gluten allergies/intolerances in our family, so I have no need to. But if it usually works the same as regular flour then it should still work.
I love Pita Bread and how versatile it is. This looks like a great recipe!
I know, there are so many wonderful ways pita bread can be used!
These look so delicious! I cannot wait to make these for my family this week.
My boys devoured them, even plain. As in, we make to bring camping and on road trips now because they just sit there and eat them with no problem or complaints!
Ooh…these would be a killer option for sandwiches!! I will definitely have to try them out.
We’ve done that a few times. Especially when I can get them to really puff up, they are great for stuffing things inside of them.
This looks so good, reminds me of meatpie or meat pattie we make in Nigeria
I just looked those up, it does look a bit similar. This is more of a bread than those, I think, but they are still great for stuffing like the meatpie.
I really want to try to make this! It sounds so much like something my mom used to make!
You should give it a go! They aren’t too hard, just take some time to let the dough rise. But make sure you use a lot of flour so they don’t stick to the counter if you want them to puff up properly.
It has been a long time since I ate pita bread. Is it recommended to use a bread machine? I don’t know if I can find a bread machine here. They prolly have one here in Japan because I really want to make these, they seem like the perfect lunch item!
I don’t think you would have to, but you would have to get the dough mixed up well without one. I honestly have never made a dough like this by hand, but I know it can be done. It just would take a lot of mixing and hands-on time with the dough I would think.
Oh these look amazing. Unfortunately I’m keto right now for health reasons. Weirdly being keto is making me cook and bake more. So I guess that’s a good thing!
Anything that gets you cooking from scratch and eating healthier is always a good thing.
Good for you to make this popular food from scratch. I love all sorts of breads but have less patience than you. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking but not bread making.
I understand, I have slowly worked my way up to making breads. They are definitely a bit harder and take more patience than other baked goods.