Pita bread pockets in a pile with the top one opened on top of a bamboo serving board on a white and brown towel all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Pita Bread Pockets From Scratch

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.

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If 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.

Ingredients for pita bread pockets dough in the pan of a bread machine on a white and grey marble surface

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.

Log of pita bread pockets dough on a lightly floured white and grey marble surface

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

Log of pita bread dough cut into eight pieces on a white and grey marble surface

Roll each chunk of dough into a small ball.

Eight balls of pita bread dough on a lightly floured white and grey marble surface

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.

Flattened pita bread pocket dough on a white and grey marble surface

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.

Pita bread pockets in a pile with the top one opened on top of a bamboo serving board on a white and brown towel all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: August 20, 2018

Last Updated On: February 22, 2020

Pita bread pockets in a pile with the top one opened on top of a bamboo serving board on a white and brown towel all on a wooden surface

Pita Bread

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.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course:
Snack
Cuisine:
Mediterranean
Keyword:
bread
Servings: 8 pieces
4.89 from 9 votes

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

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
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Nutrition Facts
Pita Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 196 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Sodium 295mg12%
Potassium 72mg2%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 6g12%
Calcium 7mg1%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

34 thoughts on “Pita Bread Pockets From Scratch”

  1. Patricia Chamberlain

    5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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.

  6. 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!

  7. 5 stars
    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.

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