Best Pita Bread Recipe
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Make the best pita bread recipe from scratch with this Lebanese pita bread recipe, which easily bakes in the oven and can be stored in the freezer.
by Rita Heikenfeld
Growing up in a large Lebanese household, some of my fondest memories center around food. We ate seasonally and what is now touted as the healthy Mediterranean diet. The term wasn’t used back then, but our meals were based, for the most part, on healthy grains, vegetables, and lean meat proteins.
As far as the bread was concerned, mild-tasting Lebanese flatbread was a special treat that Mom baked in an old gas oven down in the basement.
Watching her roll the dough into perfect, even balls with oiled hands fascinated me. She’d roll each ball out thin on the white porcelain table, and then one or two would be quickly transferred to the hot oven floor. After about a minute, the bread would puff up magically and develop a somewhat hollow center. (A visual lesson in food science!) Mom would flip it to brown on the top side. After what seemed like a couple blinks of an eye, the breads would be slid out of the oven and wrapped in a towel to keep moisture in. As the breads were stacked on top of each other, the puff would collapse. We kids could hardly wait until the bread cooled, and we were given one to tear into halves and discover the hollow center.
We ate the Lebanese bread alongside a pot of green beans and lamb and also used the bread as a scoop for tabouleh and kibbee.
Making flatbreads at home is popular and doable. One of the easiest to make is pita bread. Unlike my family’s Lebanese bread recipe, which was never written down in exact amounts, the pita recipe I’m sharing takes all the guesswork out. It’s a very special recipe from my friend, Joe Zarick, of blessed memory.
I spent a day with Joe and his sweet wife, Mary Lou, at their home, learning to make Joe’s pita. His recipe incorporates dry milk powder, which lends a tenderness to the chewy bread.
My hope is that you’ll be inspired to make a batch of pita. The recipe is detailed for success. You may make a few mistakes during baking, and some bread may bake up without a full hollow center, but I promise you’ll get the hang of it and will love the results. Go a step further and have a pita party with family and friends!
Joe’s Pita Bread Recipe
This can be divided in half for a smaller batch. Note that Joe’s recipe begins with water since this helps control the dough consistency.
I make this by hand, but a mixer can be used on low to medium speed.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/3 cup dry milk powder
- 8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons oil, plus more for rolling
Instructions:
Making the dough:
- Dissolve yeast in water. Add salt, sugar, and dry milk. Mix thoroughly.
- Add 3 to 4 cups flour to get a batter-like consistency.
- Add oil and mix well.
- Add more flour, one cup at a time, until dough forms. Until this point, I mix with a heavy wooden spatula, like Joe taught me. As the dough forms, I mix it with my hands. I’ll add more flour as I go until I achieve fairly stiff but elastic dough. By this time, I’ll have used 8 to 9 cups flour. It requires a little elbow grease — good exercise!
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding a bit more flour only if necessary, until dough is no longer sticky.
First rise:
Place dough in a bowl brushed with oil, brush the top with a little oil, cover, and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes.
Second rise and rolling into balls:
Punch dough down and, with a sharp knife, cut off pieces about the size of a large golf ball. I oil my hands and oil the balls to prevent dry spots as they rise. Place seam-side-down, which will allow bread to puff up in the oven.
Let rise for one hour.
Form, work in batches, and bake.
How to Bake Pita Bread
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Place each ball, seam side down, on very lightly floured surface, then pat down each with your fingers, making a circle shape. (I’m not fussy about the finished shapes, but that can be controlled by how they’re rolled out). Perfect round circles or irregular shapes — you decide.
Roll each ball out to 1/4-inch thickness for pita-type bread and a bit thinner for Lavash-style bread. The pita will bake up more pliable than lavash, which bakes up more crisp. Cover loaves as they’re rolled to prevent drying out. It’s best to work in batches and then bake so the loaves don’t dry out.
Bake on a baking stone or a heavy-duty cookie pan. Place stone or pan on the bottom rack before you turn the oven on so that it preheats.
How many you bake at a time depends on the size of the bread and stone or cookie sheet. I can get two or three on my baking stone.
Baking time varies. My oven takes about 1 minute and 30 seconds total for each one.
Flip about halfway through so that both top and bottom bake up “splotchy” brown.
The high heat creates steam, which allows the bread to puff up. You may have to adjust the time as you go, depending upon the size of each bread.
Yield: About 24 pitas.
Immediately after the pitas come out of the oven, cover with a clean towel to keep them soft and prevent drying out.
Yum, let’s eat! Pitas are best eaten immediately or stored in an airtight container for several days at room temperature.
Freeze pita: Baked pitas can be frozen for up to three months.
Pita is Versatile!
Make pita sandwiches:
Stuff pita halves with tabouleh or seasoned meat, or smear each pocket inside with hummus, then add finely diced vegetables and herbs. A dollop of tzatziki on top isn’t only delicious but healthful.
Make appetizer triangle pitas with za’atar:
Brush each pita with olive oil, then sprinkle on za’atar spice blend. I make mine with dried thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, oregano, and salt. Wrap in foil and warm in the oven.
Cut into triangles and serve with bowls of hummus or muhammara, a Middle Eastern roasted red pepper and walnut dip.
Rita Heikenfeld comes from a family of wise women in tune with nature. She’s a certified modern herbalist, culinary educator, author, and national media personality. Most important, she’s a wife, mom, and grandma. Rita lives on a little patch of heaven overlooking the East Fork River in Clermont County, Ohio. She’s a former adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati, where she developed a comprehensive herbal course. AboutEating.com column: rita@communitypress.com
Originally published in the March/April 2025 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
