This page requires that scripting be enabled in your browser to function properly. If you need help enabling scripting, please vist our
technical FAQ page.

READY IN ABOUT 1½ hrs

Traditional Pita Breads

Read Reviews (8)

"This is a great pita bread recipe I got from a friend who works at a great Greek restaurant here in my town. Slice pita in half and fill pockets with your favorite filling, or for dipping, cut into wedges and pan fry in a little olive oil." — Dennis Morazan

Ingredients Edit and Save

Watch video tips and tricks

Quick Yeast Rolls

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Amish White Bread

How to Make Poppy Seed Rolls

Mall Pretzels

How to Make No-Knead Beer Bread

Traditional White Bread

How to Make Pita Bread

Traditional Slovak Haluski

Measuring All-Purpose Flour

Types of Salt

Original recipe makes 1 dozen pita breads Change Servings

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees F/40 to 45 degrees C)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed - divided

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Check All Add to Shopping List

Directions

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a mixing bowl and allow to stand until the yeast forms a creamy foam, about 5 minutes. Mix in 2 cups of flour, salt, and shortening; beat for 2 minutes with a fork. Stir in as much of the remaining 1 1/2 cup flour as needed.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, kneading in more flour if dough is sticky. Form into a ball, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest in a warm area for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
Divide dough into 12 equal portions; flour your hands and roll each piece into a ball. Cover dough balls with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Flatten the balls into rounds on a floured surface, cover with kitchen towel, and let rest 10 more minutes. Gently roll each dough ball into a circle about 6 inches in diameter on a floured surface. Place pita breads in a single layer on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven until the pita breads puff up, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip breads over with a spatula, return to oven, and bake 2 more minutes. Let cool on wire racks before cutting pita breads in half and gently separating tops and bottoms to form pockets for filling.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 1 hr 20 mins

ADVERTISE WITH US

Reviews More Reviews

Aug 19, 2012

These turned out really well. Even with half whole wheat flour, they rose nicely and my family all enjoyed them!

—Sugar-n-spice

See full review »

Sep 01, 2012

I just made these and followed the directions to a T. It was a little waiting game but the result was the freshest, tastiest pitas we've ever tasted; my 6 y.o. ate 2 and wanted more! Thank you!

—TheCook

See full review »

12 Ratings

Dec 16, 2012

This was really really good, and easy to make!! I will be making these again without a doubt!

—PAMELALALALA

See full review »

Aug 28, 2012

I could only get 3 of these to "puff" up in the oven. The others were flat. Taste was great!

—Roberta

See full review »

Apr 23, 2013

Perfect pitas! Wouldn't change a thing about this recipe. Have been searching for a pita recipe through all my traditional cookbooks. Thanks Dennis! My search is over. So simple to make.

—WI Hobo Cook

See full review »

Jan 19, 2013

I used compressed, instant yeast. Worked like a charm. The pita tasted great. Unfortunately, baking the pita doesn't produce the nice burnt spots that I'd like. My only complaint was that they were difficult to peel open after slicing them down the middle.

—Zhay

See full review »

Jan 17, 2013

Nice, simple recipe! I used unsalted butter instead of shortening, and I sprinkled corn meal on the baking sheet which worked out really well. After throwing the first few pitas in the oven I accidentally realized that allowing the individual pitas to rise for a third time (after rolling out) ended up making nice, solid pockets and a firmer outer shell. Definitely tasty and will save this recipe for later!

—JAKEWALLACE1979

See full review »

Oct 15, 2012

Like the previous commenter I used half whole wheat flour for a total of three cups and these came out wonderfully! Better than store bought and so easy!

—Stellargirl77

See full review »

Rate This Recipe

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Chef John's Pita Bread

Peppy's Pita Bread

Soft Homemade Pretzels

Pita Bread

Grandma Sherrill's Bagels

Grandma's Yeast Rolls

Kim's Garlic Breadsticks

Lepinja (Serbian Flatbread)

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Herb Batter Bread

ADVERTISE WITH US

Nutrition

Calories
172 kcal
9%

Carbohydrates
28 g
9%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
4.7 g
7%

Fiber
1.1 g
4%

Protein
4 g
8%

Sodium
292 mg
12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Traditional Pita Breads

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 172
Calories from Fat: 42

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4.7g 7 %
Saturated Fat 1.1g 6 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 292mg 12 %
Potassium 51mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 28g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 1.1g 4 %
Protein 4g 8 %
Sugars 0.1g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium < 1 %
Iron 18 %
Thiamin 30 %
Niacin 25 %
Vitamin B6 2 %
Magnesium 3 %
Folate 45 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.