This Homemade Pita Bread Is Actually Incredibly Easy

You don't need any fancy equipment or even baking skills.

I'll admit, I've been on a bit of a baking kick this summer during quarantine. I've tried making everything from sourdough to naan, and there's something so satisfying about homemade bread fresh from the oven.

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My most recent baking endeavor was homemade pita bread, one of my absolute favorite carbs. I followed this recipe from The Mediterranean Dish. The process was super straight-forward and the result was totally delicious. Here's a quick tutorial on how to make it at home (and you should definitely give it a try)!

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The entire process takes about two hours, but half of that time is just waiting for the dough to rise. You don't need any fancy equipment. You'll use your hands for kneading, a rolling pin (or wine bottle) to flatten the dough, and a heavy-bottomed baking vessel.

You don't need any fancy ingredients or equipment to make this pita bread. All you need is whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, granulated sugar, salt, and olive oil. I happened to have everything right in my pantry.

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You can use entirely all purpose flour, but I decided to use a mix of whole wheat and AP flour.

The first step is to make the sponge. Combine one cup of warm (not hot) water, yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup of flour into a large mixing bowl. Whisk it all together and set to the side for about 15 minutes until the mixture looks foamy and smells like bread.

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Now it's time to add the rest of the ingredients for the dough: the remainder of the flour, olive oil, and salt. Mix it all together until the dough is shaggy.

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Next, knead the dough on a clean work space that's been dusted with a bit of flour. You don't want to overwork the dough, so knead it for about two minutes until it feels smooth. Let it rest for ten minutes and then knead for a minute or two more.

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You can add a bit more flour as needed, but the dough should feel slightly sticky and moist, not overly floured.

Next, leave the dough alone and let it rise. Coat the bottom of your mixing bowl in a tiny bit of olive oil to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover the dough tightly with a piece of plastic wrap and leave it for about an hour until it more or less doubles in size.

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Depending on the temperature in your kitchen, this might take more than an hour. Remember: dough rises quicker in a warm setting, so move your dough to a warmer place to expedite the process.

It's almost time to bake! But first, pre-heat your oven to 475 degrees F. Place a baking sheet, pizza stone, or Dutch oven on the bottom rack and let it get hot. While the oven heats up, begin shaping the pitas. Take the dough and punch it down, then divide the dough into eight equally sized pieces.

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I used a ceramic pizza stone to bake my pita because it's great at retaining heat, but you can use a simple baking sheet. Just make sure to get it very hot before baking.

Work the eight pieces of dough into little balls and cover them with a damp dish towel to keep them moist. Working one piece of dough at a time, flatten the ball into circular disks. Keep the remaining pieces of dough under the moist dish towel.

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Place the flattened piece of dough on your hot baking vessel. Let it bake for about two to three minutes. You'll notice the dough will begin to puff up. Then flip it over and bake for another two minutes. Remove from the oven and repeat for the other seven pieces of dough.

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Store the pita in a lined basket or bowl until you're ready to eat. Then get ready to devour warm, chewy, fluffy, freshly baked pita that you made all by yourself!

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