This Fresh Mediterranean Pita Bread Recipe puts the store-bought stuff to shame. These hot pita pockets are baked until they're soft and puffy and are the perfect thing to serve with a big bowl of hummus, olives, or other Mediterranean dishes. Easy to make, and incredibly warming on a cold winter day, this recipe should be a staple in your kitchen.
A while back my husband and I went with some friends to Safta in Denver and had the most amazing meal. It's a Middle Eastern restaurant that has all my favorites: marinated olives, roasted beets, cauliflower hummus…the list goes on. But one of the things I loved most was how our lovely server continually came out with a basket of piping hot, pita bread. Soft, pillow-like piles of pita, the steam struggling to break free as you slowly ripped it open.
We obviously used this greek pita bread as a carrier for the amazing lineup of small plates that covered our table. But truth be told, I could have easily eaten only the pita for my entire meal, I was that smitten. Paired with a tall glass of red, I would have left a wonderfully happy and satisfied customer.
And so it came to be, after weeks of obsessing over the memory of that delicious Safta meal, that I decided to try my hand at making some homemade pita bread from scratch, in my own kitchen. I received The Lebanese Kitchen, by Salma Hage as a gift from a friend a couple of years ago and cracked it open one lazy afternoon to see if I could find a recipe for pita bread.
Sure enough, there was a recipe for homemade Lebanese pita bread that looked pretty doable, with a few adjustments. Turns out, these little wonders are not hard at all to make (my 5-year-old helped!). Within a few hours, we were all sitting down to a basket full of our own pillowy goodness, all puffed and wonderous. Oh - and, did I mention our house smelt amaaaazzzziing?? This Mediterranean Pita Bread is the BEST!
I paired the pita bread with some beetroot hummus, another recipe from The Lebanese Kitchen, also amazing. And if you're looking for another dip, try this delicious amaranth tabbouleh - it goes beautifully with this delicious bread.
What Ingredients Will I Need For This Pita Bread?
This easy greek pita bread recipe uses 6 simple ingredients (well, 7, if you count the water) and most of them you probably have hanging out in your pantry.
- Fast action yeast. This is not a slow-rise recipe, thank goodness. Because when you're craving some pita bread, you want it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Enter fast-action yeast, which means you only need to wait one hour for these babies to rise. Thank you, science.
- Honey acts as our sweetener here, although the recipe also states you can sub in ½ tablespoon of sugar if you'd like.
- Bread flour. Substitute all-purpose flour if you must, but the bread flour really gives it that glutenous, chewy consistency that makes this Lebanese bread so delicious.
- Olive Oil.
- Milk. Adds terrific flavor and gives the pita bread its creamy color.
How To Make This Pita Bread Recipe
I can't wait for you to see how easy this actually is.
- Start by adding warm water and honey to the yeast.
- In a separate bowl, combine your flour and salt.
- Add the yeast to the flour mixture, then fold in the oil and milk.
- Knead your dough for about 10 minutes (this feels longer than it actually is if you're doing it by hand). Then, let it rise for about an hour. The dough is pretty easy to work with, and can easily be kneaded in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment if you'd rather not do this part by hand.
- Once your pita dough has risen, break off pieces of the dough and roll them into small pita dough balls.
- Top the dough balls with a light dusting of flour, and place them in a hot oven.
- The pita bread only takes about 8 minutes to bake, but I will tell you that will seem like an eternity once you start smelling these delicious puffed pita balls baking in the oven.
Variations
This pita bread recipe is absolutely divine as is. But if you want to mix it up a little, here are some ways to do it:
- Use whole wheat flour. As with any bread recipe that subs in whole wheat flour for all-purpose or bread flour, you'll want to add just a bit more water and let the dough rise for longer. Also, keep in mind that whole wheat pita bread likely won't rise as well as pita bread made with bread flour.
- Add in extras! Add in some minced garlic to make garlic pita bread. Or toss in some olives, cheese, or herbs to create some different flavors.
- Make them mini! If you're serving these as an appetizer, make your pita dough balls smaller to make mini pita bread bites. Perfect for a laid-back party!
What To Serve With Mediterranean Pita Bread
The sky is really the limit here since pita bread can act as your basic side dish to almost anything. But, this Lebanese bread does pair really nicely with other middle eastern dishes. Here are a few ideas to try:
- Hummus. Pita bread with hummus is of course the classic choice. Play around with your hummus flavors. I made a beetroot hummus to go with this batch of pita bread and it was totally unique and delicious!
- Mezze dishes. Along with hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tabbouleh and this 7 Layer Greek Dip would also be great dips to serve with pita bread.
- Lentils & Yogurt. A classic Mediterranean dish.
- Cheese. Marinated cheese, feta, manchego, or pecorino would all be great choices to serve alongside these hot pita pockets.
- Olives. On their own, or marinated, you can't go wrong with pita bread and a side of olives.
- Roasted Meats. Lamb, beef, chicken, or pork.
- Salad.
- Seafood. Shrimp, halibut, mussels or sea bass are all good choices.
- Stuffed grape leaves.
- Veggies. Cucumbers, roasted tomatoes, roasted eggplant, or even grilled veggies pair well with this soft pita bread.
- Make a pita sandwich! Break your pita bread in half and stuff it with some simple meats, cheeses, or veggies to make a pita bread sandwich.
Recipe Tips
- Watch them closely. These don't take long to bake, and depending on many factors, like how large you rolled your pita balls or the temperament of your oven, they may take more or less time. Check them at about 5 minutes and rotate the pan if they are starting to brown too much on one side.
- Give them room to spread. This recipe makes 8 pita rounds. Be sure to create room enough for all of them to spread, even if you have to divide the batch into two and cook them separately.
- You don't have to use a stand mixer. While this makes the process easier, it's totally doable to knead the pita dough by hand.
- Make the dough ahead of time! You can store this dough in the refrigerator for up to one week and just bake what you need when you need it. Piping hot fresh pita bread on demand = bliss.
- Freeze it! Baked pita bread freezes wonderfully and is easy to pull out for a quick meal. Just let it cool completely and store it in zip-lock bags, making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. Store for 3 months as needed.
- To reheat frozen pita bread, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and place it in the oven (at about 350 degrees) for about 5 minutes. Check on the bread to see if it has warmed. If not, leave in for another 3-5 minutes. (You can also warm pita bread in a toaster oven!)
I have to say, paired with a nice tall glass of red, sitting cozily by the fire and savoring our own warm, straight-from-the-oven pita bread was pretty okay. It may not be a fancy night out at Safta, but it was pretty darn close. And it definitely left me wonderfully happy and satisfied.
If you try this Easy Greek Pita Bread Recipe, leave a rating and let me know what you think in the comments! And then tag me on Instagram - I love to see your creations!
More Great Bread Recipes!
- Easy 20-Minute Yogurt Flatbread
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe
- Apple, Cranberry And Walnut Quick Bread
- Easy Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe With Chocolate Chips
- Carrot And Zucchini Muffins
- No Knead Rosemary And Parmesan Bread
- Air Fryer Biscuits From A Can
Recipe
Homemade Pita Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 envelope dry, fast-action yeast
- ⅔ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon honey (can substitute ½ tablespoon of sugar)
- 3 ⅓ cup white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup lukewarm milk
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Stir in the honey.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour and sea salt. Add the yeast mixture, then slowly pour in the remaining warm water the olive oil, and the warm milk. Mix until combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. This can be done by hand, but is much easier with a stand mixer, using the hook attachment.
- Place the ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. (Tip: I like to let my bread dough rise placed in the oven, with just the oven light on. It keeps it out of the way and I find the temperature to be just right for bread doughs – especially on these colder winter days!)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Divide the dough into 6 balls and place them on a baking sheet. Cover the balls with a towel and allow them to sit for 10 more minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into a small circle and place it on a baking pan. (You really can’t go wrong here in terms of size – feel free to make smaller or larger balls as you see fit, just watch them in the oven to make sure they’re not burning.)
- Brush each disc with a small amount of water and top with a very light dusting of flour.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until they are a beautiful golden color.
- Serve warm, with small mezze plates, as a side for your main dish, or all on their own!
Notes
- Watch carefully if cooking on a hot baking stone. Some recipes call for placing the discs of pita dough directly onto a hot pan or baking stone. If you do this, pay attention to your baking times, as you’ll likely need to lower them significantly.
- Don't let the pita bread burn! These don't take long to bake, and depending on many factors, like how large you rolled your pita balls or the temperament of your oven, they may take more or less time. Check them at about 5 minutes and rotate the pan if they are starting to brown too much on one side.
- Give them room to spread. Be sure to create room enough for all of them to spread, even if you have to divide the batch into two and cook them separately.
- You don't have to use a stand mixer. While this makes the process easier, it's totally doable to knead the pita dough by hand.
- Make the dough ahead of time! You can store this dough in the refrigerator for up to one week and just bake what you need when you need it. Piping hot fresh pita bread on demand = bliss.
- Freeze it! Baked pita bread freezes wonderfully and is easy to pull out for a quick meal. Just let it cool completely and store it in zip-lock bags, making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible. Store for 3 months as needed.
- To reheat frozen pita bread, wrap the bread in aluminum foil and place it in the oven (at about 350 degrees) for about 5 minutes. Check on the bread to see if it has warmed. If not, leave in for another 3-5 minutes. (You can also warm pita bread in a toaster oven!)
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