Easy 5-Ingredient Israeli Pita Bread

By
Giora Shimoni
Giora Shimoni
A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/28/22
Freshly Baked Pita Breads
Courtesy of Miri Rotkovitz
Prep: 2 hrs
Cook: 5 mins
Rising Time: 90 mins
Total: 3 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 10 servings

Pita bread has been a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine for thousands of years. This round, puffed up, fluffy bread is a ubiquitous component to falafel wraps and hummus plates, as well as many other Israeli favorites. Luckily, you can make your own fresh Israeli pita bread with this easy 5-ingredient recipe. 

In this recipe, the pita gets the second rise on the baking sheets before a quick bake in a very hot oven. This technique can yield pitot (plural for pita in Hebrew) that doesn't puff to create pockets (although they are delicious nonetheless). If you want stuffable pockets for falafel or other sandwiches, consider baking on a heated baking stone or sheet instead.

Ingredients

  • 2 (1/4-ounce) packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

  • 480 grams (about 4 cups) all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or kosher salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water. Let stand for 10 minutes in a warm place until the yeast blooms and the mixture is foamy. 

  3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the yeast mixture and stir well until you have a shaggy dough.

  4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. 

  5. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.

  6. Punch down the dough. Knead a few times, then divide into 20 small balls.

  7. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (make sure it is oven safe to 500 F) or silicone liners.

  8. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a thin disc. Place the pitot on the prepared baking sheets, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

  9. Heat the oven to 500 F / 260 C. Place the baking sheets on the bottom racks of the oven. Bake until the pitas puff up, 5 to 7 minutes. Keep an eye on them—they can burn quickly.

  10. Serve the pitas warm from the oven with Israeli hummus, baba ganoush, and Israeli salad.

Tips

  • If you divide the dough into 20 pieces, your pitot will be on the smaller side. If you prefer larger bread, divide it into 10 or 15 pieces. 
  • Once completely cool, extra pita can be stored in food storage bags in the refrigerator or freezer.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
181 Calories
1g Fat
38g Carbs
6g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 181
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 129mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 65mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)