Soft and Chewy Pita Flatbread Recipe

This soft and chewy Pita is an all-round amazing flatbread, perfectly fluffy and chewy on the inside with a crisp bubbly outside, tender, and slightly chewy. I use these chewy flatbreads for everything from Greek Souvlakia wraps to pairing with my homemade tzatziki or even just eating them plain. They’re soft, tasty, and so easy to make. The best part? The dough freezes beautifully, making it a perfect make-ahead recipe that works with any meal.

Hey team! You’re going to love Soft and Chewy Pita Flatbread recipe. I make it at least once a week in my kitchen, and trust me, it never disappoints. The texture is so good—soft, warm, and with just the right amount of chew.

When I say these are the best pita breads ever, I mean it. They’re simple, versatile, and way better than store-bought. I use them as:

• Wraps for Chicken Gyros
• Torn up and dipped into my homemade Thick And Creamy Tzatziki
• As a side with Chicken Souvlakia
• Just plain and warm

BONUS: I freeze the cooked pita and even the dough balls before rolling and reheat them to taste freshly baked and used when I need them in a flash! More on how to do that in the post!

I’ll walk you through making the perfect pita dough, two ways to knead them, frying them for that crispy golden finish, and how to freeze and reheat for later.

Ingredients for this pita bread are simple!

• Yeast – Active dry yeast is a dry yeast that needs to be activated in lukewarm water or milk before using. When left to rest it becomes frothy so that you know it’s active. Instant Dry Yeast doesn’t need to be activated before using and can be added straight to your dry ingredients. Both yeasts will work for this recipe. I haven’t tested this recipe without yeast.
• Sugar – I used caster sugar but granulated sugar will also work.
• Warm water – In order to make sure the dry yeast is activated; you want the temperature to be 40C / 104C.
• Bread flour – Bread flour is a higher gluten flour that results in a nice chewy bread dough with more elasticity. You can use all-purpose flour in its place.
• Salt – I used fine salt
• Olive oil – use good quality olive oil.

We’ve Got To Talk Yeast

It’s the ingredient that helps this soft and chewy pita flatbread rise and come out fluffy. I don’t bother with fresh yeast, I think it’s too much fuss. Instead I used dried yeast which can be found in the baking isle of your supermarket. There are two types of dry yeast and both can be used for this recipe but need to be prepared in different ways.

Active dry yeast is a dry yeast that needs to be activated before being added to the dry ingredients. Add it to the warm water with the sugar and let it rest for 5 minutes to activate. If it’s fresh and active it will become frothy. Instant Dry Yeast doesn’t need to be activated before using and can be added straight to your dry ingredients which is what I use because it’s less fuss.

TIP: Keep your yeast in the fridge! It will keep it active, fresh and alive so it can work it’s magic in your bakes.

2 Easy Ways To Knead The Dough

In this step-by-step I’m going to walk you through how to make this by hand. But you can more easily make it with a stand mixer using a dough hook.

• Mix the flour, sugar, salt and yeast together in a mixing bowl including the instant dry yeast. I use a stand mixer when I make my pita because it’s way easier and quicker to make. Especially when it comes to kneading.
• Add the warm water and oil and mix using a spoon until it forms a scraggly dough. I use my dough hook to mix it if I’m using my stand mixer.

• To knead by hand, dust your benchtop with some flour and form the dough into a ball. Then begin kneading. To do this, push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back, rotate slightly, and repeat for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• To knead using a stand mixer, add to the stand mixer once you’ve formed a scraggly dough and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes or until the dough it smooth and elastic.

TIP: Hydration Check – If the dough feels too dry, add a teaspoon of warm water at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it’s too wet, sprinkle a little flour gradually until the dough is smooth and elastic with a slight tackiness but not sticky.

Proofing: Secret To Getting That Fluffy Texture!

Letting the dough proof or ‘rise’ is super important because it gives the yeast a chance to become gassy and form bubbles in your dough which will make your pita nice and fluffy. It also helps develop flavor.

• Once you’ve kneaded the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise.
• You want the dough to basically double in size

How do I create a warm environment for my dough to rise in?

I like to fill a deep dish of some sort with boiling water and pop it into the oven on the very bottom shelf. Then place the bowl of dough on a shelf above that. The steam helps create a warm environment with the dough to rise in. On a mildly warm day, you can even pop the bowl in your car to rise.

TIP: oil your mixing bowl before letting the dough rise to make it easier to remove it once its risen. About 1 tbsp should do it.

Rolling The Flat Bread

• I like to portion the dough to make sure you get nice even sized pita bread. You don’t have to and my Yiayia certainly didn’t! No Greek would.
• Form them into neat little balls to help you get a round pita when you roll it out.

• Roll using a rolling pin to about 25cm / 10-inches in width. I like to spin the pita around slightly as I roll as I find it gives you a rounder pita. Roll out all of the pita before cooking because cooking is quick!

TIP: make sure your bench top is well floured! I like to dip the dough balls in the flour before rolling as an extra bit of insurance to make sure it doesn’t stick to the benchtop.

Cooking The Crispy, Bubbly Pita Bread

The key here is high heat! It’s what’s going tog ive you those crisp outer edges, dark spots and chewy, fluffy inside!

• Heat a large frypan on high heat. You want to get it super hot so I let it heat up for a couple minutes. Add a good drizzle of olive oil and swirl around the pan before adding the first pita on top. Add it carefully so the hot oil doesn’t splash. Cook on one side until you see large bubbles forming on top. It should have dark little spots underneath when you lift it using tongs.
• Flip over and cook until it’s got dark spots. Cook the remaining pita and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm.

TIP: The best pans to use a well-oiled cast iron frypan, or a non-stick frypan. The pita won’t stick to those as it’s cooking.

How To Freeze The Dough

You can freeze the dough balls before rolling them out so that you can have fresh pita on hand when you need it!

To freeze the dough balls, line a baking tray (something that will fit in your freezer) with baking paper. Place the dough balls on top and freeze for an hour or two. Then transfer to a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw and use the dough, sit at room temperature until completely thawed, about 1-3 hours. Then use as fresh!

How To Freeze The Cooked Pita Bread

To freeze the cooked pita, lay each pita on a piece of plastic wrap and place on a flat area of your freezer to freeze completely. Once frozen, transfer the wrapped pita into a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months in a spot where the pita won’t get crushed and snap.

How To Reheat The Pita Bread From Frozen

To reheat the flatbread from frozen, thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then heat on a skillet with a little oil to freshen up. You can do this with fridge chilled pita too.

Tips And Tricks For Recipe Success!

• Measure out using kitchen scales – Measuring ingredients out by weight and not cups is the best way to get consistent results every time! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!
• Storage – Pita flatbread can be wrap tightly in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature or in the fridge for 3-5 days.
• To Reheat – To reheat the pita simply add to a skillet on medium heat with a little drizzle of oil and reheat for 2 minutes on each side. You can also warm up in the microwave for 30 seconds.
• To freeze – You can freeze the dough after it’s had it’s first rise. Shape into little individual balls, place them on a baking tray and freeze them for an hour. Then place in an airtight container or zip lock container. Defrost 2 hours before you’re ready to roll out and use.
• Water Temperature – In order to make sure the dry yeast is activated; you want the temperature to be 40C / 104C.
• Bread flour – Bread flour is a higher gluten flour that results in a nice chewy bread dough with more elasticity. You can use all-purpose flour in its place.
• To create a warm spot – If it’s a cold day where you are and you’re struggling to find a warm spot in the house to let the yeast rise and the bread dough rise, boil the kettle, and pour into a large pot. Place the pot in your oven 5 minutes before using. It creates a warm steamy environment which is perfect for the yeast and dough to rise.
• Making it by hand – this recipe can certainly be made by hand. Knead until the dough is smooth on top. If it’s too stick as you knead add a little flour until it’s not too sticky.

Can I make this with no yeast?

There are recipes out there that are yeast free, this isn’t one of them. The yeast is what helps give this flatbread that light and fluffy rise and texture. Without it, it would be really dense and rubbery.

Can I use whole-wheat flour?

Yep! Use equal amounts of whole-wheat flour in this recipe. Just ensure it’s a good quality brand because some brands leave husks in which are not fun to eat or get in between yoru teeth! Seive your flour to avoid this!

How do I know if my yeast is still active?

You can test this by adding a tsp in a cup of warm water, let it rest for 5 min in a warm spot. If it bubbles and foams, it’s still active and good to use!

Why is this recipe in grams and not cups?

The short answer is accuracy! It is far easier, more accurate and you get more consistent results when you measure ingredients by weight, especially in dessert and bread baking! I wrote all about this in my post about using digital kitchen scales!

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