Easy Sourdough Pita Bread Recipe

Sourdough pita bread is soft and fluffy bread pocket just waiting to be stuffed with all your favorite sandwich fixings! This recipe uses active sourdough starter meaning it’s naturally leavened with wild yeast. If you’ve never tried homemade pita bread, you might be surprised just how easy it is!

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Sourdough pita pockets are a super fun alternative to sandwiches made with sourdough sandwich bread. This sourdough pita bread recipe is easy to make in a stand mixer using simple ingredients. All you need is a pizza stone or a cast iron skillet in a hot oven and the pita dough will puff up into perfect little pockets. They only take a few minutes to bake at a high temperature, so my kids love watching them puff up through the oven door window. 

Fluffy sourdough pita bread can be filled with so many different things. I tend to make these for lunch most often in the summer when fresh produce is plentiful, but they can absolutely be enjoyed all year round. Use any combination of your favorite meats, cheeses and vegetables to create many different combos. We like to fill them with scrambled eggs and cheese and eat them for breakfast too!

what is pita bread?

Pita bread is a Mediterranean flatbread known for it’s internal pocket that is created by baking the dough on a hot baking stone in a high temperature oven. The water in the dough turns to steam when it hits the hot stone, causing the top and bottom to separate. Pita bread is soft and fluffy when fresh, with a slightly chewy exterior. 

Traditional pita bread dough consists of flour, water, yeast, olive oil and salt. Instead of commercial yeast, I choose to leaven the dough with an active sourdough starter. The bulk fermentation period for this sourdough pita recipe is shorter than most sourdough recipes that require an active starter, making it a great recipe to whip up when you don’t want to wait until the next day.

why you’ll love this sourdough pita bread recipe

Easy​ – This recipe comes together quickly with basic ingredients and only a few minutes of hands on time.

Same day – Most sourdough recipes require mixing dough and waiting until the next day to bake. This recipe has a faster bulk fermentation time so you can make the dough and bake all in the same day. 

​Basic ingredients – All you need to make these pitas are flour, water, sourdough starter, olive oil and salt. 

Naturally leavened – This sourdough pita bread recipe uses an active sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast. The longer fermentation time allows the gluten to break down, making the flour more digestible. Sourdough is considered a healthier option for other reasons as well. Bread products leavened with sourdough will have a lower glycemic index and more bioavailable nutrients compared with recipes made with commercial yeasts.

Delicious ​- The soft, warm pita bread is so good right out of the oven. I have to keep my kids from eating them all before we have a chance to fill them!

Fun ​- These sourdough pita pockets puff up in about 5 minutes, and I have a few kids who love to watch the magic through oven door window.

everything you’ll need to make sourdough pita bread

ingredients 

all purpose flour

water – Warm water will give the sourdough starter a boost. 

active sourdough starter – This should be an active and bubbly starter. A healthy starter that was fed sometime in the last 8-24 hours will yield the best results. 

olive oil – The addition of a little oil makes the dough soft and elastic. 

salt – A high quality sea salt like Redmond Real Salt tastes great and contains the most minerals.

equipment 

stand mixer with dough hook attachment

rolling pin

cast iron skillet or pizza stone

​how to make fluffy sourdough pita bread

1. Knead the dough in a stand mixer. Add all of the pita dough ingredients to a stand mixer and mix with a dough hook on low speed for about 10 minutes. The dough should be soft enough to handle and not too sticky. 

2. Bulk fermentation. Grease the mixing bowl with a little extra olive oil and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 6 hours covered with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap. 

3. Divide and shape. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes to relax the gluten. If you try to roll them out right away, the dough will spring back instead of rolling out nicely. After 15 minutes, roll out each ball into a thin circle on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a damp tea towel and let them rise again for about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat a pizza stone or cast iron skillet. In order for the pita dough circles to puff up in the oven, the dough has to hit a very hot stone. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with the pizza stone or cast iron skillet inside. I have two cast iron skillets so I preheat both so I can bake two pitas at a time.

5. Bake the sourdough pita pockets. Bake each pita pocket on the hot baking stone for about 5 minutes, or until they’re very puffy and slightly golden brown. 

6. Cool on a cooling rack. Let the pitas cool on a cooling rack. Cut each pita in half and stuff with your favorite meats, cheeses and vegetables. Store leftover pita pockets in an airtight container or plastic bag. 

sample baking schedule

Day 1: 

Feed sourdough starter using a 1:1:1 ratio. This means one part starter, one part flour, and one part water, by weight. 

Day 2: 

8 AM – Mix dough and allow to rise for 4-6 hours. 

12 – 2 PM – Shape and bake. 

– OR – ​

Day 1: 

8 AM – Feed sourdough starter. 

6 PM – Mix sourdough pita dough. Cover the dough and allow to ferment in the fridge overnight. 

Day 2:

Anytime – Allow the dough to come to room temperature. Shape and bake according to instructions.

​As with any sourdough recipe, the timing does not need to be exact. And in many cases, it will not be exact because of varying factors like the strength of your starter and the temperature of your kitchen. If you dough has doubled in size sooner than the suggested time frame, bake the pitas earlier. Alternatively, if your starter is weak or your kitchen is on the cooler side, the dough may take longer to rise. 

tips for success

Ferment in a warm place. If your kitchen is cool, place the dough in your oven with the light on to help it rise.

Roll the pita dough thin. Thinner pita dough will puff up better when cooked because steam builds inside, forming the pocket. If it’s too thick, it might not puff up evenly, ending up dense instead of light and airy.

Preheat the skillet. Ensure your skillet is properly preheated before cooking the pitas so that they puff up quickly and evenly.

Use a wire cooling rack. After cooking, transfer the pitas to a wire rack to cool to prevent them from becoming soggy.

Make ahead. Pita dough can be bulk fermented overnight in the refrigerator and shaped and baked anytime the following day.

what to eat with sourdough pita bread

​- Stuff with sandwich fixings like turkey, ham, salami and cheese. 

​- Add your favorite vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes or salad greens. 

​- Make a breakfast pita with scrambled eggs and cheese. 

– Cut pita bread into triangles and dip into classic Mediterranean dips like hummus or tzatziki. 

– Serve alongside a soup or stew instead of bread. 

what if a pita doesn’t puff up?

Sometimes I get one or two that doesn’t puff up for some reason. This may be because the pizza stone or other vessel isn’t hot enough. If that happens, just use the pita like a wrap or flatbread instead of a pocket. 

​other sourdough recipes you’ll love

• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits
• Sourdough English Muffins
• Sourdough Bagels
• Sourdough Pasta
• Sourdough Scones

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