With just 3 ingredients, homemade whole wheat pita bread has never been easier! And with this vegan, oil-free pocket bread recipe, it’s never been more easy and delicious.
If you've tried my easy whole wheat vegan bread or vegan hamburger buns, you already know I'm a big fan of keeping it simple when it comes to baking. That's what this recipe is all about.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to ensure success on your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Never bother with store-bought pita bread again. No longer at the mercy of grocery store choices, making your own means you own the ingredients.
- This homemade pita bread recipe doesn’t demand that you have a fancy stand mixer or be a home-baking master.
- Simple ingredients, a little kneading, and a warm place to rise – that’s what this recipe is all about. Oh, and a hot oven – is super important.
Recipe Ingredients
Whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour is denser than white wheat, bread flour, or all-purpose flour. These three can substitute for part of the whole wheat flour, but I advise sticking to whole wheat. Avoid self-rising flour as it contains other ingredients (salt and baking powder), making the results unreliable).
Yeast. Use either active dry or instant yeast. If you use it, rapid or quick-rising yeast will cut the rising time in half.
Salt. Salt technically isn’t required. It won’t impact whether or not the pita dough rises, so skip or reduce it if needed. Otherwise, salt adds flavor.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Mix 2 ½ cups of flour and the salt in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture.
Step 2: Mix the wet and dry ingredients to make a shaggy dough.
Step 3: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Add a piece of plastic wrap to the bottom of a clean bowl, then add the dough and loosely wrap it. Rise for 1 -2 hours until double.
Step 5: Separate into 8 equal dough balls. Let them rest for about 5 minutes, then roll discs about ¼ of an inch thick.
Step 6: Place on a warm baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees f for 3-4 minutes until they are brown and puffy.
Pro Tips
Test the yeast. I know that instant yeast doesn't need to be dissolved in warm water but humor me. It's the best way to test proof of life. If the yeast bubbles after being added to a small bowl of warm water, it's active and ready to rise the flour. If not, test a different yeast. If yeast doesn't activate with warm water, adding flour and more water won't improve.
Don’t overdo the flour. Whole wheat flour is dense and heavy, so try not to knead more than ½ a cup – just enough to keep it from being too sticky.
Keep everything warm. Yeast needs warmth to rise (70-80 degrees). Likewise, it needs a warm bowl, spoons, and a baking sheet. Keep this in mind throughout the cooking process.
A piping hot oven. A hot oven is your champion if you want whole wheat pitas that pop. Preheat the oven and baking sheet before rolling your pocket bread. High heat creates the steam that makes the pocket. Hence the term ‘pocket pita.’
Serving Suggestions
Pita pockets are handy for stuffing with limitless combinations of fresh vegetables, and plant-based hummus, or loaded with a few oil-free spicy baked falafels and a squeeze of lemon juice.
And if your individual pitas fail to develop pockets, don't toss them; turn them into Greek pita bread pizzas with zesty vinaigrette. That's our absolute favorite!
Storage / Freezing / Reheating
Once the pita bread has cooled to room temperature, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container or sealed bag for 10 days.
Separate the baked pitas with a sheet of parchment paper before freezing it in a bag or container. Freeze for 3 months. You can quickly toast or reheat in a hot oven or toaster oven for 2-3 minutes.
To reheat pita refrigerated pita bread, splash a few drops of water over it and then toast it. Moisture helps it puff back up and separate in the middle so you can open it into pockets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pitas need to be baked in a hot oven to create internal steam that puffs up pita bread. Preheat the oven on high heat, 450 F (or higher if your oven is unreliable), and preheat the baking sheet you are using. A heated pizza stone can also be used as it will hold more heat than a metal tray. Another option is adding the pitas straight onto the oven rack lined with parchment paper (although this can be logistically tricky).
In general, the terms whole wheat and whole meal are the same. You can run into different grinding textures, but your flour should state that it’s 100% whole wheat meaning that the entire wheat grain is used in processing.
I don't recommend cooking pita bread on the stovetop because it is challenging to regulate the heat on the top. If you try it, use a cast iron skillet that holds the heat and cover it with a lid. You'll need to cook pitas in smaller batches than baking.
As prepared without added oil or butter, this pita pocket recipe is filled with all the nutrients, vitamins, protein, and fiber that whole wheat offers with no additives, including cholesterol or added sugar. These are whole food, plant-based bread at their best!
What to Serve with Pocket Bread
Do you have a question or recipe request or need a cooking tip? Leave a comment below or contact Denise. I’m here to help! If you want more healthy vegan recipes, please subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for the latest updates.
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It’s much appreciated!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Whole Wheat Pita Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water - not hot or boiling
- 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
- 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour - 282 – 395 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add warm water to a small bowl and gently stir in 2 teaspoons of dry yeast over the top. Set aside for 5 minutes until the yeast is fully dissolved and tiny bubbles form on the top. (See notes).
- Combine 2 ½ cups of flour and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt in a large bowl. For best results, warm the bowl to room temperature.
- Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a spoon until the flour is moist. You should have shaggy dough. Mix in a bit of flour if it's too sticky to handle.
- Set aside another cup of flour so it’s handy, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and start kneading it. Add flour until you have an elastic dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. Knead for at least 5-7 minutes to release the gluten in the flour.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap in a clean mixing bowl, then add the dough ball and loosely warp the plastic over the top. You can also add a kitchen towel for extra warmth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has almost doubled in size (1-2 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and separate it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Warm your baking sheet if necessary, and then start rolling. Use a rolling pin to make discs about ¼ inch thick, using your hands to help shape them if necessary. Place each pita bread on a baking sheet, keeping them separated. Bake them in batches, if necessary, but don't roll until you have a clean baking sheet. Otherwise, the pitas will contract.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 3-4 minutes. You may see little brown spots start to appear, which is perfectly normal. They should puff up quickly and don't need to be flipped.
- If you bake the pitas in batches and wait until the first batch is done before you start rolling again so the pitas will hold their shape.
Notes
- Bubbles forming when the yeast is added to warm water indicate the yeast is active. If the yeast doesn't activate, try again or use a different yeast, as it might be out-of-date or damaged somehow.
- The dough needs to be at 70-80 degrees f to rise. If you don't have a warm space, heat the oven to 70 for a few minutes, turn it off, and let the dough rise in the oven.
- Store leftover pitas in airtight bags or containers. To reheat, lightly sprinkle them with water and add them to a slot toaster, hot oven, or toaster oven.
- To freeze pitas, separate them with parchment or waxed paper and seal them in an airtight bag. Frozen pitas will keep for about 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Cecilie Thorsted
Hey!
I made these and they are AMAZING!
They’ve definitely become a weekly staple at home 🙂
I was just wondering, what the calorie-count would be per pita?
Thanks a lot for the recipe!!
Denise
I am happy to hear you enjoyed these - we definitely love them! Each pita has 131 calories and they are also very low in fat as there is no oil. There is more nutritional information right under the recipe card. Best, Denise
A
I think the measurements are wrong? 1 cup of water was not enough to make all 2 1/2 cup flour wet
Denise
You may need to add more water depending on the kind of flour you use. Some wholewheat flours are denser than others, so you need more water. Add more, a tablespoon at-a-time until you get a not too sticky dough.
Nechama Kaufmann
Great recipe. Can they be baked on parchment paper that is placed on a baking sheet? My baking sheet is black and I don’t want them to burn.
Denise Perrault
Hi, definitely bake them on the parchment paper - I do this for just about everything and it really saves your baking sheet. Enjoy! 🙂
Science Beach
Just discovered a trick to activate a "dead" active dry yeast. Add 2 tsp of sugar and mix lightly. The dead yeast will resurrect! Yeast feeds on sugar. Science!
Denise Perrault
I definitely agree that you should test yeast. When I make bread and add maple syrup (a sugar), with warm water, I test it that way too. I've read that salt can distract yeast, so when in doubt, test it first. 🙂
Pat
What is the measurement of the pita after rolling it out. Thanks
Denise Perrault
The exact measure depends on the thickness of the dough, but it should be about 5 inches.