Breads (Sourdough) - Other Breads
Sourdough Pita Bread — Soft, Puffy & Homemade Middle-East Flatbread
May 13, 2022
| Recipe by Bake with Paws
Last Updated 6 December 2025
By Bake with Paws
Sourdough Pita Bread — A Homemade Middle-East Classic
There’s something magical about seeing a flat disk of dough puff up in the oven — transforming into a soft, airy pita pocket, warm and ready to fill with savoury or fresh ingredients. That’s the charm of pita. For me, using a sourdough-based dough takes that rustic, home-baked feel even further — a hint of tang, a tender crumb, and deep flavour that instant-yeast versions rarely match.
Turning simple pantry staples into a batch of homemade pita feels like a small everyday celebration. Whether I serve them warm with hummus, fill with falafel and veggies, or use as flatbread for wraps — they make meals feel special and wholesome.
Why I Love This Sourdough Pita
- Soft, pillowy interior with subtle tang: The natural fermentation from the sourdough starter creates a gentle tang and tender crumb that’s more flavourful than commercial-yeast pita. As some bakers note, “sourdough pitas puff beautifully, producing soft pockets… ideal for filling with falafel and hummus or scooping dips.”
- Light, refillable pita pockets: When baked correctly, each pita opens to a pocket — perfect for sandwiches, gyros, or meze spreads.
- Simple, modest ingredients: With bread flour, a bit of whole-wheat (optional), water, salt, olive oil, and a healthy sourdough starter (or even discard), you can make pita at home — no special breads required.
- Rustic, natural-bread aroma and texture: Sourdough brings depth of flavour and a comforting homemade vibe.
- Freezer-friendly & convenient: Pitas bake quickly, freeze well, and reheat beautifully — great for meal prep, quick lunches, or impromptu dinners.
Expert Tips for Better Pita
- Use bread flour (high-gluten): Strong flour helps develop enough gluten so the pita can puff and hold structure under heat.
- Choose healthy, active sourdough starter or discard: Either works. A lively starter helps fermentation; discard works fine too if starter is not in use.
- Reserve part of the water when mixing: Depending on your flour and environment, absorption varies — reserving 10–20 g allows better control of dough hydration.
- Knead until dough is smooth and elastic: In the original recipe, kneading ~10–12 minutes gives a dough that’s cohesive enough for pita shaping and puffing.
- Cold-retard overnight (optional but recommended): Letting dough rest in the fridge overnight develops more flavour and improves handling.
- Preheat baking stone/steel thoroughly: For puffing — the oven and baking surface must be piping hot (~260 °C in original recipe) before you bake pita rounds.
How To Make Sourdough Pita Bread
Ingredients (Yields: 8 Pitas)
270g bread flour (I used Japan High Gluten Flour)
55g wholewheat flour *
250g sourdough starter discard (from fridge)*
9g salt
150g water (please reserve 10 - 20g and add in later)
18g vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
* Wholewheat flour can be replaced with all bread flour
* You may use newly fed active sourdough starter too.
Utensil:
Pizza Shovel Peel
Baking stone or steel
Step-By-Step Instruction:
- Mixing and kneading @ 6.45pm
- Put all ingredients into a bowl of stand mixer.
- Slightly combine the mixture by hand with the hook attachment before turning on the machine so that the flour will not splash out.
- Knead for about 10 - 12 minutes or until the dough comes together and elastic. It is not required to check window pane stage as it is not soft sandwich loaf or buns. The whole kneading process, I stopped few times to scrape down the dough from the hook to be sure it is evenly kneaded and also to prevent the motor from overheating.
- 1st Proofing @ 7.00 pm
- Round up the dough and place back in the same bowl, keep it covered with clingfilm or use a lid. Let the dough proof for about 2 hours on the counter (at room temperature 27C - 28C). The dough rose about 30% - 50% in size.
- Transfer to fridge @ around 9.00 pm and cold retard overnight for 12 - 15 hours.
- Shaping @ 10.00 am
- Remove the dough from the fridge and leave on the counter for about 30 minutes to return to room temperature.
- Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface then divide dough into 8 equal portions (about 94g each). Please use a kitchen scale if you want to be exact. Form each portion to a ball. Cover with kitchen towel and rest for 15 minutes.
- Flatten a dough ball with rolling pin to about 6" - 7" diameter and less than 1/4" thick circle. Let the pita dough rest on parchment paper. Repeat the rest of the dough until finish.
- Final Proofing
- Let the pitas rest for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Baking:
- Preheat oven at 260C (top & bottom heat) with baking stone or steel for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the pita dough using Pizza shovel peel and place on baking stone. I bake 2 pitas at one time.
- Bake in a preheated oven for for about 3 - 5 minutes. The pita should puff up after 1.5 - 2 minutes.
- Remove pitas from the oven and wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
- Using weak flour or all-purpose only: Without enough gluten strength, the pita may not puff or hold structure — always use strong bread flour for best result.
- Skipping oil or proper hydration: Low-fat or dry doughs lead to stiff, flat pita. The oil helps gluten elasticity and moisture retention.
- Oven / stone not hot enough: Pita needs a very hot baking surface for steam to form and puff the dough. Preheat thoroughly.
- Rolling dough too thin / too thick: Too thin — pita may tear or not have good pocket; too thick — may bake heavy, or pocket won’t form. Aim for ~6–7″ and thin but even.
- Over-proofing after rolling: Overproofed rounds may bake dense or fail to puff properly. Bake as soon as rest time is up.
Serving Suggestions & Storage
- Serve warm or room-temperature: Slice open and stuff with falafel, grilled meats, salad, hummus, tzatziki — or use to scoop dips. Pita pockets are perfect for wraps, sandwiches, or Mediterranean-style meals.
- Storage: Once cooled, store pita in a paper bag at room temperature for 1–2 days. For longer storage, freeze — after thawing, reheat in a hot oven or toaster to refresh softness and warmth. Many bakers note that sourdough pita freezes well and reheats without losing texture.
- Reheat tip: Warm pita over a hot grill or skillet (or pitta toaster) for 1–2 minutes — restores its chewiness and gives a light crisp outside.
FAQ
Q: Can I use discard instead of active starter?
A: Yes — the recipe works with sourdough discard (from fridge), though flavour will be milder compared with using a fully active starter.
Q: My pita didn’t puff up — what went wrong?
A: The likely issues: baking surface wasn’t hot enough; dough was rolled too thin or uneven; hydration was too low (or dough too stiff); or oven temperature too low. Make sure oven and stone/steel are fully preheated before baking.
Q: Can I use all-purpose flour if I don’t have bread flour?
A: You could — but results may be softer, less puffy, or the pita may tear more easily. Bread flour’s higher protein helps gluten strength and puffing.
Q: How long do pitas stay good?
A: Best eaten same day or within 1–2 days. You can freeze leftovers (layering with parchment) — they reheat well and remain soft after warming.
Subscribe & Share Your Bake
If you enjoyed this Sourdough Pita Bread recipe and would love more unique bread recipes straight to your inbox, don’t forget to subscribe to Bake with Paws in the pop-up box on this page. You’ll be the first to receive my newest recipes, baking tips, and special updates — all crafted to help you bake with confidence and success.
👉 Subscribe now and never miss a recipe!
I’d also love to see your beautiful bakes!
Tag @Bakewithpaws on Instagram or share your photo in the comments below and let me know how your pitas turned out. Your feedback truly inspires me to keep creating and sharing more recipes with this wonderful baking community.
More Recipes You Would Like to Try
If you enjoyed making this Sourdough Pita Bread, here are some other delicious recipes from Bake with Paws that you might love to try next:
Each recipe is thoroughly tested, beginner-friendly, and written with clear instructions to guide you to bakery-quality results at home
It looks really nice. I can freeze the pita?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you. Yes, you can. If you are going to eat in within a week time, it is fine just to store in the fridge.
DeleteCheers :)
Good
DeleteHi .as always very beautiful bread from your blog. Can u advise how I can do this recipe with instant yeast instead? Also your sourdough discard .how long have u been keeping them in fridge? Thanks and appreciate . Regards chloe
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe, Thanks for your comments and always following my posts. I have another Greek Pita bread recipe using yeast in my website. However, it is slightly different from this one. I have not rebaked and improved the recipe using yeast yet. I will do it when I have time. Maybe in the meantime, you can refer to this one or you can google search if there is other better recipe.
DeleteGreek Pita Bread:
https://www.bakewithpaws.com/2018/04/greek-pita-bread.html
With regards to sourdough discard, I used the discard between 3 - 5 days old. By the way, you can keep your discard in freezer if you don't plan to use in within a week.
Cheers and happy baking :)
Hi, I do have a question.
ReplyDeleteHow old is the discard starter in the recipe? Mine ranges from 5hrs old to 5 days old. When is best? Thank you.
Hi, Thanks for your interest in this recipe. Mine discard is around 1 -5 days old. However, I have been keeping my sourdough discard in the freezer lately. I just left on the counter to defrost before using.
DeleteCheers :)