Air Fryer Pita Bread is a no-fail, soft pita with a large pocket, ready in just 4 minutes! Perfect for school lunches, appetizers, or scooping your favorite stew or dip.

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When I bake this mini pita bread, I’m instantly transported back to Egypt, where the aroma of fresh bread filled the bustling markets on Fridays. Almost every Ful Medames and Ta’ameya joint made these pitas from scratch, perfectly sized to be stuffed with buttery fava bean stew or crispy Ta’ameya. Those simple, yet flavorful bites remain some of my most cherished food memories.

Recipe at a Glance 

• Cuisine: Egyptian-Mediterranean
• Primary Cooking Method: Air Fryer
• Key Flavor: Subtle, yeasty taste with a hint of tang from fermentation
• Skill Level: Intermediate

Why this Air Fryer Pita is Special 

• Easy: This recipe is straightforward and includes step-by-step instructions.
• Economic: It is much cheaper than any store-bought pita in the US.
• All Natural ingredients: Unlike the store-bought, it doesn’t have any additives.
• Freezer Friendly: Make a batch and freeze it up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients for Pita Bread

• All Purpose Flour: No need for bread flour, a good quality of all purpose flour will do.
• Full Fat Milk: The addition of milk makes the bread fluffy and nutritious for kids’ snacks, sandwiches, or school lunch.
• Dry Yeast: Yeast is necessary to enliven the bread and create a nice pocket that you can stuff it with fillings of your choice.
• Granulated White Sugar Or Honey: Either sugar or honey is essential to activate the yeast, yet honey can replace it for a better nutritious value.
• Olive Oil: Whether it is extra virgin olive oil or the regular one, both contribute to the richness of taste, color and texture.

How to Make Air Fryer Pita Bread

Step 1: Proof the Yeast 

Add the yeast to the warm milk and stir well. Let the yeast mixture get frothy and foamy for 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the Dough 

1. Add the oil: Gradually drizzle the oil over the dry ingredients and rub the dry ingredients along with the oil with your hands to make sure that the dry ingredients have totally absorbed the oil.
2. Assemble the dough: Mix in the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients, stir with the spoon and then knead with your hands or in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, until a soft, sticky dough comes together. Cover the dough with plastic film and/or a clean tea towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 – 1 :30 hour.

1. Shape the bread: Roll out the dough using a rolling pin, and cut out disks of 2 2/3”diameters.
2. Let it rise again: Arrange the dough disks on a baking sheet, cover them with a tea towel and let them rest for 20-30 minutes.

Step 4: Air Fry the Pita Bread 

1. Preheat the air fryer: Choose the bread or pizza setting, yet decrease the programmed baking time to 4 minutes. Preheat the air fryer for 4 minutes. Arrange the bread in a single layer. In 4 minutes, or once they are puffy and golden, remove the pita bread from the oven and let them slightly cool.

Step 5: Serve or Store 

1. Serve: pita bread is best served hot off the air fryer.
2. Store: Keep the pita bread covered with a clean tea towel so it doesn’t dry out. For later use, keep the pita bread in zip locks or vacuum seal the pita bread, and store in the freezer for up to one month.

Tips to Make the Best Pita Bread in the Air Fryer 

1. Use Warm Water: Ensure your water is warm (not hot) when activating the yeast, as this helps the dough rise properly.
2. Knead Well: Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes to develop gluten, which creates the soft, chewy texture and helps the pita puff up.
3. Let It Rest: Give the dough enough time to rise, usually about 1-2 hours in a warm place, until it doubles in size. This helps create that perfect pocket.
4. Roll Evenly: Roll out the dough to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch). Too thin, and it won’t puff; too thick, and the bread becomes dense.
5. Preheat the the Air Fryer at  (around 475°F/245°C).  High heat is crucial for creating the signature pocket.
6. Don’t Overbake: Bake or cook the pita just until it puffs and turns lightly golden. Overbaking makes it dry and brittle.
7. Keep Covered: After baking, immediately cover the pita with a clean kitchen towel to keep them soft and pliable.

What to Serve Pita Bread with:

• Beet Baba Ghanoug
• Eggplant Baba Ghanoug 
• Rolled Grape Leaves
• Gebna Baida Bel Tamatem (Egyptian curd cheese Salad)
• Bosara (Egyptian Dip of Split Fava Beans)
• Ta’amia (Egyptian Falafel) 
• Ful Medames (Egyptian Stew of Fava Beans)

More Egyptian Bread Recipes 

• Saj Bread
• San Giovanni Bread 
• Feteer Al Malak

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Chez Nermine blog  is your source of authentic, wholesome, and no-fail Egyptian recipes. To receive our weekly recipe, subscribe to my blog Chez Nermine. For step-by-step tutorial food videos, follow IG @cheznermine & Facebook page: Chez Nermine Page

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