Homemade Yeast-free Spelt Flour Pita Bread (oil free, too)
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Fluffy delicious pita bread made at home without yeast! Yes, it's possible.
It's been a really long time since i have had a delicious warm and chewy piece of bread...
The thing is, we stopped eating store bought bread a while ago for a few reasons... for starters, we avoid wheat because of it's acid-forming properties and secondly, most store bought bread has either added sugar, added oil, or both... so it's been really hard for us to find a good store-bought bread that meets our needs, but no need to fear, because when that sort-of-thing happens the best solution is to MAKE YOUR OWN!
I have been mentioning spelt flour for a while now around here and have made a few recipes using spelt flour - like these delicious fluffy pancakes for example.
Spelt flour is an ancient grain, meaning it has changed very little over time. It is also a whole food, meaning that none of it's nutrients are stripped off of it like is the case with wheat and other flours. The only downside I could find is the fact that spelt is *not* gluten free. If I could change one little thing about this flour, it be that.
However, the gluten in spelt is 'supposedly' a different type of gluten that is more tolerable for the body. Due to the fact that I'm not really gluten-intolerant, it is okay for me and my body handles it well. However, if you *have* to eat a strictly gluten free diet for health reasons or because you are intolerant to gluten, then unfortunately this is one ancient grain you should stay away from.
Let's talk about this yeast-free pita bread recipe:
Spelt is lovely to work with and makes the most fluffiest cakes, cookies, tortillas (recipe for these coming soon) and now, pita bread!
I'm super stoked about this recipe mostly because it's A. sugar free, B. oil free, and C. yeast free. plus it only requires five simple ingredients, two of which are water and salt..
When doing my research for this recipe, I found that a lotttt of recipes call for using yeast, which makes sense because yeast and bread go hand in hand and yeast makes things extra fluffy and stuff.
But here's the thing, I've never ever worked with yeast before. I wouldn't even know where to begin. And I'm not even sure if active yeast is something that i actually want in my body... but I really wanted warm and chewy fluffy pita bread - so i decided to just go with it and try making some yeast-free pita bread.
And the results are fantastic. Now, pita bread experts around the world may or may not love my version of pita bread.. after all, it's very non-traditional. We're using spelt instead of wheat (for it's alkalinity) and we're leaving out the yeast and using good old baking soda and apple cider vinegar combo to create some rise.
The results are still amazing. The bread is light and fluffy and totally pita-bread-ish. You can slice it right up the middle and create a pocket that you can stuff with your favorite fillings. I took this bowl recipe and turned it into a pita bread sandwich. Or you can chew it off piece by piece dipping it into something yummy like this babaganoush recipe.
The part that takes the longest is mixing up all the ingredients, forming the dough, and then rolling out each pita bread circle shape. After that, all you're doing is heating the pita bread 3 minutes on each side on a non stick pan and wah-la you've got yourself 5 to 6 pita breads ready to go!
It's fairly simple and the rewards are very much enjoyed.
So if you are anything like me and you avoid store bought bread for whatever reason that may be, i encourage you to give these homemade yeast-free spelt flour pita breads a try.
They may just become an obsession in your household, like they did in mine! Happy Tuesday friends.. until next time.
Try these recipes with your homemade pita breads:
Dip your pita breads into this delicious oil free babaganoush recipe or get creative and skip the bowl in this turmeric roasted potato bowl recipe and stuff your pita bread instead!
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
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Watch how to make spelt flour pita bread without yeast:
Homemade Yeast-free Spelt Flour Pita Bread (oil free, too)
Homemade fluffy spelt flour pita bread made yeast free and oil free. Perfect to eat with dips such as hummus or babaganoush, or stuff it up with your favorites.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 pita breads 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour (255g)
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup water (175g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (7g) [baking powder will not work]
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (27g)
- 1/2 teaspoon of himalayan salt (3g)
- extra flour for dusting
Instructions
- Add dry ingredients(spelt flour, baking soda, and salt) to a mixing bowl and gently combine.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, add water and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to combine. The mixture should bubble slightly when vinegar comes into contact with the baking soda. This is good and will help the pita bread rise without yeast. Continue to stir until it forms into a dough and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to allow the water to be absorbed by the flour. Dust extra flour over the dough as needed to make it easier to work with (and less sticky!) If your dough feels too wet and isn’t holding its shape simply add more flour until it reaches a work-able consistency.
- Prepare your work surface by dusting extra flour all over your rolling surface and your rolling pin (if you don’t do this the dough will stick everywhere!!!).
- Using around 1/3 cup of dough (or 85g to be precise), form a small ball. Place ball on your dusted work surface and using your hand flatten the ball by pressing down on it slightly. Then using the dusted rolling pin, roll out the ball with very light pressure until you have a 4” wide circle (give or take). Remember you’re making pita breads, not tortillas, so make sure not to roll out the dough completely flat. Begin cooking pita bread on the stove top (using a non-stick pan) as directed in step 6, and then continue rolling out balls until you run out of dough. You should be able to make 5 to 6 balls.
- Using a non-stick skillet (like this one, affiliate link) cook pita breads on stove top over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side (see notes). If you do not have a non stick skillet (and want to stay oil free) then you can bake the pita breads in the oven at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes. I prefer the stove top version but the oven works too.
- Enjoy your pita breads with a side of babaganoush or stuffed with your favorite fillings, like I here.
Notes
- I recommend using the given weight measurements for this recipe because a slight variation on the quantity may alter the results of this recipe. I use this cheap food scale from Amazon which comes in very handy for recipes like this one. 🙂
- I used regular whole spelt flour – not sprouted. I have noticed that sprouted spelt flour tends to rise a lot more and quicker than regular whole spelt. so keep that in mind if your spelt flour is sprouted.
- As tempted as you may be to cook the pita bread on high to get things done quicker, don’t! Pitas must be cooked on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes (sometimes more!), to reach ultimate fluffiness level. Be patient!! 🙂 Cooking them too fast on high heat will result in a thinner and less fluffy pita.
Keywords: pita bread, spelt flour, oil free, healthy,
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Looks so easy and delicious! Do you think almond flour would produce the same great result?
Maybe! The only thing is that spelt flour does have gluten so I think that helps with the fluffiness/chewiness factor.. since almond flour doesn’t have gluten the result may be a bit drier.. If I happen to try it out with almond flour I’ll post the results on here – and if you happen to try it, let me know the results! 🙂
I’m in the middle of making this now and omg…..I can’t stop snacking on it. So soft and chewy and just down right delicious…..I’m a bread girl in case you can’t tell. Love it! My new go to recipe
Haha! Love it!!! This is my favorite bread substitute for sure! Enjoy!!! 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe! Easy to make. I only had a hard time knowing if they were done so I cooked them a little longer (5-6mins a side). Tasted great. Just had one for breakfast. Looking forward to having another one already!!
★★★★★
Hey Jenny! Great to know that you loved the taste!
I made this today and I like it. You weren’t kidding about the dough being sticky! LOTS of flour used… I ended up baking them for 20 minutes. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Yes it gets very sticky!! Next time maybe try adding a tiny bit less water (I’ve noticed it helps reduce stickiness) .. but glad it all worked out!! 🙂
Fabulous.
I tried making these today with sprouted spelt flour and had no problem with stickiness of the dough. I found it easy to add flour or water to achieve a good textured soft dough. I also only needed to flour my hands and rolling pin lightly when shaping the breads. I think gentle light handling is the key, unless I am just luckier with my brand of flour. I cooked the pitas in a non-stick pan and they turned out perfect.
They were really quick and easy to make.
Unfortunately I cannot eat spelt so I then tried a gluten free version using buckwheat/rice/sorghum/tapioca/psyllium and am so pleased to tell you that they came out perfect too. In fact side by side they looked no different and the texture was fab too. Although, I could taste the bicarbonate of soda slightly in the gluten free version so will use a bit less next time. I also cooked them a bit longer about 5 mins each side.
Thank you very much for posting this recipe.
★★★★★
That sounds fantastic Naomi! Thanks for sharing the alternative gluten free version – I am sure it will help out others who can’t digest spelt. Happy it worked out! This is one of my favorite recipes. Have a wonderful rest of your week!
Yummm! Thanks for sharing. Good thing there wasn’t anybody watching because I just did a pretty good Cookie Monster rendition over one of these with freshly made hommous and sweet n spicy tomato. I love the texture!
★★★★★
Hahaha! Thanks for sharing Shaya. Glad you liked it.
A recipe it’s fantastic I am going to use this recipe as a base to make flatbread the size of hamburger buns. The answer to my prayers thank you
That sounds delicious. Let me know how they turned out!
Hi, I never tried making this before. So easy for a novice like me. Topped with my oil free hummus: what a combination.
Thank you so much for the recipe. Definitely worth repeating again an again
That combination sounds fantastic! Thanks for stopping by!
Hello thank you so much for this recipe! Can’t wait to try it. Do they freeze well?
Hi Rebecca! Unfortunately, I’ve never frozen these (they don’t last long enough around here haha) so I can’t say for sure but based on my experience with other spelt flour recipes that I have frozen, I would say yes I believe they would freeze well. Just let them thaw completely before using and then maybe pop them in the oven to warm them up prior to eating. If you do freeze them, I’d love to hear an update on how they turned out!
I’ve made a double batch and put some in the freezer and they’ve been fine. Love this recipe – so glad I discovered it
Thank you so much for your input! Glad to hear they freeze well!
Hello, have you ever used spelt sourdough starter discard for this?? If so how much would you sub? I have some young stuff started and am looking for uses while I wait.
Hey Chantel! I have not experimented with sourdough yet so I’m of no help here… but it’s on my list!! I bet it would taste amazing. If you do play around with it and get a successful result please come back and update us! 🙂
Wow! This was ridiculously easy and quick… this is going to be dangerous. This was my first time using and eating spelt. I used freshly milled whole grain spelt flour and used your volume measurements and it worked out just fine. I baked these because I wanted them warm and done all at the same time without having to stand at the stove. Spelt has a lovely nutty flavour.
Next time I’m going to experiment by adding herbs with the flour then sprinkling salt and or Parmesan on top before baking.
★★★★★
Yummm the idea of adding herbs and/or parmesan cheese on top sounds delicious!!! Glad you enjoyed them.
What temperature and how long did you bake these?
Hello Crystal – I bake them at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes. 🙂
Thanks a lot! Is there an alternative (more preferably healthy) to baking soda?
Hi Avi! I’m not familiar with any alternatives to baking soda unfortunately.. You can always just leave it out but keep in mind that the combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar is what makes these breads fluffy, without it the dough will probably not rise as much.