Traditional breads – like pita – are more than just a part of a meal. These loaves and rounds have graced tables for millennia, both for sustenance and as a representation of community.
The pita pocket is a prime example of an ancient grain recipe carried down to the modern world. Since it didn’t require much time in the oven, the pita and its variations were an ideal form of quick bread. And they still are!
Pita Bread: The Tastiest Eating Utensil
Their slightly leavened characteristics make it a perfect tool at most any table. Pita can be used to scoop up food or conveniently hold your favorite ingredients.
Since most of us are not turning to our own coals to fire this flatbread, we opt for the store-bought options. But unfortunately, these rounds are no longer made with the wheat of 2500 B.C. Even “whole wheat” pita is typically sourced from genetically modified wheat that has been engineered to have higher yield, and more gluten to provide the texture that we’ve become so accustomed to. Not to mention, an assortment of additives, dough conditioners and shelf-life extenders.
Not the Pita We’re Meant to Eat
As we’ve discussed throughout the Healing Gourmet site, wheat causes inflammation in the body that we may or may not recognize. Bloating after a meal is an obvious reaction, but many of us experience the effects of wheat in delayed reactions that take as much as 72 hours to manifest. Fatigue, brain fog, ADHD, and nutrient deficiencies are just a few of the symptoms that can be caused by wheat.
What’s more, excessive consumption of wheat-based products can lead to weight gain and increase the risk for metabolic issues. When your day revolves around carb-heavy foods like cereal, sandwiches and pasta, it’s easy to rack up the carbohydrates without working them off. Pita is one of those breads that not only accompanies a meal…it is the foundation on which it’s built! You might end up eating three in one sitting just to get the last bit of baba ganoush!
Paleo Pita Bread: A Grain-Free Solution
The problem is that even knowing all this, pita bread is still so hard to resist. Whether served warm for dipping… or at room temperature stuffed with your favorite filling, the pita is a unique culinary vehicle for a myriad of delicious experiences. We love the many uses for this age-old bread and wanted to find a gluten-and-grain-free solution. In order to recreate the chewy pocket bread, we turned to a mix of coconut and almond flour, with a small amount of psyllium husk for optimal pliability.
Almond flour not only mimics the heartiness of the original whole wheat, it provides important nutrients like vitamin E and magnesium. Just the slightest bit of coconut flour provides the firm structure that traditional pita embodies.
Aside from the healthy ingredient swap, the second major difference between preparing a classic pita and making our low-carb version is the time involved. In fact, traditional pita takes hours to prepare. Yes, hours. Unlike other bread, pita needs a good bit of love and care prior to being rolled out for baking.
But not our Paleo pita bread! Once the simple ingredients are mixed, your Paleo pita bread dough is ready to be baked. No waiting for rise, no kneading and shaping – simply scoop the thick batter and pop them in the oven at 350. In less than 20 minutes, you’ll have fresh pita perfect for some Paleo hummus!
Since our Paleo pita bread is low-carb and made with nutrient-dense, real food ingredients, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating more than one. Enjoy them with other Mediterranean classics like our Paleo Tabouli or delicious jarred Divina’s Olive Spread.
These soft and flexible pitas are perfect for stuffing with your favorite protein-rich salad for a healthy hand-held lunch. If you’re making these for the week ahead, be sure to add the psyllium to help keep the pitas moist and pliable.
Low Carb Paleo Pita Bread
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to check it off.
DRY INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup almond flour, firmly packed (35 g)
- 1 Tbsp. coconut flour, firmly packed (14 g)
- ⅛ tsp. baking soda
- ⅛ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. organic psyllium husk powder (3 g) Optional, but increases pliability and reduces breakage)
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup hot water
- 1 pastured egg
- 1 Tbsp. organic extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 35O F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients, whisking well.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix using a wooden spoon to form a thick batter.
- Use a ladle to scoop batter by ¼ cupfuls and pour onto parchment-lined pan in circles. Make the batter about the thickness of a pancake and the diameter you want it – it will not spread much.
- Transfer to oven and bake 17-19 minutes.
- Let cool on a wire rack, then cut each circle in half and slice a slit to make a pocket.
- Store cooled pitas in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving · Recipe makes 4- Fat8 g81%
- Protein3 g14%
- Carbs3 g5%
- Calories
- 92
- Total Fat
- 8 g
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 53 mg
- Sodium
- 161 mg
- Total Carbohydrates
- 3 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Net Carbs
- 1 g
- Protein
- 3 g
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Why You Should Quit Bread — Even the "Healthy" Kind
Did you know that traditional grain-based breads & desserts contain a compound that is the #1 greatest danger in your diet?
Studies show that this compound (and I am not talking about "gluten") is toxic to your heart and blood vessels, weakens your immune defenses, and disrupts your nerves and brain function.
And if that's not enough… this hidden compound also makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to burn fat and lose weight!
The great news is that you can still have your breads and desserts… AND be well too!
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About the author
Kelley Herring
Kelley Herring, founder of Healing Gourmet, is a natural nutrition enthusiast with a background in biochemistry. Her passion is educating on how foods promote health and protect against disease and creating simple and delicious recipes for vibrant health and enjoyment.
Hi Kelley,
Are you bread recipes egg and dairy free?
Grace
Hi Grace,
I think you mean in my book, Better Breads. Yes, they are all dairy free (or can be substituted) and some are egg free. We specify in the FAQ section of http://www.betterbreads.net
Be Well,
Kelley
Hi Kelley,
I am baking your pita bread as I write to you, I have a question: how many are a serving, would it be 1 pita bread, thank you ?
Hi Kathleen,
I hope you love it!
1 pita bread makes 2 pockets. The nutrition is per pocket (or per half pita).
Could these be frozen? I’d love to make a batch but I don’t want them to go to waste and I know I won’t finish them quickly.
How many inchs round should they be. I think I made mine to small.
I’ll be honest. When these came out of the oven I was not optimistic. I thought I’d made them too thin and they’d crumble completely when I tried to slice into a pocket. I was so happy to be wrong! They were so flexible, even stuffing with kofta kebabs didn’t break them at all. I’ve had wheat pitas that don’t hold together that well. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this, Amber! A little psyllium husk can add a lot of structure and flexibility to baked goods.
Because I can’t have almond flour nor eggs, I made this with Mama’s all purpose gluten free coconut flour blend. So combining the amounts 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, I added 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp of the flour mix I use. I followed the rest of the recipe to a T except using 1 1/2 tsp of egg replacer and 2 tbsp water that the replacer calls for. My “batter” came out stiff and there was no pouring involved. I added more hot water and was able to sort of spoon the mix onto my cookie dough liners. But is there no bending the recipe to use a different alternative flour? I’m desperate for bread and am so limited on the things I can eat;
Hi Robin!
Thanks for your note and I can certainly sympathize with you.
A few things:
1 – Coconut flour is VERY thirsty and dry and requires eggs. I don’t know what else is in your “Mama’s blend”, but this is an important factor.
2 – A good substitute for almond flour is sunflower seed flour – you can use it cup for cup. Chia seeds make a good “egg” sub and can be used with sunflower seed flour.
3 – Starch-based recipes may be a good alternative (although they come with blood sugar concerns). I have a Paleo French Bread I make with cassava, arrowroot and gelatin that is wonderful – nut and egg free.
Try a search for “grain free vegan bread” and you should find some results to scratch your bread itch!
Be Well,
Kelley
THESE LOOK AMAZING but is there any chance you could come up with a nut-free version which is also paleo?
Hi Anne!
Thanks for your comment. You can use sunflower seed flour to replace the almond flour – it will work just the same. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, Kelly;
I can’t wait to try this pita recipe. I love pita packets. Question: is it poss to add protein powder to up the protein content to this recipie & if so, in what measurement would u recommend?
Hi Patricia!
Thanks for your comment. I’m afraid adding protein would change the texture of these, so it’s probably best to stuff them with something protein-filled instead 🙂
Hope this helps!
Can I cook them on a skillet instead of baking in the oven?
Hi Giselle,
You can certainly try! My initial thought is that they would be more like a pancake… and not get the pocket in the middle.
Be Well,
Kelley
Mine turned very small. Was I suppose to spread out the batter?
Thanks, made pita for lunch today and it was a hit. I made six small pitas withe the recipe so everyone could sample. We enjoyed some babaganoush with it. Yum!
I plan on trying this recipe, as directed, as soon as I remember to buy more eggs.
We raise our own chickens and I have not had to buy eggs in years. But the girls are aging and slowing down and now it will be spring before I can use eggs from my own girls.
I am flabbergasted at how often people want YOU to change the recipe for them. Do they not realize how all time encompassing, developing a recipe can be? And you do it for free? I always try to make a new recipe exactly as posted. If it does not suit me, then fine, it is up to me to figure out how to change it to make it work. Thanks for being kind and patient with your followers
Hi Ann,
How wonderful that you have your own chickens – that’s something I’m looking forward to doing soon myself. Do you have a favorite breed?
Thank you for your kind words and the validation. Recipe development – especially with non-traditional ingredients can be a big challenge. So thank you for seeing that and also for being an accountable cook who takes responsibility for your own recipe modifications. I’ve had readers not follow the recipe as written, change significant ingredients… and then get upset with me for the results. I try to focus on the positive comments…and ignore the negativity. Some days that is easier than others 🙂
Be Well,
Kelley
These are great! I doubled the recipe, added a tsp of garlic powder and 2 tsp of Lakanto monk fruit sweetner, split them and cut them into triangles then served them with baba ganoush. My family loved it. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Caroline!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Happy Holidays,
Kelley
What is the texture of this recipe?
Pita!
Can I substitute Redmill Paleo flour for this recipe? It has Almond flour, arrowroot, organic coconut flour, tapioca flour.
Hi Connie,
Not if you want to get the results pictured. Grain-free flours are not interchangeable and produce very different results.
I don’t have psyllium husk powder do you think ground flax seed will be a good substitute ?
Hi Jennifer,
It could work – flax is not as thirsty as psyllium, so keep that in mind.
Hi! I am about to put these in the oven, just to discover that I’m out of parchment paper! Will it work with greased baking sheet?
It might stick! Parchment is the best for this recipe.
Made these to serve with falafels by Tori Avey
The pitas were so light and went great with the
falafels and a kale salad.
So glad to hear it!
Wow! I often make baba ganoush and a ketofied type of muhammara. My only frustration has been not having pita for it. You solved my dilemma. This was a simple and fast recipe. Most importantly it tasted awesome and they PERFECTLY hulled out after slicing in half and running a knife inside, and great texture (I was pretty blown away). I had a wonderful meal today because of this recipe and when only eating keto OMAD it really is important that a recipe works the first time.
I can’t wait to try my gyros meatballs in them and I might even sneak these into my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant here in town that I love but has homemade pitas that is nearly impossible to resist. This will do it though! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them, Sarah! I find them to be really close to the original, too. Cheers!
Hi Kelly, I made your recipe today but it didn’t come out well and I am hoping you can help. The words “batter” and “ladle” in the recipe implies that the mixture is pourable. Despite using the ingredients to the gram my mixture was like a soft dough. I shaped it on the baking parchment with my hands but it did not rise at all. Obviously I must be doing something wrong. The flour I used was fine almond flour, not almond meal. Can you help please?
Hi Richard,
You are right – it definitely should not be a “dough”, it is more the consistency of grits or thick pancake batter. Pitas don’t really rise – they are a flatbread.
Sounds like you had too much coconut flour… or not enough liquid. Did you forget the hot water or oil? Did you use a small egg instead of standard large? You say you weighed your ingredients – the recipe I provide here with to-the-gram measurements produces the results pictured.
Usually when someone has drastically different results, something was left out (happens to me!). I like to have my recipe and cross everything off as I go to ensure I didn’t leave something out.
Hope this helps.
Kelley
Hi, made your Pita pockets. your directions state you should ladle 1/4 cup batter for 4 pockets. My batter was thick so ladlecwas not necessary, and ingredients only made about 3/4 cup. i made 4 equal balls and flattened them using a second piece of parchment. they did not puff up sufficiently to actually slice into pockets. what am i missing?
Hi Terri,
It should be batter – like a thick pancake batter. You say “balls” and “flattened”. That indicates you have not weighed your flours and likely have used too much coconut flour. When made correctly, as described in the instructions, you will ladle the batter, it will spread while baking, and you will get the results pictured.
No flattening is required and this indicates incorrect ratio of ingredients.
Kelley