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My family loves this recipe for homemade Cranberry Orange Pita Bread. This fluffy gluten-free pita is full of bright, tangy bursts of dried cranberries and warm, sunny citrus! it’s a fun and easy way to change up a morning meal or to bring more flavor to a wrap.
If you love this recipe, try my plain Gluten-Free Pita Bread, too!
Zesty Cranberry Orange Gluten-Free Pita Bread
If, like me, you spent the larger portion of your life unaware of breakfast pita bread, consider this an awakening! These things are amazing. My family and I first encountered a variation of these flax seed pitas at Costco (of all places!) and they are so, so good.
Naturally, I needed to recreate them. Gluten-free, of course. And, in keeping with the breakfast bread theme, I took it upon myself to add cranberries and a touch of orange. The result is fireworks, people!
The flavors are also pretty fitting, what with the holidays around the corner. I already know you’re going to love this healthy, fruit-filled gluten-free pita bread, any time of year!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
So, let’s break down what makes these homemade pitas the best thing since sliced gluten-free bread:
- Zesty flavors. I just love the bright citrus flavors and pop of sweet-tart cranberries in this bread recipe. It’s basically everything we love about a cranberry orange bread loaf but in a foldable, fillable format.
- No yeast. There’s no yeast to activate and no need for rising time with this bread recipe. It’s quick to make with basic ingredients, while still baking up exceptionally light and fluffy.
- No more boring toast. Ok, I’m not knocking the convenience of a slice of buttered toast for breakfast. But on days that call for something extra, that’s where this cranberry orange pita bread comes in.
- Great for the holidays. Two classic Christmas ingredients – cranberries and oranges – get roped into these breakfast pitas. The flavor combo makes them perfect to have on hand throughout the holidays!
Ingredients
The ingredients for gluten-free pita bread are actually super simple. Below is what you’ll need, and be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full details:
- Gluten-Free Flour: I’m partial to Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour. Whichever flour you choose, make sure it’s a 1:1 blend.
- Cornstarch: For texture.
- Baking Powder: While there’s no yeast in this recipe, I do sneak in a bit of baking powder to help give this gluten-free bread some lift.
- Salt
- Coconut Oil: If your coconut oil isn’t already liquid, warm it up so that it’s melted. You can also use another neutral oil, like vegetable oil.
- Eggs
- Orange Zest and Orange Juice: Freshly zest your oranges before you cut them and juice them!
- Greek Yogurt: The Greeks had it right! Plain yogurt is the secret to puffy, soft pita bread that’s made without yeast.
- Honey: For a hint of natural sweetness that ties in perfectly.
- Dried Cranberries: Good ol’ craisins. If you’d prefer to use fresh cranberries, I’m sure they’d work as well.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Pita
This gluten-free cranberry orange pita bread comes together quickly in just a few easy steps. While your oven preheats, get a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then get started on your dough:
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: First, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients: Next, in another bowl, mix up the coconut oil, eggs, and the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the Dry Ingredients to the Wet Ingredients: Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. If you find that your dough is especially sticky, feel free to add a sprinkle or two of extra flour.
- Roll and Shape the Pitas: Get a clean, level work surface dusted with flour. Place about a ¼ cup of dough onto the floured surface and shape/flatten it into a disc about a quarter-inch thick. You’ll repeat with the remaining dough, placing the shaped pitas onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the pita bread at 400ºF for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another few minutes. Your pitas should be puffed up and slightly golden. Once the pita bread is out of the oven, leave it to cool on the counter before serving.
Tips for Success
If you’ve never made pita bread from scratch before, you’re going to be blown away by how easy it is! Here are some added tips for perfect, fluffy orange cranberry pitas:
- Don’t overmix the pita bread dough. This is mostly true for all bread recipes, but overmixing the dough will yield a chewier, tougher texture and less puffy pitas. Mix the ingredients until they’re just combined, and then the dough is ready to roll and shape.
- If the dough is sticking to your hands, coat your fingers with a bit of extra flour. The same goes for your work surface – make sure it’s well-floured to prevent sticking!
- Make sure the oven is hot enough. Because pita bread relies on steam to puff up into its soft, cloud-like texture, the oven needs to be a hot 400ºF. Not all ovens are the same, so make sure to adapt to yours as needed.
- Avoid overbaking. Make sure to keep an eye on the pita bread as it bakes, and take them out while they’re still puffed up. Overbaking can dry out the dough.
Make It a Meal
We enjoy these zesty pitas for breakfast, toasted with a bit of butter (or we’ll double up on the flavor with Cranberry Orange Butter!). These also taste awesome filled with Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese or shredded sharp cheddar and a layer of jam or marmalade.
Here are more fun ways to make your pitas into a meal:
- They make an easy breakfast next to Baked Eggs, or a Gluten Free Ham and Cheese Strata. For something lighter, pair them with Nutty Maple Granola and Greek yogurt.
- For a sweet-savory lunch idea, try filling a cranberry orange pita with your favorite creamy Chicken Salad.
- Or, fill these pita pockets with chopped leftover Thanksgiving turkey, plus other ingredients from my Harvest Turkey Cobb Salad. The flavors are perfect and it makes a tasty and easy lunch in the days following a holiday meal!
- You can even use it for scooping up Peanut Butter Hummus or Cheesecake Dip.
How to Store Homemade Pita
Store your cranberry orange pita bread airtight at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. You can serve them as is, or warm them in the toaster or microwave if you’d like.
Because of their short-ish shelf life, I recommend freezing any gluten-free pita bread you don’t plan on eating right away. See below!
Can I Freeze Pita Bread?
Yes! Homemade pita bread can be sealed in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw the bread in the fridge before toasting or serving.
Shop for Gluten Free Ingredients
Here are the brands I recommend for making this recipe:
Cranberry Orange Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Bobs Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil , melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little extra flour.
- On a floured surface, roll about 4 tbsp of dough into a ball and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Transfer the discs onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Flip and bake for another 3-5 minutes.
- Allow too cool before serving.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Stacey’s Cranberry Orange Breakfast Pitas from Bake.Eat.Repeat.
Did you make this?
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So good !!! We don’t have Costco where I live and those taste exactly the same !!!! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe!!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Have you made these in the muesli flavour? Apple chunks & raisins?
I’m sorry, I have not tried that.
Thank You Again! We loved these so much that I just took another batch out of the oven for this weekend. I think these are even puffier than the first batch 🙂
Oh that is so awesome!
OMGoodness! I saw these come across on FB last night and thought this would be a nice weekend breakfast. I just took them out of the oven, and they are beautiful! I didn’t have dried cranberries on hand, so I chopped the same amount of dried apricots. WONDERFUL! They puffed perfectly and taste delicious. I’ll serve them with cream cheese in the morning. This will become a favorite along with your healthy peanut butter buckeyes that I make nearly every week. Thank You!