Shawarma Bread
Published May 17, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
With only four ingredients (one is water), you can make this soft, pliable Shawarma Bread! This flatbread is better than any store-bought version and worth the effort!
It is great as a base for chicken or beef shawarma, or just smear some butter on it and enjoy! It’s one of our current favorite things! We hope you love it too.
Homemade shawarma bread is so soft. Its simple flavor is the perfect canvas for serving it with various dishes. Its simple flavor makes it a hit with kids and adults alike. Enjoy this bread while it’s still warm or at room temperature.
I think we can all agree that there’s nothing better than freshly made homemade bread. Making bread is usually a process since it usually involves yeast or other ingredients. Open any cookbook, and you’ll see what I mean!
But this simple dough is so easy to make since you only need water and a few ingredients. In terms of equipment, you only need a large mixing bowl and your hands; you don’t need a dough hook or stand mixer!
However, if you do enjoy making other types of bread, you can check out my Easy Homemade French Bread, Easy Homemade Bread for sandwiches, or Homemade Milk Bread. Some of these recipes even include a tutorial video from my YouTube channel so you can watch the process.
If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to my channel so you can see when it is updated with new videos, too. Don’t forget to “like” any video that helps you out, or let me know how the recipe went for you. Thank you so much! Now, let’s get back to this quick and delicious shawarma bread recipe!
Shawarma Bread
You’ll love this recipe because it allows you to make shawarma bread with a tender texture, perfect for loading with all your favorite ingredients. You can also impress your loved ones by making bread from scratch!
Aside from the dough’s resting time, you only need 10 minutes of prep and cook time, so it is even doable on weeknights. If you’ve never cooked bread on the stovetop at home, don’t worry; I’ve got you covered with my step-by-step directions. You can rest easy knowing this easy homemade pita bread recipe will turn out right.
Ingredients Needed
You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this pita bread recipe! Here are some notes about them:
- Flour: Good old all-purpose flour will do the trick for this recipe. You’ll also need some for rolling the dough, but not much flour. If your flour has lumps, I suggest sifting it beforehand.
- Salt: This recipe only requires ½ tsp of salt. Since the dough has minimal ingredients, that’s all you really need. However, it does give the bread a better overall flavor!
- Oil: Olive oil is the best choice for this shawarma bread recipe. It adds richness without overpowering the other flavors like some other oils might.
You will also need some warm water. The recipe card at the bottom has the exact ingredient amounts you need!
Recipe Variations
This shawarma bread recipe is easy to make, allowing you to experiment with your own flavors and ingredients. While traditional shawarma bread is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, you can always put your own twist on it to make it uniquely yours. Here are some ideas for variations:
- Herbs: Add fresh herbs to the dough, such as parsley, rosemary, or thyme. I would only add a tablespoon or so since it is such a small batch recipe.
- Garlic: Add about 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic or garlic powder to the dough for extra flavor.
- Cheese: Add shredded cheese to the dough when kneading it to give the bread a cheesy undertone.
- Bake It: You can make baked pita in the oven if you wish. Remember that it will puff up drastically compared to the skillet shawarma bread. It will cook fast in the oven, too, so you need to keep an eye on it. You do not need to flip the dough when using this method.
Substitutions
When you make pita bread, there are some substitutions you can make, but not many. I suggest sticking to the recipe, but you can use these swaps in a pinch:
- Oil: As a replacement for olive oil, you can use vegetable or canola oil. Other neutral oils will work, too.
- Flour: you can use bread flour in place of the AP flour. However, it will slightly change the texture of the shawarma bread.
How To Make Shawarma Bread
- Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well and add the water and oil. Mix to combine.
2. Knead the dough for 2 minutes. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
3. Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature; don’t put the dough in the fridge.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured, clean work surface and knead for another 2 minutes.
5. Add more flour if needed to prevent the dough from being sticky.
6. Dust the working surface with flour, and divide the dough into six pieces. Form the pieces into balls.
7. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough pieces into flat circles.
8. Heat a skillet, then cook one flatbread on one side for 1 minute 30 seconds (or up to 2 minutes) until it puffs and turns fluffy.
9. Flip it to the other side when it’s ready and cook until it has golden brown spots.
10. Keep the cooked flatbreads stacked and wrapped in a kitchen towel until serving.
Serve warm smeared with butter or use to build wraps for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
When kneading, make sure to knead until it is a smooth dough. At this point, it is ready to rest, and you can cover it with a kitchen towel and set it aside, allowing the gluten to relax, so it will be easier to roll out.
Expert Tips
- If you are cooking for a small crowd or want to make meal prep, you can make this pita bread recipe x2, giving you 12 pieces.
- Don’t flip the shawarma bread too soon when you cook it. Let the dough turn puffy and slightly bubble. Once the bottom has golden brown spots, you can flip it soon after so the spots don’t burn.
- The skillet likely isn’t hot enough if the bread doesn’t form bubbles when you cook it. Make sure to preheat the skillet before you start working with it.
- There are plenty of ways to serve the shawarma bread besides rolling it and using it as a wrap. For instance, you put it in the toaster oven to toast it, then load the crispy flatbread with fresh toppings like lettuce, veggies, cheese, and falafel or meat. You can also dip it in hummus or other dips!
- Store leftover shawarma bread in a resealable gallon-sized bag, removing as much air as possible. Store it at room temperature, or freeze it!
What Bread is Used For Shawarma?
People use both flour tortillas and pita bread as soft shawarma bread. Pita is a more popular choice, though. Both are delicious and offer a slightly different texture. Pita bread is a bit thicker than a traditional flour tortilla. This shawarma bread recipe can be described as a type of pita bread or flatbread that doesn’t have yeast.
Serving
Serve this shawarma bread with the following recipes:
If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!
Shawarma Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 to 3 Tablespoons more for kneading
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon oil I used olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add the water and oil. Mix to combine and knead the dough for 2 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a floured, clean working surface and knead, sprinkling more flour as needed for another 2 minutes. (I often add about one more tablespoon of flour at this point.) Add just enough flour to prevent the dough from being sticky. You want the dough to be soft but not sticky, so you get really soft shawarma bread.
- Dust the working surface with flour, and divide the dough into six equal pieces. Form a ball with each piece. Roll out each ball of dough into an 8 to 9-inch circle. Don't worry too much about the shapes here. If it doesn't turn out to be a perfect circle, that's okay!
- Heat a non-stick skillet or cast iron pan over high heat. Cook one flatbread for 1½ to 2 minutes on the first side. It should puff up dramatically. Flip it to the other side when it has golden spots. Cook on the other side for about 1 minute until it has golden spots.
- Keep the cooked flatbreads stacked and wrapped in a kitchen towel. This helps keep them warm until serving.
- Serve warm smeared with butter or use to build wraps for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Notes
- Any neutral-tasting oil, like vegetable or canola oil, works for this recipe.
- There’s no need to add oil to the pan before cooking the shawarma bread. If you add oil, you might end up crisping the bread and you do not want that.
