I wouldn't like to heat the oven just for making a pita bread for one sandwich. Could I bake it entirely in just a pan, just like some tortilla?
Baking – Can Pita Bread Be Baked on a Pan?
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Related Solutions
Cook only until it is fully puffed. If that isn't enough, try folding them right after taking them out, and put them in a paper bag. They'll steam themselves briefly and keep the crust soft.
The magic word is "water" - the dough needs sufficient moisture to stay moist while it expands to one big pocket and enough to generate the steam to make that pocket.
Most people when doing doughs make them too dry because they're easier to work with. As the dough rests, it will pull together more. Ideally make your doughs for this kind of bread slightly wetter than you think and then check it after its been mixed for 30 minutes or so. Additionally, as you knead and then in the fermentation stage it will firm up some. Difference in water content of the dough causes many of the consistencies for bakers. It will also depend on how much it dries after its been rolled so thin - keep it covered.
Alternatively, if you've put your first one in and found out its too dry, then try spritzing the top with a little water and let it rest there for 5 minutes or so.
I tested batches with spritzing and without, and so long as there's enough water in your dough and the oven is hot enough to make the steam - it doesn't seem to matter. Every one came out perfect.
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Best Answer
The answer is almost certainly yes.
The almost is because I haven't made pita bread this way - but I have seen chapati made on a skillet, and under the right conditions it will puff up, even into one big pocket - so pan cooking doesn't specifically preclude that kind of development. Beyond the need for it to puff up into the pocket, I don't imagine pan-cooking pita bread is that much different form other kinds of pan-cooked flat-breads.
it looks like cast iron is preferred, since it can be heated very hot and has the thermal mass to hold the heat steady while the pitas are cooking - but I honestly expect you can make them with any skillet you have on hand. Stove-top pitas may be a touch drier, slightly less puffy, but have more browning (and toasty-flavor) than oven-baked pitas, because they're in direct contact with the heat, instead of being cooked by radiant heat. You can press the surface gently with a clean towel to help the pocket form if it isn't forming quickly or fully enough for your tastes.