Popping pittas is all about humidity. The dough has to be constantly covered and out of any drafts. I use flour sack towels and mist them to keep them slightly damp. As I roll out the dough before putting them in the oven I may flick some water drops on them from my wet fingertips if the first batch doesn't pop. Then I bake them in an old O'Keefe and Merrit stove in the basement cranked up to 500 F just like my Lebanese grandma did. Baking bread with her every weekend when I was child is a priceless memory.

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