Here’s An Easy Pita Bread Recipe to Accompany Your Greek Dishes!
This soft Greek pita bread – known as πίτα in Greek – is very easy to make and even easier to enjoy. With just a few simple ingredients and a frying pan, you can make this delicious and versatile bread at home.
Served with dishes and sauces like tzatziki, souvlaki, gyros, and more – it’s no wonder why pita-type flatbreads have been enjoyed for thousands of years!
So why not try your hand at making your own fresh and flavorful batch today?
Greek pita is slightly different from other types of pita you may be familiar with.
For starters, Greek pita – sometimes also called Mediterranean pita – generally has a soft, bread-type texture.
Greek pita bread is thicker and does not have hollow pockets inside for stuffing. It’s more of a “rip and dip” bread that can also be used to make souvlaki pita or gyro!
In neighboring Balkan countries, pitas(flatbreads) are often served with meat dishes such as cevapi or pljeskavica. However, these pitas are slightly different from the Greek pita in this recipe.
Ingredients
To make this easy pita bread recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients. It’s not too many so don’t feel overwhelmed – yeast isn’t scary to work with!
- All-purpose flour – To make the dough.
- Lukewarm water – Make sure the water is lukewarm, not too hot or too cold since you are working with yeast.
- Instant dry yeast – Make sure the yeast isn’t expired.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar.
- Salt – To be added to the dough.
- Olive oil – For the dough and for cooking.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Before you make this pita bread recipe, read through these recipe tips so that you achieve the best results!
- The measurements for this recipe are in ounces because using cups for bread recipes is not always accurate enough. If you don’t have one, we would recommend getting a digital kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients.
- Make sure the yeast isn’t expired. Otherwise your dough may not rise.
- The water should be lukewarm – not too hot or too cold. If it is too hot, it may harm the yeast.
- Yeast dough takes time to rise. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in size – this will make the pita fluffier. One hour is a good rule of thumb, but it may take longer.
- Knead the dough well until it is smooth and elastic. This will make the pita soft and fluffy.
- Don’t overcook the pita bread as this could make it hard. Cook it until it puffs and both sides are golden brown.
- This pita bread tastes best when it’s fresh, so we don’t recommend making it ahead of time.
How to Make Greek Pita Bread – Step by Step Instructions
This section will walk you through exactly how to make homemade pita bread.
We’ve included recipe process photos so that you can see exactly how to make the pita bread at each step of the way.
The printable recipe card with all the ingredients and instructions is located at the bottom of the post.
Add all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl.
Whisk well.
Add the water and oil.
Now knead the dough either with your hands, with an electric mixer using the spiral dough hooks, or with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be a little bit sticky, but that’s perfectly fine.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let the dough rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
The dough should have noticeably increased in size. See the photo above for reference.
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle lightly with more flour.
Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
Gently shape these pieces into balls.
Then use a rolling pin to gently roll each piece into a round shape. The diameter of the pita bread should be about 6 inches.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add a little oil. Once the oil is hot enough, add one pita bread.
Cook until you see bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom starts to look golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Stack the cooked Greek pita bread on top of each other, keeping them covered with a tea towel to maintain freshness. Enjoy!
You can serve Greek pita bread with souvlaki, Greek fries, and Greek salad, or you can use it to make gyros.
Storage Tips
If you have leftover pita bread, you can store it in a sealed container at room temperature. If it gets left out in the open, it will go stale rather quickly.
It will keep for about 2 days. For best taste and freshness, eat it sooner rather than later.
To reheat the pita bread, you can either pan fry it in a little bit of oil or use the air fryer. We like to reheat it in the air fryer at 280 degrees Fahrenheit for just a minute or two.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers about pita!
To make Greek pita, combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Allow the dough to rise, then divide the dough into pieces and roll out flat. Fry each pita in oil in a pan, flipping halfway, until golden brown on both sides.
Pita bread is a great addition or component to classic Greek recipes like chicken souvlaki, Greek salad, and gyros. You can eat it on the side with dips (tzatziki, tirokafteri, or melitzanosalata) or – in the case of meat recipes – place the meat on the pita with other ingredients.
To heat up Greek pita, use a pan on medium-low heat with a little bit of olive oil. Heat on both sides until warm. Alternatively, use an air fryer at 280 degrees Fahrenheit for just a quick minute or two until heated through.
Related Recipes
If you liked this Greek pita recipe, here are some other Greek recipes that you might want to try out!
- Fasolada (White Bean Soup)
- Loukoumades (Honey Donuts)
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)
- Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
- Tiropita (Cheese Pies)
Greek Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 12.3 ounces all-purpose flour, (350 grams)
- 8.4 ounces lukewarm water, (250 grams)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, more for cooking
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.12.3 ounces all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the water and oil. Then knead the dough with your hands, an electric mixer with the spiral dough hooks, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be a little bit sticky, but that's perfectly fine.8.4 ounces lukewarm water, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let it rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has finished rising, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle lightly with more flour.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Using a rolling pin, gently roll each piece into a round shape. The diameter of the pita bread should be about 6 inches.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add a little oil. Once the oil is hot enough, add one pita bread. Cook until you see bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom starts to look golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Stack the cooked greek pita bread on top of another, keeping them covered with a tea towel to maintain freshness. Enjoy!
Notes
- The measurements for this recipe are in ounces (and grams) because using cups for bread recipes is not always accurate enough.
- You can store the pita bread in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days, however, I recommend eating it fresh.
- Make sure the yeast isn’t expired. Otherwise your dough may not rise.
- The water should be lukewarm – not too hot or too cold. If it is too hot it can harm the yeast.
- Yeast dough takes time to rise. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it has doubled in size. One hour is a good rule of thumb, but it might take longer.
- Knead the dough well until it is smooth and elastic. This will make the pita soft and fluffy.
- Don’t overcook the pita bread as this could make it hard. Cook until it puffs and both sides are golden brown.
- You can serve Greek pita bread with souvlaki, Greek fries, and Greek salad, or you can use it to make gyro.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
