Best Ever Greek Pita Bread Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients
Greek Pita
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast (see notes)
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup warm water (see notes)
- 2 cups bread flour (see notes)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil + extra to drizzle
Instructions
Greek Pita
- Begin by adding the water to a bowl or jug along with the sugar and yeast. Whisk together to combine. Cover and allow to sit in a warm spot for 5 minutes. The mixture will froth on the top. If it doesn’t froth the yeast is not usable and the pita will not be fluffy.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the bread flour and salt, mix to combine. This recipe can be made by hand, see notes.
- Pour the wet ingredients including the oil into the dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes using the dough hook on a stand mixer.The dough will be smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in a warm spot for 1 hour to rise. It will double in size.
- Once risen, punch the air out of the dough. Dust your workbench with flour and knead your dough for a minute or two until smooth. Divide into 8 pieces and knead into little balls. You could weigh the dough before divide it to get even sized pieces but it’s very un-Greek.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out to 8-inch sized round pieces.
- Place a large skillet on high heat. Once hot, drizzle with a little olive oil and place the pita on top. Once bubbles form and the little leopard spots appear, turn over and repeat. Cook all 8 pieces and serve warm. Cold is just fine too!
Notes
Storage
Pita can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.
To Reheat
To reheat the pita simply add to a skillet on medium heat with a little drizzle of oil and reheat for 2 minutes on each side.
To freeze
You can freeze the dough after it’s been risen and re-kneaded. Simply knead into little individual balls, place them on a baking tray and freeze them for an hour. Then place in an airtight container or zip lock container. Defrost 2 hours before you’re ready to roll out and use.
Water Temperature
In order to make sure the dry yeast is activated; you want the temperature to be 40C / 104F.
Dry Yeast
The yeast I used was instant dry yeast. This is what will work for this recipe. Rapid dry yeast will also work.
Bread flour
Bread flour is a higher gluten flour that results in a nice chewy bread dough with more elasticity. You can use all-purpose flour in its place.
To Create A Warm Spot
If it’s a cold day where you are and you’re struggling to find a warm spot in the house to let the yeast rise and the bread dough rise, boil the kettle, and pour into a large pot. Place the pot in your oven 5 minutes before using. It creates a warm steamy environment which is perfect for the yeast and dough to rise.
Making it by hand
This recipe can certainly be made by hand. Knead until the dough is smooth on top. If it’s too stick as you knead add a little flour until it’s not too sticky.
Nutrition
Calories : 126kcal
Carbonhydrates: 24g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 1g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat : 1g
Sodium: 219mg
Potassium : 46mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar : 1g
Vitamin A: 1IU
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 5mg
Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclosure