Homemade Greek pita bread

Soft and fluffy authentic Greek pita bread that you can easily make at home. All you need is all purpose flour, yeast, water, salt, sugar and some olive oil. This pita bread is quick and simple to make and can be enjoyed in all kinds of ways.

The French have the baguette, Mexican cuisine has the tortilla, Indian aloo gobi gets sopped up with soft, pillowy naan bread, and if you’ve every treated your palate to Ethiopian food, you’ll likely remember using the pancake-like bread called injera to scoop up every bite you took.  Every culture, every cuisine, seems to have a variation of some cereal or grain based bread that is quintessentially their own.  For Greeks, that is the pita.

Oh sure, Greek kitchens and bakeries and farmhouses and village stone ovens produce many other types of baked breads, like kouloures  and lagana, but in my humble opinion, nothing beats pita bread.  Pita is what you use to wrap around a souvlaki, to dip into tzatziki and to scoop up eggplant dip (melitzanosalata). 

Why I love this recipe

I love pita bread! It is quick and easy to make your own using my recipe and it is so versatile. You can use pita to scoop, dip or wrap anything your heart desires!

The texture is perfect: My pita bread recipe will give you pita that is soft and fluffy!

Easy to make: You won’t need anything complicated to make this recipe. If you look around, you probaby already have what you need in your pantry. Also, as always, my recipe is clear, detailed and so easy to follow. Even if you have never made bread before, I know you will be able to make this recipe with success! I believe in you!

Versatile: There are so many ways to enjoy pita bread, and I am going to share many of them with you!

It is vegan: That’s right, this recipe contains no dairy, and no eggs! You don’t need them! This is the traditional way to make Greek pita bread and therefore it is perfect for periods of lent (Greek fasting periods where we eat nistisima foods), or to feed the vegans that you love.

Key ingredients

Making homemade Greek pita bread is really simple, and you probably already have the ingredients you need in your pantry.

Flour: I use all purpose (also called regular or plain) white flour to make pita bread. This flour is easy to find and is so versatile.

Yeast: I use active dry yeast to make my pita bread, Make sure that your yeast has not expired, otherwise your pita bread will not become light and fluffy.

Water: Lukewarm water straight from the tap is needed, anything too hot will kill your yeast!

Sugar: Yeast needs a bit of food to get activated and that is where the sugar comes in! I use granulated white sugar to help get my yeast going.

Salt: I almost always add salt to my baked goods, including breads. It helps to enhance the flavour of everything!

How to make it

Sometimes the idea of making bread can be intimidating, but really, it is quite easy, especially with the right recipe! Once you make my homemade authentic Greek pita bread you will stop buying it ready made from the store, because this recipe is just that good! Here is a summary of how to do it; for the complete detailed recipe, keep scrolling to the bottom.

Step 1
Combine your yeast and water in a bowl and stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes until you see bubbling on the surface of the water.

Step 2
Put all the ingredients, including the yeast mixture, into the bowl of your stand mixer and use the dough hook attachment to knead together for about 5 minutes.

Step 3
Form a ball and set it in bowl that you have brushed with oil. Rub top of dough with oil and cover until doubled in size (should take about 2 – 3 hours).

Step 4
When dough is ready knead it a bit and then divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Form into balls and cover with a clean tea towel. Let rest about 15 minutes.

Step 5
Roll out each ball of dough into a disc which is 6 inches wide and about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 6
You will cook each pita, one at a time, in a non-stick frying pan brushed with a bit of olive oil. This will take a few minutes per side.

Recipe substitutions

You can add a bit of whole wheat flour to the recipe to make whole wheat pita bread. I would suggest replacing only a 1/3 to 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat flour.

Helpful hints

Making homemade pita bread is actually really easy, but here are some helpful hints and tips that will make the job even easier!

This recipe requires dry yeast.  As with all recipes calling for yeast, it is really important that you note the expiry date on the container.  If your yeast is past its expiry date, or if there is no bubbling when you mix the yeast with the water, you may as well toss it.

Make sure that your water is lukewarm, and not too hot because that can kill the yeast. You can tell that water is lukewarm by running it over your wrist or hand. It should feel warmer than your skin, but not hot.

Although it is easiest to make this pita bread using a stand mixer and a dough hook attachment, it is not necessary. You can definitely knead the dough by hand. The dough will be a bit sticky, so if you need to you can add a bit of flour (1 tablespoon at a time) to make it easier to manage by hand.

When cooking your pita bread you will possibly see a huge air pocket puff up and this is ideal! However, don’t worry if you only get mini air pockets. The pitas will still be fluffy, they will still be delicious, and will be great for dipping, scooping and wrapping. If you don’t get any puffing up at all it is likely because your skillet was not hot enough.

How to serve

Pita bread is definitely amazing served with homemade Tzatziki and all the other amazing traditional Greek dips and spreads.

I love to use pita bread to wrap up my Pork souvlaki and my Chicken souvlaki. I also like to cut it into wedges and serve it with a Greek salad or a Grilled chicken bowl

Greek pita is the original pita pocket; split a pita apart and fill the cavity with feta and your whole being will be happy. I also love to make a spinach and cheese pita pocket. Pita is a great breakfast-on-the-go when that handy pocket is filled with scrambled eggs, and best late night snack when smeared with some peanut butter, the way Billie‘s husband loves it!

Video – Greek pita bread

Storing & freezing

Keep any leftover pita bread in a sealable bag. They are best eaten warm so you can reheat them in a dry frying pan or in the microwave. You can also place them in a preheated oven or even a toaster if you prefer, just long enough to heat them through.

To freeze:

• Cool your pita bread completely
• Place parchment paper between each pita bread you will be freezing and transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Press down to remove as much air as possible.
• Freeze for up to 3 months
• Reheat in the microwave or oven, from frozen, when ready to enjoy

Related recipes

If you love this pita bread recipe then I think you will also like these:

Alevropita A quick and delicious recipe that is made with a few simple ingredients, including feta. This is a recipe that quickly disappears!

Grilled bread with oregano and olive oil Next time you fire up the grill be sure to take a few slices of country bread, brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. Grill them, and enjoy!

Kourkoutopita with trahana I love this classic old-world Greek recipe! It includes something called trahana, and it is easy to put together, and so classically Greek!

Tsoureki, Greek Easter bread (Τσουρέκι) Usually made at Easter time, I am not sure why we reserve this bread only for that holiday! This sweet bread is so good, and this recipe is perfection. I really need to start making this more often!

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Thanks for sharing!