Greek Pita bread is an ingredient always present in my fridge or my freezer. This recipe is very simple to prepare and easy to store and reheat. I love to pair Pita with my preferred appetizers and salads, or filling it with roasted meats, or simply seasoning with olive oil, oregano and sea salt! Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, every time is Pita time!
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- 5.75 cups (800 g) bread flour
- 2cups+2tbsp (500 ml) water
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 0.25 oz (7 g) dry yeast
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp table salt
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PITA BREAD IN GREECE
Greek Pita bread is one of the most ancient known bread. The recipe derives from the middle eastern Pitas. Originally, Greek Pita was prepared with barley flour, and later with other cereals.
In Greece, like in many Mediterranean countries, Pita bread is an unique element on the table, served along with appetizers like Melitzanosalata, Greek Salad, and Tzatziki, or filled with Souvlaki and Gyros.
GREEK PITA DOUGH
First of all, pour the lukewarm water into a bowl, then add and dissolve the dry yeast along with the sugar. Now, add half of the flour amount into the bowl, stirring, then add the salt and the extra-virgin olive oil. Continue to add flour stirring until the mixture becomes dense enough to be worked on a wooden board.
Knead the dough adding more flour if necessary, at least 10 minutes more until the Pita mixture becomes smooth and elastic. Finally, let the dough rest on the board, covered with a dampened kitchen towel a couple of hours, until double its size.
Now, divide the Pita dough into 16 to 24 portions, depending on the size of Pita you desire, and shape them into balls. Then, cover again the balls with the kitchen towel until they double their size (about 1 hour)
COOKING PITA
A cast iron skillet is the best choice to cook Greek Pita. Place the skillet over medium heat and grease the bottom with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. After that, pour a little amount of flour on a board and shape the first dough ball into a circle ¼ thick, letting the other balls covered.
Once flatten, you want to cook Pita as soon as possible.
Now, place the Pita on the hot skillet and cook about 1 minute per side. If this is the first time you prepare Pita, probably you need a couple of Pitas before guessing the right heat intensity and cook timing.
Repeat the process with the other pieces of dough, and pile the cooked Pitas to maintain their moist.
STORING GREEK PITA
If not served immediately, close the Pitas in a plastic bag and store in the fridge up to a couple of days. Alternatively, freeze up to 3 months. Once you need pita, just reheat in the oven a few minutes.
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MELITZANOSALATA - traditional Greek eggplant salad recipe
PRINTABLE RECIPE
GREEK PITA BREAD RECIPE - easy and tasty!
Greek Pita bread is an ingredient always present in my fridge or my freezer. This recipe is very simple to prepare and easy to store and reheat.
I love to pair Pita with my preferred appetizers and salads, or filling it with roasted meats, or simply seasoning with olive oil, oregano and sea salt!
Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, every time is Pita time!
Ingredients
- 5.75 cups (800 g) bread flour
- 2cups+2tbsp (500 ml) water
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 0.25 oz (7 g) dry yeast
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1.5 tbsp table salt
Instructions
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GREEK PITA DOUGH
- First of all, pour the lukewarm water into a bowl, then add and dissolve the dry yeast along with the sugar.
- Now, add half of the flour amount into the bowl, stirring, then add the salt and the extra-virgin olive oil.
- Continue to add flour stirring until the mixture becomes dense enough to be worked on a wooden board.
- Knead the dough adding more flour if necessary, at least 10 minutes more until the Pita mixture becomes smooth and elastic. Finally, let the dough rest on the board, covered with a dampened kitchen towel a couple of hours, until double its size.
- Now, divide the Pita dough into 16 to 24 portions, depending on the size of Pita you desire, and shape them into balls. Then, cover again the balls with the kitchen towel until they double their size (about 1 hour)
COOKING PITA
- A cast iron skillet is the best choice to cook Greek Pita. Place the skillet over medium heat and grease the bottom with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil.
- After that, pour a little amount of flour on a board and shape the first dough ball into a circle ¼ thick, letting the other balls covered. Once flatten, you want to cook Pita as soon as possible.
- Now, place the Pita on the hot skillet and cook about 1 minute per side.
If this is the first time you prepare Pita, probably you need a couple of Pitas before guessing the right heat intensity and cook timing. - Repeat the process with the other pieces of dough, and pile the cooked Pitas to maintain their moist.
STORING GREEK PITA
- If not served immediately, close the Pitas in a plastic bag and store in the fridge up to a couple of days.
- Alternatively, freeze up to 3 months. Once you need pita, just reheat in the oven a few minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 198Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 655mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 5g
The writers and publishers of this blog are not nutritionists or registered dietitians. All information presented and written within our blog are intended for informational purposes only. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. The writers and publishers of this blog are not responsible for adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any recipes or suggestions herein or hereafter. Under no circumstances will this blog or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information given by this site. By using this blog and its content, you agree to these terms.
I always wanted to know how to make pitas!
Nice Elena! Let me know if you'll like them
Excited to try these myself!
Cool! If this is your first time, just remember to use the first attempts to set the power related to your heat and skillet.
Happy cooking!
This recipe was read very user friendly. I cannot wait to make this. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Christin, write me, if you have any questions 🙂
Thank you for your recipes. As a second generation Greek Cypriot, born in Australia it wasn’t easy to learn to make Breads and Deserts. At 76yrs old I am still learning thanks to sites like yours. God Bless
Thanks for your words Carol! Let me know if you'll like them 🙂
This is so delicious!!! My kids love it!!! I didn’t have bread flour; so, I used unbleached wheat flour. It came out good. The recipe is very easy to follow! Thank you!
Thanks for your comment, I'm happy you loved it 🙂
Love the simplicity of the recipe! Just finished making them to go with a Greek chicken dinner. Next time I will spray the parchment with pan spray so that the balls won’t stick to the parchment . Damp cloth over the dough to rise worked great!
Thank you Patsy!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Best pita ever, was the comment from one of the people I made this for last night!
Wow!
thank your guest for me 🙂
This recipe works really well and produces beautifully light and tasty Greek pita bread.
Thanks Andy!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
My very first attempt with pitta bread.
They came out excellent.
10/10 for the recipe (indeed very easy to follow).
Thank you (:
Thank you Zule!
I'm very happy that you make them easyly and you liked my recipe,
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Yum my favorite treat
Going to make these today with greek meatballs. Can't wait to see how they turn out. Will let you know tomorrow how everyone likes. Taking to a cookout.
I hope you'll like them!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe! Thanks. I will definitely make now..
We tried these with oil, salt and oregano at a Greek restaurant yesterday... and the kids loved them.
So I must try!
Thank you Marnie 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
what's the optimal heat? medium or medium high? low? any advice would be appreciated
Hi Laura,
It's hard to say, because the right temperature is depending on your stove and skillet. I suggest you to start with medium heat, then modify the intensity if necessary. If it is your first time, you want to prepare more dough for the first attempts.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Fantastic recipe. Like being in Greece! Thanks so much
Thanks Charles,
I'm happy you've liked!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Thank you for this recipe! It makes amazingly delicious pita bread. The flour and water measurements are perfect; I didn’t have to make adjustments like I sometimes have to do with some bread recipes. I used organic unbleached all purpose flour since I don’t have bread flour. It was my first time making pita bread and it was so easy!
Nice recepie
Thanks Alin!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Amazing recipe! Very easy to follow and detailed enough for someone who’s never made pita before to follow along without messing it up!
Thank you so much Olivia!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe. The dough was silky and a bit sticky, which was perfect. The first two I rolled out were a bit thick. It helps to let the dough rest a few minutes and reshape. I rolled mine very thin, made 18 flatbreads and the size and thickness were perfect. Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Susan, I'm glad you liked them!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great breads, easy to make and very tasteful too.
I'm thinking of making the next batch with a few chopped olives or semi-dries tomatoes. It may not be very greek, but I'm sure it will be good.
I also tried sprinkling on a few nigella seeds on the breads when baking - probably not very greek either, but very aromatic.
Nice, Elizabeth!
Your variations seem yummy!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
going to try this and see if tastes the same as my Mother's
I hope You'll enjoy, Hellen!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
This is a amazing recipe. Loved it.
Thank you Tamara!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
look forward to making them
Looking forward to knowing if you'll like it Michele 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
This was my first attempt at Pita bread, have only had store bought before. Wow I will not be going back to those. The texture was great. My hubby loved them. I added some garlic powder to the recipe and resulted in a tasty garlic flavour. They cooked easily. I am a seasoned baker but even a novice would have no problem. The only negative, I cannot stop eating them
Thank you Jay, I really appreciate your words!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
They turned out soooo good! Very tasty, soft, ... highly recommend. I will do again in the near future. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for your comment Mirka, I'm happy for you!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe, will use again
My sister cannot process white flour because of a stomach surgery she had to get a few years ago, so I made the recipe with whole wheat flour and a gluten additive. Came out awesome! We ran out of pita before running out of the gyro meat because everyone kept snacking on the bread!
Nice!
I'm very happy you made my recipe with a flour type variation: your comment will be useful for people with the same needs of your sister. Thank you Shawn!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
O my god, I followed the recipe to the letter. AMAZING doesn't come close. Even my daughter who barely stays from supermarket bread (only)! Ate two with grilled halloumi and tzatziki! Epic recipe time consuming but well worth it! Thankyou!!
Nice!
Thanks for your words Mandy, I'm happy your daughter liked my pitas 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
This looks and sounds yummy, I will be trying it!
Thank you Joanne, let me know 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Do you need a mixer and rolling pin to make this recipe. It looks so good.
Hi Sally,
a rolling pin can help, but is not essential. Personally I flat and shape my pitas with the hands, like little pizzas!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Hi Dear,
Thank you for this amazing bread,, I did the recipe many times.
But if I need to get a strong , thick and dense bread after half baking to keep it in fridge.
I got a soft and little bit thin.
Thanks
You're welcome Rafi!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
What do I do if I don't have a cast iron skillet
Hi Charlotte,
I suppose that a no stick thick bottomed pan works decently: if you try, let my know 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Hi, I was wondering
Could i use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour
Thanks for the recipes I will make it tomorrow
Hi Julia,
Yes, absolutely! Probably you want to adjust a bit the water amount: every kind of flour have a different reaction with water.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Very easy to make and turn out delicious. I used a herb infused olive oil which turned out well.
Thank you Marylin!
I'm very happy you enjoyed my recipe,
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe. Easy explanation and very understandable.
Thank you Yifat!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
I made these yesterday. The directions were clear and they turned out great. I am addicted!! Made some tzaziki and kofta to put inside, but they were outstanding on their own. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for your words Lisa 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Stores out of Greek pita bread during pandemic. So glad to find this recipe.
I'm happy to help 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Best Pita recipe I have used. These pitas are amazing and a winner all round. ❤❤❤
Thank you Maria!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Amazing recipe!! Made to have with chicken gyros, but after I couldn’t stop eating them just with tzatziki!! I’ve always been interested in Greek cuisine ever since I went to Paphos, Cyprus on holiday and I will definitely be looking on your blog for more recipes!
Thank you so much
Thank you for your words Rachel!
I'm happy you like my recipes 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Very nice recipe
Thanks Kevin!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Lovely
thank you Michelle!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Wow. I will never buy pita again. My first time, and it came out soft, flavorful, as good as I could imagine. Thank you! Excellent recipe.
I’m just wondering for next time if I could refrigerate the dough at any time of I need to slow down the process?
thank you Patty!
Personally, to speed up the process i prefer to freeze pitas immediatley after cooked. When I want a pita quickly, I just thaw it in the oven at 250°F for a few minutes.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Thank you. That works very well!
Thank you Patty!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Made gyros tonight and absolutely fabulous took me back to Mykonos x
Thank you Susan, I'm glad you liked it!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Filippo, my hungry sons asked me if I could try some Gyros (prk and halloumi) for them this lunchtime. I used your recipe for the pitas and got lots of praise - all down to you! Very impressed. Thank you. Ben
Oh, say thanks to your sons Ben 🙂
I'm glad they liked my recipe,
Happy cooking!
F.
I have made these a 3 times over the past two months (COVID-baking) and they get better and better. With the flour shortages I could only find AP flour and they turned out great. Not sure if they would be better with bread flour - when I can get my hands on some I can experiment. However, I have also read that our AP flour in Canada has more protein so it is a bit closer to bread flour. Not sure it that is true but nevertheless they are yummy.
I have not been able to yield 16-24 pitas. I have yielded 10-12 balls. We like them big for a souvlaki pita sandwich. 10 balls rolled out to about 8" discs at 1/4" thickness. I have also divided into 12 balls and rolled out to 8" discs but thinner.
Today I ended up rolling out all my balls after the 2nd rise. I covered each disc with plastic wrap so that I could focus on the cooking of the pitas - they turned out even more soft, fluffy and yummy. I do not have a cast iron skillet but used a heavy duty non-stick frypan that looks like cast iron - it worked well.
So thanks so much for this recipe - will never go back to store bought pitas again!
Wow Eoanna thank you so much for your words!
I'm very happy that you liked my recipe, keep going with your experiments!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
5 Stars for Sure!! This was an immediate family favorite that is requested weekly!!!
Tried it on a whim after sick of trying to find a comparable to Yanni’s in Columbia, OH!!!
I sooo miss his food and warm, fresh pita bread!
SOOOO EASY!!!!! Let a dough hook on the mixer do the work for you!!
Thank you!
I'm glad your family loves my recipe 🙂
Happy cooking!
F.
Tried this out for lunch today; I found that the easiest way of cooking was to oil up the kitchen table, roll the dough ball around in it, and then flatten it with extreme prejudice until very thin, and then fry it in the unoiled pan. Worked a treat! Was left with 16 largish pitas!! And 1 minute per side worked perfectly for me, over medium heat. I also accidentally misread the recipe and put 2.5 tablespoons of sugar in, instead of 1.5, and it still tastes perfectly fine 🙂
Also with regards to dividing up the original dough ball, I weighed mine, and found it was nearly 1.5 kg, so I divided it up into 16 balls, each weighing 93/94 grams.
Thanks for your comment Brittany!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
This recipe is amazing!! I have only tried making pita bread one other time and I was put off by the recipe and how they turned out. I tried this recipe and it was so simple and the bread came out so soft and tasty! Thank you so much for the recipe! My family and I are so happy
Thank you Jamie, I'm happy your family enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
5 starsI am Greek, but I made them yesterday, For the first time,not perfect shape, but delicious, my husband loved them, made souvlaki with my homemade tzatziki, thank you very much , Lily
Thank you so much Lily!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe! Easy and delicious!
thank so much Iskra!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
These were easy and out of this world good. There goes my diet
These were great! We all loved them. I made 24 and so I will be freezing some for a future dinner. I put a little flour on a sheet pan while the dough balls were resting. They still stuck a little but no big deal. Next time I will use the parchment. I made tzatziki, souvlaki, Greek potatoes and grilled veggies. The pita put the whole meal over the top. Thank you for the recipe. I will make it often.
This pita was easy and delicious! I planned to make gyros for dinner, and I typically get the pita from our local Greek market. But it has closed since I last made gyros! I’m generally intimidated by making bread from scratch, but this recipe was simple and my family and I loved it! I chose to divide the dough into 16, not 24, and still found them on the small side for gyros. But by rolling them out fairly thin, I was able to get a good result. I will definitely make these again!
Thank you Sandra, I'm glad you liked my pitas!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
I love Greek pitas
Very, very good indeed, thank you for sharing your recipe. I have been making pita with different recipes for years, trying to get the breads just right, and this one really hits the mark. Made this for my family the other day and everyone was gushing about how simple, yet amazing, these pita were. I doubled the recipe because a little extra pita never hurt anyone, thinking I'd have leftover pita for a couple of days. I couldn't have been more wrong however, because it was all gone within two days.
I'm seriously debating whether I should just make pita once a week with this recipe.
Wow, thanks so much Dennis!
I'm so happy that you and your family liked my recipe,
happy cooking 🙂
F.
This is a delicious and rather easy recipe. I end up with 24 pitas that fit perfectly in my cast iron skillet. We have made them for both gyros and spiedies, and the grandkids love them. I have tried various pita recipes, but this one is the best.
Thank you Lynne!
I'm so glad that you and your family appreciated my recipe,
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
please will like to have this recipe
Hi Augusto, the recipe is at the end of this post.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
These were so easy and taste great! Thanks so much for your recipe.
Thank you Christine!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Great recipe! Old school cast iron skillet was used...worked perfect...legit recipe!
Thank you Dean!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
This recipe is amazing. I added a bit of garlic powder in step 2. When done, I sprinkled a pinch of salt on top of it. Delicious! Reminded me almost of a soft pretzel. I appreciate you sharing this.
Thank you so much Jrssica!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
please send me your recipe... thanks
Hi Augusto,
You can find the recipe at the end of this post,
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
thanks much
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much!
You are welcome Ann!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Thanks Ann!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Absolutely the best recipe for authentic pita, and I've tried a LOT. Perfect results every time. Sorry I haven't left a review before!
Thank you so much Marcia!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
I made this for our multicultural festival at school. My friend from Egypt loved it and asked me to come teach her how to make it.
Thany Theresa! Comments like yours give me the energy to keeping my blog open 🙂
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
S
Hi! Can you use a mixer to knead the dough? If so, would you suggest the same amount of time? Thanks, excited to try the recipe!
Hi Jen,
Yes, you can use the same ingredients with a dough mixer. About the timing, I can't say: commonly i knead the dough with my hands and I don't use a mixer.
Let me know, and Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Hi Jen
I used my kitchen aid for the mixing and kneading. I did it for 10 mins and was super silky.
Gosh these Pita are just the best. They have become a firm family favourite. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Thanks so much for your words Ana!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
How do you make it unleavened for Pascha?
Hi Nona,
I'm sorry but I can't say. I never tried to make pitas unleavened.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Definitely 5 !!! Great recipe that my family LOVED and that I will be adding to the regular rotation (at least a whole wheat adaptation ). I can't wait to try more of your awesome recipes, especially since my husband was just diagnosed as being pre-diabetic so incorporating more Greek and generally "Mediterranean Diet" friendly recipes will help keep him from going full-blown diabetic.Thank you so very much and take care!
Thank you Megsy!
I'm sorry for your husband, I hope you'll find some recipe in my blog that helps with his diet.
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Trying this recipe out today thanks 😀
Nice, let me know Andrew!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
I doubt I will ever buy pitta bread again. This recipe is absolutely amazing! I only had Canadian strong white bread flour in and that worked perfectly. We ate the 'test' one which was yummy. I made 24 and have frozen them all. I have friends round for a Greek dinner tomorrow and all my food will be home made. Cannot wait to share these with them. Thanks for a fabulous recipe, I will be certain to try more of your food
Thank you so much Adrienne!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
I love this recipe it sounds easy enough, to save time I will use the bread machine dough cycle, I am sure I am going to love it. I don't have a cast iron pan, only an electric griddle which I use often. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you Reina!
Let me know if you'll like them,
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
These came out perfectly on my first try and every try since. Exactly what I was looking for to go with with my craving for chicken souvlaki and tzatziki. No flaws here from easy to follow recipe to perfect finished product. Thanks!
Thank you for your words Lesleigh!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
the best pita ever, make all the time.
Thank you Sam!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Loved them. Very easy to follow instructions.
Thank you Irene!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.
Very tasty, easy and fun to make. My tastes delicious when using a cast iron skillet. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you Josh!
Happy cooking 🙂
F.