This delicious Greek pita bread recipe is about as simple as it gets! In a little over an hour, you can have fresh, soft pita bread that you can enjoy with many dishes, including a Greek Gyro Pita!
This Greek pita bread is reminiscent of my Middle Eastern pita bread recipe but with a few key differences in both ingredients and cooking method. While I prefer to bake my Middle Eastern pitas to achieve that signature puff and pocket, Greek pitas are more like a soft, flavorful flatbread that can be cooked right in a pan.
If you prefer, you can bake these in a 500-degree oven for around 3 minutes, and they will puff up beautifully. Enjoy with a bowl of loaded hummus!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making Greek pita bread is easy, and the results are delicious!
- It only takes around an hour to make this bread.
- You can make sandwiches and wraps with Greek pita bread or serve it on the side with soups and stews for dipping. I enjoy it for breakfast, with feta cheese and kalamata olives.
- Greek pita bread freezes well so you can make a double batch and freeze some for later.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: A mixture of bread flour and whole wheat flour. Bread flour gives more chew and structure than all-purpose flour. All-purpose will still work fine if that’s what you have.
- Water: Warm water (103 degrees F)
- Yeast: Active dry yeast
- Sugar: Granulated sugar, may be substituted with an equal amount of honey
- Salt: Sea salt
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt, but plain yogurt or sour cream can be substituted
- Oil: Olive oil, may be substituted with avocado oil
See recipe card for quantities.
🫓 How to Make Greek Pita Bread
Step 1: Pour warm water (103°F) into a mixing bowl and add yeast and sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, yogurt, whole wheat flour, and one cup bread flour. Mix with a paddle attachment, then gradually add the remaining bread flour and salt until the dough becomes too stiff to mix.
Step 3: Switch to a dough hook and mix in the remaining flour. If necessary, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until you have a smooth, elastic dough, about 5 minutes.
Pro Tip: My dough required two more tablespoons of water, but based on the humidity of your location, your dough may require more or less.
Step 4: Oil the sides of the mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil and roll the dough ball in the bowl to coat it with oil on all sides. Cover and place in a warm spot and allow to proof for at least 30 minutes (it should double in size).
Step 5: Punch down the dough to deflate it and divide it into 6 equal portions. Roll each piece into a ball, then cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Pro Tip: If you want to make your pita bread a little smaller, you can get away with making 8 pitas instead of 6.
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Step 6: Flatten and stretch the dough with your hands and fingertips and use your palms to press and flatten the edges until you have an 8" disc. Oil a 10" cast-iron skillet, then heat over medium heat. Cook pita bread for 2-½ minutes per side. Cover cooked pitas with a clean dish towel to keep them soft and pliable. Repeat until all 6 pitas are cooked.
🎛 Baking Instructions
If you prefer your pita bread to have a pocket, begin by preheating the oven to 500°F. Place a pizza stone or a tawa on the lowest rack.
Next, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 9"-10." Transfer one at a time to a preheated oven and bake for 1-½ minutes per side for a total of 3 minutes.
🛍️ Storage
Store pita bread in a ziplock bag for up to a week or freeze it for up to 3 months in freezer bags.
🔪 Helpful Tools
To make Greek pita bread, you'll need a mixer with a hook attachment, a cast-iron skillet, and a spatula for flipping the pita bread. If you prefer to bake the pita bread, you'll need a rolling pin, a pizza stone (or tawa).
🥙 Serving Suggestions
Serve this Greek pita bread recipe with Greek chicken souvlaki, a falafel wrap, or a Greek gyro pita. You can also serve it for dipping into Lebanese hummus, tirokafteri (Greek feta dip), or olive oil with Mediterranean seasoning swirled into it. Or, serve as a side with dolmadakia or Greek moussaka.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Make sure your water is warm (about 100–110°F / 38–43°C). Too hot and you’ll kill the yeast; too cold and it won’t activate.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic — about 8–10 minutes by hand, or 5–6 in a stand mixer with the dough hook. This helps build gluten for that fluffy texture.
- After dividing the dough into pieces, let them rest (covered) for 10–15 minutes before rolling. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.
- Brush Greek piat bread with olive oil or butter after it's cooked if you want a richer taste.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQ
Middle Eastern pita bread is thin and features a pocket, perfect for stuffing like a sandwich, while Greek pita bread is thicker, soft, and fluffy, ideal for folding around your ingredients.
The best way to warm Greek pita bread is by placing it directly over a flame for 10 to 15 seconds per side. You can also heat it in a hot cast-iron skillet for a similar effect. While toasting is an option, it will create a crispier texture rather than keeping the bread soft and pliable.
🥗 More Greek Recipes
If you love this Greek pita bread recipe, try these other Greek dishes!
📖 Recipe
Easy Greek Pita Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pizza stone (optional)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups warm water (103℉) (add 2 Tbsp, if needed)
- 2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
- 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 3 cups bread flour
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Pour warm water (103°F) into a mixing bowl and add yeast and sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, yogurt, whole wheat flour, and one cup bread flour. Mix with a paddle attachment, then gradually add the remaining bread flour and salt until the dough becomes too stiff to mix.
- Switch to a dough hook and mix in the remaining flour. If necessary, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix until you have a smooth, elastic dough, about 5 minutes.
- Oil the sides of the mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil and roll the dough ball in the bowl to coat it with oil on all sides. Cover and place in a warm spot and allow to proof for at least 30 minutes (it should double in size).
- Punch down the dough to deflate it and divide it into 6 equal portions. Roll each piece into a ball, then cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Flatten and stretch the dough with your hands and fingertips and use your palms to press and flatten the edges until you have an 8" disc. Oil a 10" cast-iron skillet, then heat over medium heat. Cook pita bread for 2-½ minutes per side. Cover cooked pitas with a clean dish towel and repeat until all 6 pitas are cooked.
Baking Instructions
- If you prefer your pita bread to have a pocket, begin by preheating the oven to 500°F. Place a pizza stone or a tawa on the lowest rack.
- Next, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, until approximately 9"-10." Transfer one at a time to a preheated oven and bake for 1-½ minutes per side for a total of 3 minutes.
Notes
- My dough required two more tablespoons of water, but based on the humidity of your location, your dough may require more or less.
- If you want to make your pita bread a little smaller, you can get away with making 8 pitas instead of 6.
- Make sure your water is warm (about 100–110°F / 38–43°C). Too hot and you’ll kill the yeast; too cold and it won’t activate.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic — about 8–10 minutes by hand, or 5–6 in a stand mixer with the dough hook. This helps build gluten for that fluffy texture.
- After dividing the dough into pieces, let them rest (covered) for 10–15 minutes before rolling. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.
- Brush the bread with olive oil or butter after it's cooked if you want a richer taste.
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you like this recipea as much as we do!