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!
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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°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.
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 inches. 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 Ziploc 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, Greek moussaka, or strapatsada (Greek scrambled eggs).
👩🏼🍳 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 minutes 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 pita 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!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
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 minutes 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.
Jhanna Perchak says
Came out delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you so much for taking the time to review this recipe!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you like this recipea as much as we do!