Best Ever Greek Pita Recipe
This Best Ever Greek Pita recipe produces soft, fluffy, and delicious pita bread that is perfect for sandwiches, dips, or serving alongside your favorite Mediterranean dishes. Made with simple ingredients like flour, yeast, and olive oil, these pitas are cooked in a hot cast iron pan, giving them a wonderful texture and slight char.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 pitas 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (plus more for surface)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup milk (warm)
- ⅓ cup water (warm)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for the bowl and cooking)
Optional Topping
- Melted garlic and herb butter
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all purpose flour, active dry yeast, and kosher salt. Stir them together until evenly mixed.
- Add liquids and combine: Pour in the warm milk and warm water to the dry mix. Stir together until the mixture begins to come together.
- Knead the dough with olive oil: Add the olive oil and knead the dough inside the bowl for several minutes until it forms a smooth, cohesive ball.
- Prepare the bowl for rising: Brush olive oil all over the inside of a clean bowl, then place the dough inside to prevent sticking.
- Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
- Divide the dough: Generously dust your work surface with flour. Remove the risen dough and divide it into 8 equal-sized pieces.
- Shape the dough rounds: Using your hands, gently stretch each piece into a small circle, then roll each one out with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch thickness, roughly 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
- Heat the pan and cook: Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Place one pita in the pan and cook for about 1 minute, drizzle a little olive oil on top, then flip and cook for another minute until puffed and lightly charred.
- Cook remaining pitas: Repeat the cooking process with the remaining dough pieces, adding a little olive oil to the pan as needed.
- Optional finishing touch: Once all pitas are cooked, brush them with melted garlic and herb butter if desired, for extra flavor and moisture.
Notes
- Ensure the milk and water are warm (not hot) to activate the yeast properly.
- Do not over-flour the surface to keep pitas soft.
- Cooking on high heat in a cast iron pan helps create the characteristic puffed pockets in the pita.
- Use a heavy pan such as cast iron for best results to maintain high heat.
- Store leftover pitas wrapped in foil or an airtight container to keep them soft.
- Garlic and herb butter topping is optional but adds a delicious savory flavor.
Keywords: Greek pita bread, homemade pita, flatbread, Mediterranean bread, cast iron pita, soft pita bread
Find it online: https://www.sanacooks.com/best-ever-greek-pita-recipe/
