Authentic Greek Pita Bread
Have you ever noticed the big difference between Greek Pita Bread from your grocery store and the ones served in a Greek restaurant? Whenever we eat gyros or souvlaki at a Greek restaurant we always remark how good the pita bread is. Store-bought brands just don't cut it! We decided to try making our own when we came across what looked like an easy recipe. As it turned out the recipe was very easy and after making them we were hooked! No more store-bought for us. This recipe makes fluffier, more tender & much more flavorful pita bread and you'll never want to go back to store-bought again! There are so many uses for pita bread. Whether to scoop up an appetizer dip like hummus, tzatziki or eggplant spread or to be used in place of sandwich bread for gyros or souvlaki, they will definitely stand out and delight! 😋
Ingredients
- 160 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 80 ml water, room temperature
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons EVOO
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 320 g bread flour (aka Hard flour due to the higher protein content)
- 1 tsp fleur de sel
- 1½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon EVOO, for frying
- salt & Pepper
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, yeast, water & milk. Set aside until the mixture starts to froth, about 5 minutes.
- In a larger bowl, combine the flour, salt, and chopped fresh thyme leaves. Stir well.
- Add the EVOO to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture a little at a time. Make sure each batch added is well incorporated before adding more.
- Transfer mixture to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth.
- Brush a large bowl with a little EVOO then add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest 40 minutes until it doubles in size.
- Place a flat non-stick griddle pan over medium heat. Let the pan get hot.
- Lightly oil your work surface then press on the dough to remove the air and cut it into 6 equal size pieces (or as close to equal as you can).
- Using a rolling pin, roll out a ball of dough to a circle about 7-8 inches in diameter. (Mine came out a little rectangular so I went with it!)
- The griddle or pan will be hot enough now. Place the first pita bread directly on the hot griddle and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Once they start to puff up, use tongs to flip over and cook 1-2 minutes. You will have nicely browned or charred bubbles. Remove from heat and place on a serving dish. Continue cooking the remaining dough balls, 1 pita bread at a time until finished.
- Sprinkle with chopped thyme before serving.
- Serve warm with chicken gyros, souvlaki, hummus, or tzatziki sauce.
Notes: While the first pita bread is cooking, roll out the next one so it’s ready to go in the hot pan as soon as you remove the cooked one.
Recipe adapted from Akis Petretzikis.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twiinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.
