I am a Greek, I live in Greece, and this is hands down the softest & most flavorful Pita Bread I've tasted in my whole life (I myself couldn't believe it)!
Homemade Pita Bread doesn't compare to storebought really. But this is the best one by far! Made with Greek yogurt, milk, bread flour, olive oil, salt, baking powder & baking soda.
Baking soda and baking powder are like the two sides of the same coin. And while they do the same thing more or less, baking soda is better at making food become less dense, while baking powder is better at making food rise.
In other words, let's say you have a cake if you add baking soda it will be nice and airy but won't rise as much. On the other hand, if you add baking powder it will rise well, but the texture won't be as airy.
So adding these two together gives us the best texture. And in this case, the softest flatbreads ever!
What Is Greek Pita Bread Made Off
Usually, a Greek Pita Bread is made off just water, flour, yeast, and salt. That's the commercial version that you can find in grocery stores and grill houses. But that's not the Traditional Greek Pita Bread!
Pita bread used to be bread dough leftovers that were shaped into flatbreads and cooked on fire (charcoal grill or wood oven ). That was when bread was made using sourdough instead of yeast. This means it had a better flavor and didn't have that chewy texture that we get when using yeast.
So since sourdough isn't as easy to use as opening your cupboard and adding some, I made this Homemade Pita Bread using baking soda & baking powder instead. To make them soft and fluffy and not chewy (rubber-like).
Is Pita Bread And Flatbread The Same?
A Pita Bread IS a flatbread! It's an unleavened type of bread, therefore, a flatbread. But flatbread can be made from anything even just plain flour and water. Other types of flatbreads include Naan (West & South Asia), Piadina (Italian), Lavash (Armenian), Roti (India).
What To Make With Greek Pita Bread
You just HAVE TO MAKE Pita Gyros. The famous Greek wrap is made either with Chicken Gyros or Pork Gyros. That's what we mostly make with Pita Bread in Greece. But other than that we serve it with grilled meat like Pork Souvlaki (pork skewers) or Chicken Souvlaki (chicken skewers) for example.
If serving with grilled meat, drizzle pita bread with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, and grill. That's the real thing!
You can also serve it with any traditional Greek dip like Tzatziki (which is also used in Pita Gyros Wraps), Melitzanosalata (Roasted Aubergine Dip), Skordalia (Potato & Garlic Dip).
How To Make Pita Bread
Whisk all ingredients except flour in a mixing bowl. Then gradually incorporate the flour into the mixture while mixing with your hands. You may need to add a bit more or less flour as needed. It depends on how "strong" is the flour as we are using bread flour in this recipe. Knead for 2 minutes to combine everything well.
The dough should come out very soft and in one piece, without leaving fragments on your hands. Then shape into a ball, cover with a tea towel and rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
Divide the dough into 5 equal parts, using a knife or dough cutter. Shape each piece into a ball and roll it open with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface into a 19 cm / 7.4 inch round flatbread.
Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side on a well-heated non-stick pan on your stovetop. You can also cook it on a grill just make sure you grease it with some oil. Enjoy!
Homemade Pita Bread - Greek Flatbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 + ⅓ cups (230 grams / 8.1 oz) bread flour
- 2 tablespoons (80 grams / 2.8 oz) Greek yogurt strained + full fat
- ⅔ cup (90 grams /3.1 oz) milk lukewarm
- 3 tablespoons (30 grams 1 oz) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams / 0.17 oz) salt
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams / 0.17 oz) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams / 0.17 oz) baking powder
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together all of the ingredients except of flour.
- Start incorporating the flour into the mixture while mixing the dough with your hands.
- Depending on the strength of the flour you're using you may need to add a bit less or a bit more. Knead the dough for a minute or two until it feels very soft but without leaving fragments on your hands.
- Shape dough into a ball, cover with a tea towel and rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
- With a knife or dough cutter, divide the dough into 6 pieces.
- Shape each piece into a ball.
- Lightly flour your working surface, take the first dough ball and roll on all sides (flip it once) until you have a 19 cm / 7.4 inch round flatbread.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Dip some paper towel into a bit of oil (I prefer olive oil) and lightly grease the bottom of the pan.
- Add the first flatbread and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side (don't let the pan get smoky hot remove from heat to cool if so). Flip the flatbread using a flat spatula.
- You may add flatbreads on top of each other creating a pile until you're finished making them. This way they won't air dry and stay more "elastic" if you're planning to use them as wraps.
Nutrition
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