Pita bread is typically used as a wrap for souvlaki and its toppings, but it is also delicious served with dips or as a substitute for fresh bread.
Although pita bread is readily available in stores, making your own at home is so satisfying and the taste is amazing!
To make Pita Bread:
Into a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup of lukewarm water, honey (or sugar), and yeast, and stir until combined.
Let stand for seven or eight minutes, or until the yeast starts to activate and become frothy.
Add 1/2 cup of room temperature water, salt, olive oil, and bread flour.
With the dough hook attachment, knead dough on low-medium speed for eight minutes, or until the dough is soft and springy.
Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured work surface, knead for a couple of minutes by hand, and form into a ball. Wipe the inside of the stand mixer bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil. Place dough back into the bowl, and turn it around in the bowl until lightly covered with oil.
Cover the stand mixer bowl with a tea towel and place in a warm place for an hour and a half, or until dough has doubled.
If you are in a hurry, put a couple of towels in the dryer and tumble them for five minutes. Nest the covered bowl of dough in amongst the warm towels. The dough should double in 45 minutes.
Remove from mixing bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into seven balls, and press each ball into a flat disk.
Cover disks with a tea towel for 10 minutes. This is necessary so the dough can rest, and won't pull back when you are rolling it out.
With a rolling pin, roll each disk out to about 7 or 7-1/2 inches (18 - 20 cm).
Lay out some plastic wrap on a plate, so it hangs over the sides. You will be stacking the cooked pitas on top of the plastic wrap and also wrapping them with it.
Cook, one pita at a time, on a dry, cast iron pan (or skillet) on medium/low heat for about one minute on each side.
At this point they will be a bit underdone, but you will be cooking them further when you are ready to serve them. The pitas should end up having a tiny bit of color to them, but should not be browned.
Stack the pitas on top of each other — making sure to cover them with the wrap as you go, as they need to stay moist and pliable.
Once all the pitas are done, wrap fully with the plastic wrap.
When you are ready to serve, heat burner to medium. Brush each side of the pitas with olive oil. Cook for one or two minutes on each side, or until you see golden brown spots of color. You can also place the pitas under the broiler in the oven for a minute or two on each side.
Serve with souvlaki, greek salad, or with various greek dips.
See more delicious bread recipes here.
Enjoy!
Servings 0