Greek Pita Bread, the easy and tasty recipe

• 350 g wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
• 15 g fast-action yeast (or double the amount of fresh yeast)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 150 ml milk
• 100 ml lukewarm water

Greek pita bread, the tradition

In Greece, people love pita bread; it is pretty impossible to have a BBQ without grilled pitas or even tzatziki. Although common practice is to get Greek pita from the store, it is one of the easiest breads you can make at home. It requires very little waiting time and only a few basic ingredients you definitely hold in the pantry: flour, salt, water, milk, sugar, yeast, and a bit of olive oil.

Once these ingredients are combined, the dough will need to rest in a warm place and double in size. It takes from 30 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. If you are in a bit of a rush, there is a little trick to accelerate this process.

Whilst you mix the dough, switch on your oven on the lowest temperature setting for 10-15 minutes. Once the dough is ready, switch off the oven and place the mixing bowl inside. The oven has the warmth necessary for the yeast to work and leaven the pita bread dough. Then you can go ahead and cook them in the pan.

This recipe is for the basic pita bread. Once you go ahead with such a lovely homemade treat, we would suggest you improvise a little. Do not hesitate to add fresh herbs; a few thyme or oregano leaves will give a special touch to the pitas. If you have flavoured salt, such as rosemary salt, add this instead of plain salt. It is a great addition and a very good match for your grilled meat.

If you plan to use the pita as bread for tzatziki or any other dips, definitely check your cupboards for spices and herbs. Other interesting ingredients are black sesame or poppy seeds in the dough. If, however, you forget whilst making them, do not worry, a light dusting of sweet paprika or the classic salt and oregano will still work wonders.

Homemade pita bread, the recipe!

1. Get a large mixing bowl and combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.
2. Knead the dough: gradually add the warm water, milk and extra virgin olive oil until you get a supple dough that easily comes away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Cover with a towel (some use a plastic wrap) and leave the dough in a warm place to rest and rise until it has doubled in size (30 minutes to 2 hours).
4. Once the pita bread dough has risen, lightly dust a surface and divide the dough into 6 pieces.
5. On the working surface and with the help of a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into 20 cm rounds, about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick (use extra flour if needed). Lightly score with a knife or prick each pita with a fork.
6. Heat a cast iron skillet, brush with a bit of olive oil, and cook the pita bread on medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.
7. If you prefer to bake them in the oven, place the pitas on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 220 °C for 8-10 minutes.
8. Enjoy it right away with your souvlaki, tzatziki or any other dip.

How to store pita Greek bread

Making Greek pita at home is simple and fun. Our advice is to always cook a greater quantity than the real need, for various reasons.

First of all, because this is the Greek philosophy at the table, an old saying reports that "if there are no leftovers, there wasn't enough". And this is good to remember every time you prepare a Greek table!

Secondly, we strongly advise you to prepare more pita than you need as it is very easy to keep them. Like all fresh bread, Greek pita keeps for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. It will only be necessary to warm up, and the pitas will be like new.

But if you do not intend to consume the extra pitas produced within a few days, you can keep them in the freezer for some time. In this case, remember to put them in plastic bags to protect them from the cold of the freezer.