Homemade Greek Pitta Bread Recipe

Name: Greek Pitta Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Greek, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 300 g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting; 7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast; 1 tsp Caster Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing; 180 ml Warm Water, not hot - around 40°C

Homemade Greek pitta bread is in a completely different league to anything you'll find in a supermarket bag. Soft, slightly chewy, and with a gentle char from a hot pan or grill, freshly made pitta is one of those simple baking projects that delivers an enormous amount of satisfaction for relatively little effort.

Greek pitta - pita in Greek - is thicker and softer than the Middle Eastern pocket variety, designed to be torn and dipped rather than stuffed. It's the perfect accompaniment to tzatziki, hummus, and a full Greek mezze spread, and it's what you want alongside chicken souvlaki or baked feta in filo pastry for a proper Greek feast at home.

This recipe uses a straightforward yeasted dough that requires just one prove and cooks quickly in a hot frying pan or under the grill. All the ingredients are standard supermarket staples. Make a batch, freeze what you don't use, and you'll have fresh pitta ready whenever you need it. Once you've tried homemade, shop-bought simply won't cut it anymore.

Ingredients

For the dough

300 g Strong White Bread Flour , plus extra for dusting
7 g Fast-action Dried Yeast
1 tsp Caster Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Olive Oil , plus extra for greasing
180 ml Warm Water , not hot - around 40°C

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the olive oil and warm water. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 mins until smooth, soft, and slightly tacky. Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 6-7 mins.

Tip: The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky. If it's sticking to your hands, add flour a teaspoon at a time - don't be tempted to add too much or the pittas will be dense.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel or cling film and leave to prove in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size.
Once proved, knock the dough back and divide into 6 equal pieces (roughly 80g each). Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then roll out on a lightly floured surface into an oval or round about 5mm thick and 18–20cm across. Don't roll too thin - a little thickness is what gives Greek pitta its characteristic soft, pillowy texture.
Heat a dry frying pan or griddle pan over a high heat until very hot. Cook the pittas one or two at a time for 2–3 mins per side until lightly puffed and charred in spots. They may puff up dramatically - this is a good sign and means the inside is steaming properly.

Tip: Keep cooked pittas wrapped in a clean tea towel while you cook the rest - the steam keeps them soft and pliable.
Serve immediately, or allow to cool fully before storing. Pittas will keep in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, or can be frozen once cooled.

Alternatives & Variations

Swap half or all of the strong white bread flour for strong wholemeal bread flour - adds fibre and a nuttier flavour, though the pittas will be slightly denser; add an extra splash of water as wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid
Reduce the olive oil to ½ tbsp - it contributes very little to the final calorie count but can be reduced without significantly affecting the result

This recipe is not naturally gluten free as it relies on wheat-based bread flour. A gluten free pitta is difficult to replicate authentically at home as gluten-free doughs behave very differently and won't puff or char in the same way. Shop-bought gluten free pitta or flatbreads (available at Tesco and Sainsbury's) are a more reliable option if you need a gluten free alternative to serve alongside Greek dishes.

FAQs

Around 35 mins of active prep and cooking, plus 1 hour of proving time. The hands-on work is minimal - most of the time is the dough resting and rising on its own.

Rated Intermediate. It's a simple yeasted dough with no complex techniques, but working with yeast for the first time can feel unfamiliar. As long as your water is warm (not hot) and your yeast is in date, it's very hard to go wrong.

Yes - pittas freeze brilliantly. Cool completely, then freeze in a zip-lock bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a dry frying pan for 2–3 mins per side, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven at 180°C fan for 8–10 mins.

Yes - after the first knead, place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover tightly with cling film, and refrigerate overnight for a slow prove. Remove from the fridge 30 mins before shaping to bring it back to room temperature, then continue from step 3.

Homemade pitta is the ideal companion to tzatziki, hummus, and a Greek mezze spread. It's also perfect alongside chicken souvlaki, baked feta in filo pastry, and dolmades - all of which have their own recipes on Recipe Trove.

You can - preheat the oven to its highest setting (usually 250°C fan) with a baking tray inside to get it screaming hot. Slide the pittas directly onto the hot tray and bake for 4–5 mins. They won't get the same charred spots as the pan method but will still puff nicely.