Who has travelled to Greece and haven’t tried the famous Greek Souvlaki or Gyros Wrap! Here, I’m sharing with you my recipe for making homemade greek pita bread without a pocket so you can make your own Greek wrap at home. They are very easy and soft, and while you are waiting for your dough to rise you can prepare some tzatziki sauce and pork or chicken skewers to fill them in, like my pork skewers. You could also cut them in quarters and dip them in tzatziki sauce, the way my toddler likes them!
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Why you should try my recipe
- Easy to follow recipe with only 5 ingredients
- No need for kneading, just mixing the flour with the wet ingredients
- No need for a rolling pin, the dough is playable and can flatten with fingers
- Pita bread is soft and easy to fold, you can use it as dipper or wrap
- Freezable, just warm them up in a pan for a minute after defrosting
Ingredients & How-to
The recipe has only 5 ingredients that you usually have in your pantry, especially if you like making your own bread: yeast, water, salt, sugar and flour. For full quantities check the recipe down below.
To activate the yeast, you will need to have the right temperature for the water. You will need lukewarm water, that means not too hot but warmer than your body temperature when you dip your hand in. To achieve this I use half a cup of boiling water and one cup of cold tap water. Then, I add the dry yeast and sugar to the water and give it a bit of a stir. I cover with some cling film and let it activate for 5-10 minutes. If your yeast is good and hasn’t expired, you will see some foam and bubbles at the top of the water.
The next step is to add the salt to the flour and give it a bit of a stir. Salt can kill the yeast so we want it mixed in with the flour to prevent immediate contact. Then, with one hand I add the flour little by little to the yeast mixture while I use my other hand to incorporate all ingredients. After adding all the flour in, you will have a dough with a sticky texture and very playable.
I now move on to my wooden board to form my dough. I add a handful of flour to the wooden surface and place my dough on top. There is no need for kneading, just turn the dough around until it absorbs all the flour from the surface and it’s not sticky anymore. Now it’s time for the dough to rest and rise. I add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a bowl and place the dough on top. Cover with some cling film or a tea towel and leave it for an hour to rest until it doubles in size.
When the dough is ready, I put a little bit of oil in my hands and move the dough on a wooden surface. I just fold the dough a few times to remove the air and form it into a long roll. Then I cut it into 8 equal pieces and set them aside. I place a non-stick pan over medium heat and start forming the first pita bread. I take one dough piece and roughly form a ball with my palm. Then I just press it with my fingers until it flattens out into a round shape. I place the pita on the heated pan and let it cook for a couple of minutes. You can prick the pita with a fork if it starts forming any bubbles at the top. Then flip it over and cook for another minute.
Serving suggestions
You could use the pita bread for dipping into sauces like tzatziki dip or beetroot & yogurt dip. You could also use it as a wrap and fill it in with some veggies and meat. Why not make a greek souvlaki wrap by adding some tzatziki, pork skewer, chopped tomatoes and onions!
These are also great for babies and toddlers that follow the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) method as they can hold them easy with their little hands. Cut them into triangle slices and let your little one dip them in sauces, yogurt or a runny egg. You could skip the sugar from the ingredients and adjust the salt to your liking.
Storage
If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days and just warm them up in a pan for a minute when you want to eat them. Pittas are also freezable for up to 2-3 months. Just defrost them and warm them up in a heated pan for 1-2 minutes.
FAQ
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Can I leave the dough for the pita bread for more than an hour to rise? Yes you can, one hour is the minimum. You could leave it for 3-4 hours just make sure you remove all the air pockets after.
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What kind of flour to use for the pita bread? You can use plain flour or bread flour, whatever you have in your pantry. Bread flour has more protein and will rise better but plain flour will also work well.
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What can I substitute the sugar with? You can use a teaspoon of honey or rice malt syrup instead of sugar or not use any sweetener at all. If you don’t use any sweetener the yeast will not have bubbles after resting for 10 minutes in lukewarm water but it will still work fine if you are sure it hasn’t expired.
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Can I give pita bread to my baby? These are great for babies from 6 months and toddlers if you cut them in triangle slices. They can be used as dippers in yogurt or a sauce or a runny egg. You can skip the sugar and adjust the salt to your liking.
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Can I make pita bread with gluten free flour? Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this so I can’t tell. If you do try it though leave me a comment below cause I would love to know how it went.
Watch the video
Pita Bread - Greek Flatbread
Here is an easy homemade pita bread recipe that requires no kneading or a rolling pin. This pita bread or greek pocketless flatbread recipe makes 8 pitas that can be used for a homemade version of the famous Greek souvlaki wrap or for dipping in a sauce like tzatziki. These are great for little ones that follow the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) method as they can hold them easy with their little hands and dip them into sauces.
8 pitas
1 houre 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups (500gr) flour (plain or bread flour)
- 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons of (1 sachet) dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Add the lukewarm water to a bowl with the sugar and dry yeast.
- Cover with cling film and let it rest for 5-10 minutes until it forms foam and bubbles on top.
- Mix the flour and salt together.
- Add the yeast mixture to a big bowl and little by little add the flour to the bowl while mixing it with your hand. The texture will be sticky at this phase.
- Add a handful of flour to a wooden surface. Place the dough on top and start moving it around with your hands until it's not sticky and has absorbed the flour from the surface.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl where you made the dough. Place the dough back inside and cover with cling film or a towel.
- Let it rest for an hour until double in size.
- Put a little bit of oil in your hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Place the dough on the wooden surface and remove any air pockets by moving it around and pressing with your hands.
- Form the dough into a long roll and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Remember to oil your hands and the surface if the dough is getting too sticky.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Take one of the dough pieces and form it into a ball by rolling it on the surface. Using your fingers form it into a flat round pita bread.
- Place the pita bread on the heated pan and let it cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. You can prick it with a fork if it starts forming any bubbles.
- Continue with the rest of the pita bread pieces.
Notes
The texture of the dough is very soft and playable so it's easy to flatten it with just using your fingers. If it starts getting sticky, put some oil in your hands and the wooden surface.
Storage
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. They are also freezable after they cool down. Just defrost them and warm them up on a heated pan for a minute or two.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
