Homemade Greek Pita Bread

Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Wisk to dissolve the yeast. Then add the flour and salt. Mix well until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead the dough. Transfer the shaggy dough to a counter and knead until the dough comes together. It should be supple and soft. Avoid adding any extra flour to the counter. Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel.

Rise. Let the dough rise for an hour. It should double in size.

Divide and shape. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. You can guesstimate or use a kitchen scale to get precise portions. Shape each piece into a tight ball and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into a 5-6 inch wide disc. They should be about ¼ inch thick.

Second Rise. Place the rolled-out pitas on a flowered towel and cover with another towel. Let the dough discs rise for 15 minutes before you cook them.

Cook. Place a cast iron pan, skillet or comal on your stove and heat on medium-high. In one swift move, place an uncooked pita disc on the hot pan. You should start seeing bubbles form on the surface of the dough. After about 20-30 seconds flip the pita over and cook on the other side for another 20-30 seconds. An air pocket may form inside the pita and it will puff up. This doesn’t always happen, so don’t worry too much if it doesn’t. Keep an eye on the heat, you may need to turn it down if the pitas start to burn or turn it up if there’s little to no browning. The pitas should be golden brown on both sides. Feel free to flip them over again to get an even coloring.

Serve. Store pitas in a bowl lined with a towel and cover them lightly. They will steam further and soften up.