I’ve been looking forward to preparing homemade pita bread for quite some time now. I’m incredibly fond of Greek cuisine, it’s one of my favorites. I like it so much that I even took a course while visiting Crete in 2015.
That was a really lovely experience and not only did I bring back several recipes, I also wanted to learn more, so a few days later I bought “Greece. Gastronomy”, which many believe is the ultimate book on Hellenic cuisine. This is the same book I recommended months ago on my Instagram and that you can find on my Stories Highlights.
Because I had some spare time the other day, I opened the book and decided to finally give the pita bread a try. It is so easy to prepare that I’m sure you’ll immediately want to try it yourself. You can have it with almost anything, and it’s «freezer friendly». If you do, you just need to warm it up right before eating.
I had it with a savoury sauce that I made with Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, mint, and salt. After I took the photos I also added cucumber and some grated garlic, to make a tzatziki. They are so delicious, though, that you can have them without adding anything at all.
INGREDIENTS
350 gr (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
175 ml (¾ cups) warm water
10 gr (2 tbsp) fresh yeast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + some to spread
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
METHOD
Put the fresh yeast and the sugar in a bowl and wait until they mix on their own (it will take a couple of minutes). Then, combine the yeast mix, flour, warm water, olive oil, and salt in a big bowl. After that, mix well and knead lightly, until the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl. Let it rise for an hour.
Now, divide the dough into six portions and with the help of a rolling pin spread and flatten until you have six 20-centimeter (8 inches) wide and 5-millimeter (2 inches) thick discs. Flour them with some cornstarch, cover, and let them rise for 10 more minutes. Mark them diagonally with a pasta cutter or knife, without cutting through.
Coat a heavy bottom nonstick pan with oil and fry them in high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Don’t cook completely. If you prefer, you can also bake them in the oven: two minutes at 250ºC (480ºF) on one side and then one minute on the other side.
I hope you enjoy this super easy homemade pita bread recipe. Don’t hesitate to tag me on Instagram (@carlotafarina), I’d love to see your results!
Buon appetito!!
