Go Back
+ servings

Pita Bread - The Cypriot Way

Servings 12 Pita
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Rising time 2 hours

Ingredients

For the starter

  • 150 gms Bread flour
  • 1 tbsp Granulated sugar
  • 250 nl Water, tepid

For the dough

  • 500 gms Bread flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 50 gms Extra virgin olive oil
  • 250 gms Greek yogurt Room temperature

Instructions

To make the starter

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients from the yeast mixture: flour, sugar, water and yeast. Stir until smooth, then let the mixture rest for 10-15 minutes until it becomes foamy, indicating the yeast is active.

For the dough

  • Add the olive oil, salt, and Greek yogurt from the dough ingredients to the starter mixture. Stir well to combine.
  • Gradually add the remaining flour from the dough ingredients, mixing as you go. Adjust the amount of flour as needed until the dough forms a slightly sticky texture.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is soft, smooth, slightly sticky, and elastic. You can also do this in the stand mixture using the dough hook.
  • Lightly oil a clean bowl with a small amount of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
  • Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Gently deflate the dough, then divide it into pieces weighing a maximum of 100 grams each. Shape each piece into a ball, cover with a towel, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
  • On a a well-floured surface, press each dough ball into a circular shape with your hands. Use a rolling pin to roll each piece into an oval roughly 5" wide by 8" long, or roll into circles if preferred.
  • Place the rolled pitas on a tray lined with baking paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for another 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 440ºF Convection..
  • Place your trays in the preheated oven and bake for about 3-4 minutes, until they puff up. For best results, place the pitas in the oven side-on, as they tend to puff up better this way. Only bake 3 at a time.
  • Remove the baked pitas from the oven and cover with a clean kitchen towel or foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining uncooked pitas.
Course: Breads & Rolls, Dinner, entree, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Greek
Keyword: Cyprus, kebab, pita, pita bread, souvlakia