It’s the Greek in Me
I just love Greek food. I don’t have any greek ancestry, but I spent 3 years in my youth growing up in Cyprus. This was followed by many holidays in Greece and I just love their food. This pita bread recipe is not like the ones we get in the UK. They are more like a flatbread but do puff up a little, but they are so fluffy and go great with souvlaki or other skewers/kebabs you may decide to cook.
Bread and baking can be my nemesis but these seem to work every time for me!
Preparation and Cook
These are really easy to put together. I do use a Kitchen Aid, which has been a game changer for me. To make these it’s a case of warming the milk, mixing in the water, yeast and honey, then letting the mixture rest for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and olive oil then once ready add the yeast mixture. Blend with the Kitchen Aid, then allow the dough to rest in a covered bowl for an hour, before rolling out and cooking.
It does amaze me that the dough cooks so well on the BBQ. I love watching the dough bubble up. They take about a minute each side, but you need to keep a close eye on them that they don’t burn.
Another tip is to make sure you flip them with tongs. I have done this by hand and they fill with hot steam which you don’t want on your skin.
The Verdict
I have a thing for bread and always loved the pita’s we get in the UK. However, this version is so easy to cook and making your own always tastes so much better than the shop-bought version.
Once you have these I will be surprised if you go back. I haven’t!!!
Pita Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Dry Active Yeast
- 1 tsp Honey
- 80 ml Semi-Skimmed Milk
- 40 ml Luke Warm Water
- 160 g 00 Flour
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Olive Oil (extra virgin)
Instructions
- Combine the water, milk, honey, and yeast in a bowl and set to one side for around 10 minutes.
- In a bowl combine the flour, olive oil and salt. I have a Kitchen Aid so I put it on ‘speed 1’ and let the mixer combine the ingredients which also makes a well in the flour mixture.
- Gradually (and slowly) add the liquid mixture to the flour. I increase the speed to ‘2’ for this stage. You are looking for a non-sticky dough, so let the Kitchen Aid go for around 5 minutes. If the mixture looks too sticky add a little flour.
- Once you have the correct consistency, add some olive oil to a bowl and place the dough in the bowl and cover. Leave for about 1 hour until it doubles in size.
- Remove from the bowl and dust your worktop with some flour. Shape into a rectangle and then cut into 3 or 4 even-sized pieces.
- Use a rolling pin to shape each piece into a circle. If you are using a BBQ add to the direct side of the grill for around a minute on each side.
- Serve with some greek salad, dips (houmous, tzatziki or taramasalata) and your favourite meat.
