Greek Flatbread
A soft and chewy, this easy to make Greek Flatbread is the perfect base for a gyro and is great for dipping in creamy hummus.
Are Flatbread And Pita The Same?
This pocket-less pita bread more closely resembles the flatbread that has been around for centuries.
You can find similar versions of this around the globe, like naan in India or focaccia in Italy.
Classic pocket pita bread is leavened slightly and cooked over high heat, creating an air-pocket inside the cooked bread that makes it quite easy to separate and stuff with fillings.
This Greek flatbread (also sometimes called pocketless pita, Mediterranean pita, or gyro flatbread) doesn't have a pocket, which makes it a bit sturdier. Its texture is also softer and more chewy than a traditional pita.
How To Serve This Pocketless Pita Bread
While we love homemade pita bread, we find that this flatbread is ideal for topping with gyro or souvlaki meat and folding up for a delicious sandwich. (We often find that pita bread with a pocket often isn't sturdy enough to hold up to the weight and juices from these meats.)
There's a reason it's often called gyro flatbread!
Another great way to eat this pocketless pita bread is as an appetizer. It is the bread that is traditionally cut into sections and served with tzatziki sauce, other spreads, or creamy cheeses.
Making Our Easy Greek Flatbread Recipe
The dough for this Greek flatbread is incredibly basic to make.
- Dissolve your yeast in honey water.
- Mix flour and salt.
- Add yeast mixture, oil, and milk to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until the dough comes together and knead until soft and smooth.
We like to add a touch of honey and a splash of milk to our dough for a slight sweetness and a creamy texture. It just gives the flatbreads something a little extra!
It is a simple dough that kneads well, and after resting is very easy to roll out. Don't worry about rolling your flatbread perfectly round. A rustic shape gives them character!
They bake up quickly on a baking sheet in the oven. So, they are great to roll out is batches and roll more while you have some in the oven!
Another nice thing about these flatbreads is that they will keep for a couple of days, staying nice and tender, ready to be filled with your choice of meat, or dunked in some hummus or tzatziki.
So, make a big batch and get ready to enjoy some soft and fluffy flatbread!
Greek Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1 c water, warmed to 80F
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 - 4 ½ c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ c milk
Instructions
- Dissolve honey in the warm water.
- Add yeast and let it dissolve and start to foam.
- In a large bowl, mix together salt and 3 ½ cups of flour. Add the yeast mixture, oil, and milk.
- Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together. Then, turn the dough out onto the counter and knead until smooth, adding the remaining flour as needed to create a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
- Place the dough back in the bowl, and let set, covered, for 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.
- When you are ready to cook the flatbread, preheat your oven to 375F.
- Knock back the dough and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
- Roll the pieces out into circles ¼” thick using short strokes of the rolling pin.
- Place the rolled out flatbread on a greased baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes, until cooked through and springy to the touch.
- Remove the cooked flatbread from the baking pan and immediately place them in a paper bag to cool. (The steam from the cooling bread in the bag will keep the flatbread soft and pliable.)
Notes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
I let mine overproof a little bit but oh my gosh these are so delicious and poofy. Seriously good with butter too!
We're so glad you enjoyed them!
I use less flour and more honey for a sweeter bread. Also I make 24 portions to use differently. I make bread sticks, steamed bao buns, and season some with Rosemary, Sesame seeds, and Cinnamon. I make this often.
Thank you for sharing Kenny! These sound delicious!
Absolutely delicious! And thank you for the tip about letting them cool in a paper bag. I was tempted to flatten them when I saw the air pockets, but they went down on their own in the bag and stayed pliable. What is the best way to store leftovers?
Glad you enjoyed them! We store leftovers in an air-tight bag on the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If there are still leftovers after that, we will move the bag to the refrigerator.
My kids could not get enough of this! Thank you Thank you!
So glad you all enjoyed it!
I found your recipe this past summer and has been my go-to for flatbread - thank you!!! Excellent and so easy.
So glad you enjoy it!
Hi,
Would be nice to have recipes like this in weights ( Baker percentages ) not volume.
Thanks!
Hi James. Thanks for your suggestion. You can find our ingredient conversion to reference guide for volume to weight here: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/kitchen-equivalents-conversions/.
Can this bread be frozen? In baked or dough form?
Hi Rhona. Yes! You could freeze it either way (as dough or baked), depending on your goal for re-heating and serving. Enjoy!
Do you have a recipe for the dressing which is used with gyros?
Hi Bonnie. Are you talking about the cucumber yogurt sauce, tzatziki? You can find our recipe here: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/tzatziki/. Enjoy!
I’ve baked more in the past 3 weeks than I have in the last year. So we went multi-cultural and made this Perfect accompaniment to red beans & rice. This ridiculously easy flatbread will go with anything, even a good high ABV stout to help pass the time! Thanks Sarah
So glad you enjoyed the flatbread and it's helping you pass the time! Stay well!
Can I use almond milk instead of dairy milk?
Yes, almond milk should work fine.
Looks good, and easy. Thank you. I've been trying different recipes with varying outcomes and this one looks like I might get usable pittas .
But I DO wish you'd measure and weigh the ingredients for us non-American folks. It'd make it much easier to be sure of the quantities. (And really, it's ever so easy 🙂 )
Thanks Bob. We hope you enjoy the recipe! And we do appreciate your comment about weights for ingredients, it is something that we are working on finding the best way to add in.
Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?
Hi Madison. That should be fine. They might just proof a bit faster. Enjoy!
Can you make the dough ahead of time and leave it in the fridge overnight?
We've never tried making it that way, but there's no reason why it shouldn't work just fine.
Quick and easy. Tender flatbreads at the end. I used them to eat baba ghanoush and chicken tikka with vegetables.Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick recipe that works great.
So glad you enjoyed the flatbread Gerry!
When placing the bread in the paper bag is it done individual or stacked on top in one large bag.
Hi Michael. You can place them all stacked on top of each other in one large bag.
I will give these a go. Love cooking for the family, off to france this year lots of big family meals, looking forward to will try the flat bread before hand , but bagging them keeping the heat and steam in sounds like a good idea, thanks Stuart
Enjoy the flatbread and enjoy your travels!