Vefa’s Pita Bread
Written by Peter Minakis on November 11th, 2009
One of the most well-known foods in Greek cuisine is pita bread. It’s used to scoop-up dips that are usually included in the mix of mezedes (Greek appetizers).
We wrap souvlaki in them, we wrap gyro in them, we use pita bread to scoop Taramosalata, Melitzanosalata, Tzatziko, Red Pepper Dip, Parsley Salad, Htipiti, Fava, Hummus. Name the dip…pita bread is there (a search in my blog will offer recipes for all these dishes). 
There are many pita breads that can be bought from your local grocer or Greek market but again, nothing beats homemade. I’ve tried many recipes for homemade pita bread and today’s recipe is the best one out there (in my opinion).
The kitchen is as much about experimentation as it is nurturing and pulling-off a dish. On the same day that I made the pita bread, I also tried my hand at homemade pork gyro.
In Greece, the “gyro” you might see in North America that more resembles meatloaf than gyro is nowhere to be found in Greece. If you were to visit Greece tomorrow, you would find pork and chicken gyro. 
For my pork gyro, I used a combo of pork belly and pork butt (shoulder), marinated it over night and stacked the meat on an upright kitchen towel dispenser.
The idea came from a cooking segment on Antenna’s (Greek TV station) morning show. The meat was stacked, wrapped in foil and placed in a preheated oven for 90 minutes. After, the foil is removed and the meat is exposed to crisp-up and take on it’s brown colour.
The result? The flavour was fantastic…it had that Greek gyro taste but I found the meat a little too dry for my liking. I have to play around with the pork cuts (more fat needed) .
I can see folks having a “gyro party”. After each instance of shaving off the crisped pork meat, the gyro stack goes back into the oven for the next round of Gyros on a pita. I’m thinking the outdoor rotisserie will also make for wonderful gyro.
My brother Danny, signaling his satisfaction
Why not try your hand at your own homemade gyro? Go out and find an upright kitchen towel dispenser (no plastic) and try your hand at it?
I’m witholding my recipe as this is a work in progress…when I get it right – you’ll get it!
In the meantime, I can and will share this pita bread recipe, courtesy of Vefa Alexiadou’s latest book, “Vefa’s Kitchen”. This huge collection of her best Greek dishes was just released eariler this year to the English speaking world.
Vefa is huge in Greece, continues to appear on television on her own show and I’m sure that every Greek homemaker has tried at least one of her dishes. Christmas is coming up, Vefa’s Kitchen would make for a wonderful gift.
Making pita bread is easy. You need a basic bread recipe, a heavy cast-iron skillet, offset spatula to flip the pita bread and a cotton kitchen towel to wrap them as they cool.
I am going to share Vefa’s recipe and method but I want to also tell you that rolling out some dough from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes master recipe also works splendidly here.
Buying pita bread from the market is a thing of the past for me. I’ve recently become a bread snob (spoiled by homemade bread) and now I will only eat homemade pita bread.
Vefa’s Pita Bread
Note: the amount of pita bread units depends on how big you roll them out to. I like big pita breads. I used a large cast iron skillet in this instance. You should be good for at least 8, depending on the size you like them to be.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup warm (body temperature) water
coarse corn flour/cornmeal) for dusting – not corn starch (Corn starch is labeled/called corn flour in Greece but to the rest of the world, corn flour and cornmeal are one & the same)
vegetable oil for greasing the pan
- Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl. In another large bowl, add the water, olive oil, yeast, salt and sugar and let stand for five minutes or until you see that the yeast is active.
- Using your hands, gradually add the the dry ingredients into wet and knead with your hands until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to rise and rest for about 30 minutes.
- Divide into six pieces and roll out into 8 to 10 -inch rounds that are about 1/4 inch thick. Dust both sides lightly with cornmeal and lightly poke the surface of your pita breads with the tines of a fork (careful not to poke right through).
- Place a heavy cast-iron skillet (non-stick pan is fine as well) and heat to medium-high. You may place your pita dough on corn-meal lined pizza peel to slide onto the hot skillet.
- Pour some vegetable oil in a small bowl and dunk some kitchen towel in it and grease your hot cast iron skillet.
- Place your pita dough on the hot skillet and and fry the bread for a couple of minutes a side or until they start to puff and bubble up. Flip and fry the other side.
- Place fried pita breads on to a large cotton kitchen towel and cover. Dab your kitchen towel into the bowl of vegetable oil and place another flattened pita dough on the skillet.
- Repeat frying each pita bread and stack them, tucked inside the kitchen towel. Serve warm or allow to cool inside the kitchen towel until cooled. Store in a sealed plastic bag for up to a week or freeze.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
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Posted in Appetizer, Bread, Corn Flour, Dips, Dough, Flour, Frying, Greek, How To, Meze | 
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11
PM
This looks delicious! Is pita bread traditionally fried? The only time I have ever made it I did it in the oven. However, I have made naan with a similar method.
11
PM
I’ll take one, please! They look fabulous, Peter!
11
PM
I really enjoyed this post. I’ve been baking my own bread for the last 4 years and I’m always glad to hear when others do it, too!
However, I’ve never made pita bread before and I’d like to give it a try – but I do have one question: can I use fresh yeast instead of dry one? (does it make any difference…?)
11
PM
Looks do-able, well the pita at least. I don’t know about the gyro. I’ll need your help. Now I just need to get me one of those there skillets.
11
PM
Mmm-mmm, looks good! I was just saying to my boyfriend not 15 minutes ago that I wanted “Vefa’s Kitchen” for Christmas, and saw your post right after, which gave me a chuckle.
I hope that’s homemade tzatziki I see in those gyros!
11
PM
Peter, you’re awesome–I love the kitchen towel dispenser technique. You are a true Kalofagas, my friend
11
PM
Stamatia…absolutely homemade!
11
PM
That looks really good! I love pita & souvlaki!
Cheers,
Rosa
11
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Oh my goodness, there is nothing better than soft, fluffy, sweet homemade pitas! Oraio.
11
PM
Those looks fabulous! Delicious!
11
PM
braco – thiese look like the real thing
11
PM
Souvlaki in a pita is one of my favorite things. There’s a little hole-in-the-wall place, right near Boston’s Symphony Hall, that sells this, and before symphony performances, people line up in their fancy clothes to eat souvlaki-pita sandwiches.
11
PM
Nothing better than homemade pitas! It has been a long time since I made some. Waiting for your gyro recipe, sounds much more delicious than the meatloaf variety
11
PM
Alright already I going to get Vefa’s book!
11
PM
I never realized pita bread could be cooked in a skillet. I make my own homemade bread but never tried pita. You’ve set me on the path.
11
PM
Wow, Peter that meat looks fantastic! But those pitas are incredible. And I have to thank you for reminding me to use my 5 minute dough! I have some in the fridge right now!
11
PM
Love this recipe Peter! I found you through Robin-Sue at Big Red Kitchen.
I will defintely make these – SOON!
11
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I can’t wait for your gyro recipe Peter, in the meantime I will continue to dream of those I had in Greece or here locally.
11
PM
I absolutely can’t wait to try this!! It will be heavenly…I can tell!
11
PM
Pita looks amazing! I love the pita in Greece, I haven’t found anything that compares here. Is this recipe like the ones in Greece?
Re: gyro on the outdoor rotisserie, do you have a vertical one? I think the horizontal one wouldn’t work because the juices/fat need to fall on the meat to avoid dryness.
11
PM
okay i want to hang out with you for a week so i can eat all this good food!!! geesh! no pork for me, but i’ll take beef!!
12
AM
I’m in love with the pita! Looks fab… and wow, I did not realize that about gyros- how it is so different. Overnite some for me, will ya? lol
12
AM
Bread snob….I like that!!! You will soon become a gyro snob too. Fat is flavor and will keep the meat moist for sure!!!Good luck with the experiment!
12
AM
Absolutely beautiful. I’ve never tried making homemade pita bread but this looks great. If you ever come to the Detroit area, make sure you try Ernie’s. Their homemade pita is amazing. I look forward to more recipes!
12
AM
Stacking it on the kitchen towel dispenser was a stroke of absolute genius! I wonder if one of those tripod chicken roaster thingies would do the job?
I have to try that pita too. The supermarket pita really doesn’t do it.
12
AM
LOVE the makeshift spit, peter–very innovative and impressive. the pita bread looks amazing, and that finished wrap, well…let the drooling commence.
12
AM
Okay Peter, that seriously looks amazing. See your new gyro toy is being put to good use. I must try the homemade pita.
12
AM
All I can say is WOW! A kitchen towel holder? That’s genius … I’ve always wondered how I’d make Greek gyro at home and now I know. I will have to buy a kitchen towel holder solely for that purpose though
And the pites look equally delicious. Kudos Peter!
12
AM
I want to make some pita! Looks incredible, and fresh from your own oven, it must be delicious.
12
AM
I was so surprised the first time we made pita at how easy it is & how tasty. You gyro certainly looks tasty
12
PM
Nicely done. My gyro loving husband would be so happy if I made him this meal.
12
PM
Welcome to the wonderful world of being a bread snob. I use to never care but since I started making it at home holy crap I can tell a huge difference. Heck I have even gone to the level of using only my bread for breadcrumbs versus buy the day old loaves for like 10 cents at the store.
Love the gyro idea. I always have just wanted a pit and I remember something about people using a grill rotisserie.
The belly and shoulder should give you plenty of fat but what you could look for it fatback which is basically just pure fat to stack in and help keep it moist.
12
PM
OMG! This gyros looks amazing. I think you should use fattier cuts to keep things moist, gyros is fatty anyway. I have never cooked a vefa recipe before but this one looks like a real winner.
12
PM
The pitas look great. Something I defintely should try, especially since I’m trying to get into baking bread more.
Your pork looked wonderful. I’m surprised it was dry considering you layered pork belly in there. I love seeing those giant roatating hunks of meat. Your paper towel dispenser really replicated that experience nicely. There is a middle eastern place near my office and they can sell me on the schwarma every time I go in there when I see that giant skewer.
12
PM
The pita looks really delicious. I keep telling myself I’m going to make my own pita and then I get lazy. And homemade gyros? Peter, you are too ambitious for me, lol.
12
PM
Love the pita. Haven’t tried frying them before, only baked in the oven. I will try this now. And now I want Vefa’s book too!
13
AM
Thanks for sharing the pita bread recipe. Looks easy to make. And that gyros is irresistible Peter.
13
PM
Pita in a skillet!! I have done the oven one, but now with my oven not working I will give this a try for sure. Bookmarked.
14
AM
Nice! Home made Gyros, pita bread. I would be in heaven at your house!
How would one of those electrical rotiserries work with the Gyro. I have always wanted to try.
14
AM
I bought Vefa’s cook book recently and am very impressed…love it all Peter! The home made pites look fantastic as does your attempt at gyros! Wow! Your ambition in the kitchen is infectious!
14
AM
Homemade pitas, fantastic idea Peter, I’ll, try it!!
Have a super weekend!!!
14
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I want a gyro party!!!!!!!!!!
14
PM
Homemade pita sounds heavenly.
I just might take you up of the gyro challenge.
LL
14
PM
i can’t believe how long it took you to post a pita recipe! unless i missed something before…
16
AM
I like you, you bread snob! Your meal does look delish, and I love making my own pita bread, and all other breads now too. Now gyro snob & me might just take a little longah…
17
PM
LOVE that last picture – I could eat that right now!
18
PM
Just made flatbread with a similar recipe, except no yeast of course. If this is all there is to pita bread, it’s worth a shot.
18
PM
Trying out the whole meal – thanks for the recipe