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How to make Greek Pita Bread For Gyros

Greek pita bread for gyros, soft and with no pocket, so it wraps around the filling. It's very hard to get wrong. Cooked in a pan, in about 2 hours, an hour of it rising.

Written by Xhulio · Updated
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A homemade Greek pita in a dark frying pan, golden brown on top after flipping

Today I will show you how to make Greek pita bread for gyros. This was my first time making Greek pita bread. I can guarantee you that you will have a very high success rate in this one. Even though you might fail it, you will still end up with something eatable that will satisfy everyone.

If there is one thing that I miss from Albania, it’s that you could get a great Greek gyro anywhere for just $1.50. Because of this, I actually never realized how easy it is to make Greek gyros from scratch.

Also here is how to make Greek gyros from my YouTube channel.

Greek pita, not a pita pocket

The bread in a gyro is Greek pita. It’s thicker than the thin pita with a pocket, and it has no pocket at all. You don’t open it up and stuff it, you wrap it around the filling. In Greece, the thin pocket kind even has its own name, aravikí pita (Arabic pita).

That’s what the fork in the pan is for. In the heat, the water in the dough turns into steam, and the steam is what puffs a pita up into a pocket. Poking holes in the dough prevents those bubbles, so the pita stays flat and soft, ready to wrap.

A homemade Greek pita with dark charred spots, on a wooden board

Turning them into gyros

While the dough is resting, it’s time to prepare all the ingredients for the gyro. In the video I use chicken thighs, marinated with only salt and black pepper, then fried with a crushed garlic clove and some rosemary oil. I also make homemade fries.

Then you build it. The tzatziki goes on first, then lettuce and tomatoes, then the chicken and the fries. Wrap it up in foil, and that’s how you make a Greek gyro from scratch at home. This is literally incomparable to any other gyro I’ve had in my life.

A chicken gyro in homemade pita, half wrapped in foil, with tzatziki, tomato, lettuce and fries, on a wooden board

If you want something else to wrap in these pitas, try my qofte. You can also use them to wipe up the sauce of my turli.

You loved this recipe, what’s next? How to make Albanian Byrek with Ricotta and Spinach

Bon Appétit

Appetizer Greek

How to make Greek Pita Bread For Gyros

Greek pita bread for gyros, soft and with no pocket, so it wraps around the filling. It's very hard to get wrong. Cooked in a pan, in about 2 hours, an hour of it rising.

Written by Xhulio Tested in my own kitchen
Prep time
30 min
Cook time
30 min
Rise
1 hr 10 min
Total time
2 hr 10 min
Servings
6 pitas
Calories
280 kcal
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
Greek
Cooking for
6 pitas
Units

As written.

Ingredients

0 of 13 ticked

Pita bread

Tzatziki, to serve

  • Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

    Yes. Traditional Greek tzatziki is made with strained yogurt, so Greek yogurt works. I make mine with sour cream.

You'll need

  • Small bowl (for the yeast)
  • Large bowl
  • Kitchen towel (warm and wet, to cover the dough)
  • Bench scraper or knife
  • Rolling pin
  • Frying pan
  • Fork

Instructions

  1. Wake up the yeast

    • To prepare the dough for the pita, we first start by combining together sugar, yeast, water and milk in a small bowl.
    • We need to set the bowl aside and leave it for around 10 minutes so that the yeast starts to activate.

    Use lukewarm milk and water, about 105°F (41°C). Liquid that is too hot can kill the yeast.

    • You need
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 2 tsp active dry yeast
    • ¾ cup water
    • ¾ cup milk

  2. Make the dough

    • In a bigger bowl, we will combine the flour with the salt.
    • After we see that the yeast mixture is ready, we add the olive oil and mix it well together.
    • As soon as the olive oil is incorporated, we add the mixture to the flour and salt.
    • Combine together until you get a perfectly smooth dough.
    • To get the smoothness, knead the dough for around 10 minutes.
    • You need
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

  3. Let it rise

    • Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a warm wet towel.
    • Let it rise for about an hour, until it doubles in size.

    While the dough is resting, make the tzatziki (last step), so it has time to sit.

  4. Shape the pitas

    • When the dough is ready, separate it into 6 different pieces.
    • Shape each piece into a ball.
    • Roll each piece to a circle of about 20 cm in diameter.

    20 cm is about 8 inches.

  5. Cook the pitas

    • Place a pan over medium heat.
    • Make sure to brush it with some olive oil or butter.
    • Once the pita is in the pan, poke some holes with a fork so that it stays flat.
    • Cook each of the pitas for around 2 minutes on each side, until they puff up slightly.
    A fork poking rows of holes in a raw pita as it cooks in a frying pan
    • You need
    • olive oil or butter

    Poke holes, so it stays flat.

  6. Serve with tzatziki

    • To serve the pita, use some tzatziki sauce!
    • To make tzatziki sauce, simply mix sour cream, chopped cucumber, chopped garlic, olive oil and salt.
    • Let it sit in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving.
    • You can also use these pitas to make Greek gyros.
    • You need
    • sour cream
    • 1 cucumber
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • olive oil
    • salt

Nutrition per serving

Calories
280 kcal
Protein
8 g
Fat
4 g
Carbs
52 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
4 g
Sodium
405 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, without olive oil or butter (for the pan), sour cream, cucumber (chopped), garlic clove (chopped), olive oil, salt.

Ju bëftë mirë!

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Video

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Questions

Questions about how to make greek pita bread for gyros

What bread is used for gyros?

Greek pita. It's a soft, thick flatbread with no pocket, so you wrap it around the filling instead of stuffing it. That's the bread this recipe makes.

Is gyro bread the same as pita bread?

It is pita, but the Greek kind. The thin pita with a pocket is a different style, and in Greece it's called aravikí pita, Arabic pita. Greek pita is thicker and has no pocket.

What goes in a gyro?

In mine, tzatziki first, then lettuce and tomatoes, then the chicken and the fries. In Greece, gyros is usually pork, sometimes chicken, with tomato, onion, fries and tzatziki.

How do you warm pita bread for gyros?

The same way you cook it. Put it in a pan over medium heat with a little olive oil for about 2 minutes, until it's warm and soft. Fresh from the pan, it's ready to wrap.

How do I store homemade pita bread?

Once they cool, keep them in a sealed bag at room temperature and use them within a few days. Not in the fridge, because it makes bread go stale faster. They also freeze for up to 3 months.

How many calories are in a gyro pita?

About 280 calories per pita, with 6 pitas in the recipe, from USDA data. That's the bread only, without the oil in the pan or the filling.

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