Easy Greek Flatbread Recipe

Greek Flatbread Recipe is a round flatbread dough recipe which is made from flour, water and yeast. Flatbread is very popular and widely used in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and other Mediterranean countries.

In each countries, they have their version of flatbread, and they use it for their sandwiches such as shawarma, falafel or gyrus. Furthermore, they also use for dipping sauces such as hummus or baba ganoush.

To be honest, the flatbread or pita bread are basically the same in most countries since they mostly use similar ingredients. The only difference is some of them use butter, yogurt, milk or water. Also, my recipe is leavened bread since I am using yeast as one of the ingredients. If you don't use yeast, you will be producing an unleavened bread such as tortilla.

Recipe Ingredients

The ingredient of this flatbread dough recipe is very similar like any other breads. Here are the list of ingredients below:

• All Purpose Flour- If you want to add whole wheat flour, you can make it 50% whole wheat and 50% All purpose flour
  
• Water-
  
• Milk- To have a nice flavor, I add 50% milk and 50% water.
  
• Salt- I am using iodized salt for giving taste of the bread. DO NOT use sea salt or add too much salt because this slow down the growth of the yeast.
  
• Sugar- This can give a sweetness of the bread.
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil- This will give a soft and smooth texture of the bread. When I am kneading the bread, this will help prevent sticking on my hand.
  
• Instant Dry Yeast- Because I am making a leavened bread, this raising agent will help grow the dough. You need to mix this milk or water before putting into the flour. Do not mix the with hot water since it can kill the yeast.

What is the difference between Leavened and Unleavened Flatbread?

My Greek flatbread dough recipe is leavened bread which means that I am using a raising agent like yeast to help grow my dough. Usually, you need to wait for 1 to 2 hours for the dough to grow before you can start baking or cooking the bread. This is very similar to naan, pita bread, or Arabic kuboos since they all use yeast.

On the other hand, unleavened bread is those bread that does not use yeast. They do not cause the dough to grow, and you can cook it right away. Example of unleavened bread includes Tortilla or Chapati.

Step by Step Instruction

• Firstly, mix the yeast with water and milk in a glass. After that, add flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil in a large bowl, and then pour the yeast-water mixture.
• Mix and Knead the dough. Add more flour if it's too sticky or adds more water if it has too much flour.
• While kneading and mixing the flour, add a tablespoon of olive oil so it can have a smooth texture and it can further prevent sticking from your hand.
• Cover it and leave it for 1 to 2 hours.

• After that, remove the dough and roll it into a long cylindrical shape, and use a knife to divide them into 8 to 10 balls.
• On each ball, roll the dough into a circle shape using a rolling pin.
• Later, prepare a skillet or pan on low medium heat and rub them with a bit of olive oil or butter.
• Once it is hot, put the dough into the pan. Heat it for 30 to 45 seconds or until it starts to puff up.
• Flip it and repeat the process. You will expect to see the flatbread a few brown spots which are expected when it is cooked.

Tips and Hints

• Do not use very hot water or milk since this will kill the yeast and prevent the dough from growing
• If the dough is too sticky, add ¼ cup of flour and knead again till it becomes soft and elastic
• If the dough is too hard, add a drop of water and knead.
• If you don’t have instant yeast, you can use 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer higher fiber content.
• You can bake in the oven instead of cooking in a pan. Just make bake for 10 minutes at 350 F.

Variation

Roti- This is unleavened flatbread which is made using whole wheat flour with ghee and water.

Kuboos- This Arabic pita bread is a leavened bread that contain yeast, water, olive oil and whole wheat flour

Tortilla- This Mexican version is an unleavened bread which is perfect for sandwiches, tacos, or wrapper.

Freezing Storage and Reheat

I. Storage

After you cooked these delicious Greek flatbread recipe using the oven or skillet the (My preferred cooking method), you will be storing them in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. This easy flatbread dough recipe can last in the freezer for up to 1 month. This is more convenient if you want to use them for other days

II. Reheat

When reheating homemade flatbread, I put it in the skillet/pan or directly in the fire gas stove. There is no specific time duration when reheating this leavened bread. You have to make sure you remove it right away when it becomes warm and soft.

If you want to reheat them using a microwave, make sure you adjust the intensity to low power or 160 C / 320 F for less than a minute. This will help prevent making the dough hard or crispy which I am sure you don't want to happen in your bread.

Troubleshoot

If you notice your flatbread taste so chewy, there are two possible reasons:

First, the dough is probably too thick, which is common if you add too much flour.

And second, if you are using instant dry yeast and this suddenly happened, it means this yeast is not growing. In my experience, if you mix the instant dry yeast with boiling water or your dough is too salty, it will weaken the growth of this yeast, which will not cause the flatbread dough to grow.

What to serve flatbread with

You can use flatbread for sandwiches such as shawarma, falafel, gyrus, and shish tawook. Also, dipping sauce can be eaten with this such as hummus, curry sauce, or baba ganoush.

In the Middle East and some Mediterranean cuisines, we love using this bread when picking up meats, scrambled egg, and other solid foods to eat. For example, I made my homemade scrambled egg with mushrooms, and we love eating this dish with this bread.

Dough Based Recipes to Try

Here are other delicious dough based recipes that you can make at home:

• Potato Cheese Bread
  
• Cheese Manakish
  
• Pissaladier (French onion tart)

📋 Recipe Card

Greek Flatbread Recipe

Saif Odeh

Greek Flatbread is round flatbread recipe which is mix with water, yeast, milk, olive oil and flour. It is perfect for sandwiches and dipping sauces.

4.97 from 57 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 8 to 10 pieces

Calories 217 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups All Purpose Flour or any white flour
• ½ cup Milk
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup Additional water Optional
• 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Yeast
• 1 cup Flour For rolling the dough

Instructions

 

• Add the milk, ½ cup of water and yeast in a large cup. Mix it together
• In a separate large bowl, add the flour, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and sugar.
• Add the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. Use your hand to mix it together. Later, add additional ¼ cup of water to help mix and knead the dough. Keep kneading until the dough become soft and smooth. By that time, the dough will not stick to your hand.
• Add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Knead again for 30 seconds. This will give a very fluffy and smooth dough.
• Cover the dough with plastic and then a round plate. Leave it for 1 to 2 hours
• Once the dough grow, transfer into a clean and empty table. Make sure the table is dry and add few drops of flour to prevent the dough sticking to it.
• Use your hand to roll the dough into a long cylindrical shape. Use a knife to divide into 8 to 10 pieces. Shape each pieces into a ball.
• Add few drops of flour on the table before rolling each pieces of ball. Stroke the ball gently using the rolling pin to help make a nice circle flatbread.
• In a skillet or pan, turn on the fire on low or medium-low heat. Put the flatbread in the pan, and let it heat for 30 to 45 seconds or until it start to puff up.
• Once it started to puff up, flip it and heat that side for 30 to 45 seconds
• Transfer each flatbread into a plate. Cover it with warm towel to make sure bread remains warm and soft. Repeat the process of the rest of the flatbread.
• Serve with sandwiches or any desired dish

Notes

Avoid mixing the yeast with hot water or hot milk since this will kill the yeast and slow down the growth of the dough

Avoid using sea salt since a salty dough will weaken the effect of the yeast

This flatbread can be stored into the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 38.5gProtein: 5.9gFat: 4.1gSaturated Fat: 0.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 2.3gCalcium: 27mgIron: 2mg

Keyword greek flatbread

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