Pide

About This Recipe

Pide is Turkey's answer to pizza — an elongated, boat-shaped flatbread baked in a very hot stone or wood-fired oven. The dough is thin and chewy with charred bubbles, and is filled with a variety of toppings: kıymalı (spiced ground lamb with onion and tomato), kaşarlı (melted kaşar cheese), yumurtalı (egg), or karışık (mixed). Pide makers (pideciler) are skilled craftsmen who shape the dough by hand with a rapid slapping motion and crimp the edges into the characteristic boat shape. Baked for just a few minutes at extreme heat, the pide emerges with a slightly crispy base, molten topping, and pillowy charred edges. Cut crosswise into segments, it is eaten immediately with yogurt and salad.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gstrong bread flour
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tspsugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 240 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 400 gground lamb
• 1 mediumonion(finely diced)
• 2 mediumtomatoes(finely diced)
• 1 tspred pepper flakes
• 1 tspground cumin
• Salt and pepper(to taste)
• 150 gkaşar or mozzarella(grated, optional)
• 2eggs(for egg topping variation)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add water and olive oil. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and prove 1 hour until doubled.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Mix raw ground lamb with onion, tomato, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper. Do not cook — the raw filling cooks in the oven with the pide.

   A raw filling gives the most authentic, juicy result. Cooked filling can become dry during baking.

3. 3

   Shape the pide

   Preheat oven to maximum (250°C+) with a pizza stone or heavy baking tray inside. Divide dough into 4 balls. Stretch each into a long oval (about 30×15 cm). Place on a floured board.

4. 4

   Fill and fold

   Spread filling over the dough, leaving 2 cm border. Fold the long edges inward and pinch the ends to form a boat shape. Top with cheese or crack an egg in the centre for variations.

5. 5

   Bake

   Slide onto the hot stone or tray. Bake 10–12 minutes until the edges are charred and puffed and the filling is cooked. Cut crosswise and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Kaşarlı pide: just grated kaşar cheese — simple and perfect.

• •

  Kuşbaşılı pide: diced lamb cubes instead of mince.

• •

  Sucuklu pide: spiced Turkish sausage (sucuk) with egg.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Leftover pide reheats in a hot oven for 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions