Description
Traditional Turkish Pide is a delicious flatbread often described as Turkish pizza, featuring a soft, chewy crust topped with savory fillings like cheese, spinach, sausage, or lamb. This recipe walks you through making the perfect homemade dough and preparing authentic toppings, resulting in a golden, flavorful pide baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 1 tsp rapid rise / instant yeast (sub active dry yeast)
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp + 2/3 cups very warm water (~40℃ / 104℉)
- 2 cups bread flour (sub all purpose/plain flour)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp semolina (optional)
Cheese
- 150g / 5oz Turkish kasar cheese or mozzarella
Toppings (choose one set for 2 pides):
- Spinach Topping: 2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 onion finely diced, 280g / 10oz baby spinach, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt (kosher / cooking salt), 1/2 tsp pepper
- Turkish Sausage Topping: 125g / 4oz Turkish sujuk sausage (sub chorizo)
- Lamb Topping: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 onion finely diced, 1 garlic clove finely minced, 250g / 8oz lamb mince (or beef), 1 tsp tomato paste, 1 tsp baharat spice mix, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper finely diced, 1/2 tomato finely chopped, 1 tsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp Turkish tulum cheese or feta crumbled
Additional
- 1 egg (optional)
- Sprinkling finishes of choice: dried oregano, sesame seeds toasted, sumac, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Bloom Yeast: Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Cover with cling wrap and leave for 10 minutes until foamy, indicating that the yeast is active.
- Make Dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the foamy yeast mixture, olive oil, and the remaining 2/3 cups warm water. Mix with a wooden spoon until mostly combined, then use your hands to bring it together into a dough.
- Knead Dough: Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes by hand or 3 minutes in a stand mixer on speed 6. The dough should be smooth and elastic, not breaking when stretched.
- First Rise: Shape the dough into a ball, lightly oil the inside of the bowl used, place the dough inside, and cover with cling wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Second Rise: Punch down the dough to deflate it fully, divide into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball with a bunched underside. Place on a floured tray, sprinkle with flour on top, cover with a damp tea towel, and let rise again for 1 hour until doubled.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 240°C / 465°F (220°C fan) and place racks on the top and middle positions.
- Roll Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an oval approximately 40cm (16”) long and 20cm (8”) wide at the widest point.
- Prepare Trays: Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon semolina onto each baking tray, shaping it to approximately 40cm (16”) by 15cm (6”) per tray. Place each rolled dough oval onto the semolina.
- Top the Pide: Sprinkle cheese evenly over the dough, then add your choice of prepared topping, leaving a 2cm (about 4/5 inch) border around the edges.
- Fold Dough: Brush the dough ends with a little water, pinch the ends together to seal, then fold the sides inward to create the traditional pide shape.
- Bake Pide: Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, switching trays halfway through for even cooking, until the crust is golden brown.
- Add Egg (Optional): For an egg-topped pide, bake for 10 minutes first, then crack an egg on top and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the egg is cooked to your liking.
- Finish & Serve: Sprinkle chosen finishing toppings such as dried oregano, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, fresh coriander, and extra virgin olive oil. Cut into roughly 3cm (1.3 inch) slices and serve hot.
- Prepare Spinach Topping: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook diced onion for 3 minutes until translucent. Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring continuously. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Allow to cool before using.
- Prepare Turkish Sausage Topping: Roughly chop the sujuk sausage, then pulse in a food processor or Nutribullet until minced.
- Prepare Lamb Topping: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic and onion for 3 minutes until soft. Add lamb mince and cook until browned. Stir in tomato paste, baharat spice mix, cumin, salt, and pepper, cooking for 3 more minutes. Add diced capsicum, chopped tomato, and lemon juice, cooking until most liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Cool before using.
Notes
- You can substitute active dry yeast for rapid rise/instant yeast.
- Water temperature should be around 40℃ (104℉) for activating yeast properly.
- Bread flour works best for chewiness but all-purpose/plain flour is an acceptable substitute.
- If Turkish kasar cheese is unavailable, mozzarella is a great alternative.
- Sujuk sausage can be substituted with chorizo for a similar spicy flavor.
- Baharat spice mix adds traditional Turkish flavor; you can make your own or find it in specialty stores.
- Use Turkish tulum cheese or feta for a salty, crumbly finish on lamb topping.
- Kneading dough well is critical for proper gluten development, which affects texture.
- Letting the dough rise twice enhances flavor and texture, so don’t skip the second rise.
- Semolina on the baking trays helps prevent sticking and adds a subtle crunch to the base.
- The egg is optional but adds richness; bake separately after initial bake time to prevent overcooking.
- Finish toppings like sumac and toasted sesame seeds enhance authenticity and flavor complexity.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Keywords: pide, Turkish flatbread, Turkish pizza, homemade bread, Turkish sausage, lamb pide, spinach pide, Turkish cheese bread
