Pide

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gstrong white flour
• 7 gdried yeast
• 300 mlwarm water
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• 10 gsalt
• 2 tablespoonsolive oil

Minced meat filling

• 400 gminced lamb or beef
• 1onion, very finely chopped
• 2tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 1green pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 1 teaspoonpul biber, Turkish chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• salt and black pepper
• a handful of parsley

Cheese filling

• 300 gkasar cheese, grated
• 150 gwhite cheese, crumbled
• 1egg, for the top

To finish

• 1egg yolk, beaten, for the edges
• butter, for brushing
• pul biber and sumac

Directions

1. Warm the water until it is lukewarm. Stir the yeast and sugar into it. Leave it for ten minutes until it froths. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Pour in the yeasted water and the olive oil. Bring it together into a dough. Knead it for a full ten minutes. It should be smooth, soft and elastic. Oil the bowl and turn the dough in it. Cover it and leave it to rise. Give it about an hour until doubled.
3. Chop the onion and pepper very finely. Deseed the tomatoes before chopping them. Put the mince in a bowl with the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and all the spices. Season it generously with salt and pepper. Mix it thoroughly with your hands. Add the chopped parsley last of all. The mixture should be moist but not wet.
4. Drain off any liquid that collects. Kasar is a firm Turkish cheese that melts well. Mix the two together in a bowl. Roll each piece into a long oval. Aim for about thirty centimetres long.
5. Keep it fairly thin in the middle. Spread the filling down the centre. Leave a clear border of three centimetres. Fold them enough to make a raised rim. The filling should still be visible down the middle.
6. Pinch each end firmly into a point. Twist the points slightly as you pinch. Baking it needs the hottest oven you have. Heat a baking stone or heavy tray at 250C. Give it a full thirty minutes to heat through. Brush the folded rim with beaten egg yolk. Slide the pide onto the hot surface.
7. Bake it for ten to twelve minutes. The rim should be deep golden. Brush the rim generously with melted butter. Sprinkle pul biber and sumac over the filling. Serving it is done immediately. Cut it across into strips with a pizza wheel. Serve it on a flat wooden board. It goes soft as it cools and is best fresh.

Technique

• Pideci shops specialise in this bread alone and are found across Turkey.
• Trabzon on the Black Sea coast is particularly associated with pide and its style is widely imitated.

Substitutions

• Mild cheddar or gouda replaces kasar and melts in a similar way.
• Feta replaces Turkish white cheese directly.

Variations

• Kiymali pide is the minced meat version described here.
• Kusbasili pide uses small cubes of lamb instead of mince.
• Sucuklu pide is topped with slices of the spiced Turkish sausage.

History

A boat-shaped flatbread, topped with cheese, meat or egg and baked until the edges turn golden and slightly crisp while the center remains soft, documented across Turkey for many generations, often compared to pizza though representing its own distinct Turkish baking tradition with a considerably longer history in the region. Its distinctive boat shape, with the dough’s edges pinched up and around the filling before baking, is considered essential to properly made pide, both for practical reasons, containing the toppings, and as a recognizable regional style distinguishing it from lahmacun and other Turkish flatbreads. Pide remains a popular dish across Turkey, particularly associated with the Black Sea region, where it is especially widely eaten.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pide?

Pide is a bread & pastry from Turkey: boat-shaped flatbread baked with cheese, minced meat or sucuk. A boat-shaped flatbread, topped with cheese, meat or egg and baked until the edges turn golden and slightly crisp while the center remains soft, documented across Turkey for many generations, often compared to pizza though representing its own distinct Turkish baking tradition with a considerably longer history in the region. Its distinctive boat shape, with the dough’s edges pinched up and around the filling before baking, is considered essential to properly made pide, both for practical reasons, containing the toppings, and as a recognizable regional style distinguishing it from lahmacun and other Turkish flatbreads. Pide remains a popular dish across Turkey, particularly associated with the Black Sea region, where it is especially widely eaten.

How long does Pide take to make?

Pide takes 30 minutes plus 1 hour rising of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 4 pide. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pide?

Yes, within limits. Mild cheddar or gouda replaces kasar and melts in a similar way. Feta replaces Turkish white cheese directly.