Pide

Pide (Turkish Flatbread with Minced Meat and Cheese)

A traditional Turkish pide is a boat-shaped yeasted dough filled with seasoned minced meat, grated cheese, and a cracked egg, then baked until the crust is deeply golden and crisp. This home version uses a standard oven and a tray rather than a wood-fired stone, but the essential character - chewy rim, soft centre, rich filling - is the same.

Prep

30 min

Cook

20 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• •7 g (2¼ tsp) instant dried yeast
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine salt
• •5 g (1 tsp) sugar
• •300 ml (1¼ cups) lukewarm water, around 38°C/100°F
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• •300 g (10½ oz) lean ground lamb, or a 50/50 lamb and beef blend; beef alone is a common home substitute
• •1 g small onion, very finely chopped, about 100 g, optional but traditional
• •2 g garlic cloves, minced
• •15 g (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• •5 g (1 tsp) Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), sweet or mild; substitute with 1 tsp tomato paste plus a pinch of smoked paprika
• •3 g (1 tsp) Aleppo pepper, or ½ tsp paprika plus a pinch of cayenne
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried oregano
• •150 g (5¼ oz) kasar cheese, Traditional; substitute with equal parts low-moisture mozzarella and aged cheddar, grated
• •2 g small tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
• •2 g spring onions, thinly sliced (green parts only)
• •10 g (2 tsp) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• •4 g medium eggs, one per pide, for cracking into the centre
• •30 g (2 tbsp) melted butter, for brushing after baking

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a large bowl whisk the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and mix to a shaggy dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should feel tacky but not sticky; add a little flour if needed.
2. 2 Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm spot for 60–90 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
3. 3 Meanwhile, make the filling: heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 4–5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add the ground lamb and break it up with a spoon; cook for 6–8 minutes until no longer pink and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste, pepper paste, Aleppo pepper, oregano, ½ tsp salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook 2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and let cool. Fold in the grated cheese, diced tomato, spring onion and parsley.
4. 4 Heat the oven to its hottest setting, 250°C / 480°F, with a heavy baking tray or pizza stone on the middle rack for at least 30 minutes.
5. 5 Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (about 175 g each). On a floured surface, roll each piece into an oval roughly 25 × 12 cm / 10 × 5 in and about 5 mm thick.
6. 6 Transfer a dough oval onto a piece of parchment. Spoon a quarter of the filling down the centre in a long strip, leaving a 2 cm / ¾ in border. Fold the long edges up and over the filling, pinching the ends to form a boat shape and tucking the corners underneath so the filling is enclosed in the centre.
7. 7 Carefully slide the parchment onto the hot tray or stone. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove, crack one egg into the well in the centre of the filling, and return to the oven for 4–5 minutes more, until the bread is deeply golden and the egg white is set but the yolk still jammy. Internal temperature of the cooked meat filling should reach 75°C / 165°F.
8. 8 Repeat with the remaining pides. As each pide comes out, brush the crust generously with melted butter. Slice into 3–4 cm / 1¼–1½ in pieces and serve immediately, ideally with a side of pickled green chilies (biber turşusu), sumac-dressed onion salad and a squeeze of lemon.
9. 9 SAFETY: Ensure the minced meat filling reaches an internal temperature of 75°C / 165°F before serving, confirmed by leaving it in the oven for the full bake time. Eggs should be cooked until the whites are fully opaque and the yolks reach at least 70°C / 160°F if you prefer them fully set.