Pide (Turkish Flatbread Pizza)

What Is Pide?

Never tried pide before? Sorry but you are missing a lot! It is one of the best Turkish foods. It is like a boat shaped flatbread pizza with a variety of toppings or fillings. 

Pide can be found in different shapes in Turkey. It is traditionally oval-shaped, but there are places that make it in a round shape. Also, the well-known pide is open-faced and only the edges are sealed half way and most of the top is open. But there is also a closed version called kapali pide, Bafra pidesi. When shaping this one, you combine the two edges of the dough over the filling so that is is completely covered.

There is a variety of fillings or toppings of pide. Most popular ones are with ground meat (kiymali), diced meat (kusbasi etli), pastrami (pastirmali), sujuk (sucuklu), cheese (peynirli), spinach (ispanakli), eggs (yumurtali). You can even order it with a mixture of fillings and that is called mixed (karisik) pide. You see a bit of each topping on that mixed topping pide. 

You can also make combinations of toppings like diced meat and kasar cheese topping, all meat topping (ground meat, diced meat, pastrami, sujuk all on one pide), spinach and cheese topping, cheese and egg topping, etc. 

There is even a sweet version of pide that is made with tahini and sugar topping called tahini pide. It is not as popular as the savory version and made only in a few cities in the country. But it is of course so delicious.

You can't miss the pide shops/houses on the streets of Istanbul. It is so popular all around the country. Every city or town in Turkey has at least one place selling pides. So no matter where you are, you can find a place to taste this famous Turkish pizza.

Pide is pronounced pee-dae. If you happen to visit a pide house in Turkey or abroad, don't pronounce it like you say the word "ride" when ordering.

It is not very common to make it at home in Turkey as there is always a pideci (bakery making pide) near you. You can even find it at kebab restaurants. But we have been making it at home since we moved to the UK. And you know what? This homemade pide is so good! 

Pide vs Lahmacun

Although lahmacun is considered as a Turkish pizza by many non-Turkish people, pide matches the concept of pizza better. Let's see how pide and lahmacun are different from each other and which one is more like a pizza.

For one thing, the ingredients of a pizza base and pide dough are the same. So the crust of pide is soft and fluffy like a pizza whereas lahmacun is very thin and crispy.

Another difference is that pide is sliced and eaten like a pizza but lahmacun is not. You sprinkle some salad and parsley on lahmacun, squeeze lemon all over it, roll it up and then enjoy.

Finally, while lahmacun is made only with ground meat topping, pide has a variety of toppings like pizza. Chopped beef or lamb (mini pieces), ground lamb or beef, spinach, cheese, egg, sujuk and pastirma/pastrami are the most popular ones. 

So you decide which one is more similar to pizza.

Pide Dough

Ingredients

The ingredients for this pide dough recipe make 5 pides, so you can double if you need more.

• Flour: We use all purpose flour but you can use bread flour too. It could even result in a softer and fluffier crust. We have tried it with a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour and it worked fine too.
• Yeast: We use instant dry yeast just because we find it easier. You just mix it with all the dry ingredients. You can use active dry yeast instead if that's what you have on hand. Make sure to dissolve it in warm water before combining it with the other ingredients and to increase the rising time of the dough.
• Sugar: It is needed for the yeast to activate. The dough rises better when it contains sugar and yeast together.
• Olive Oil: It helps the dough to become soft. And the final crust is nicely crispy thanks to olive oil. Also, it is easier to work with the dough when it contains olive oil because it is less sticky. 
• Warm water: It is very important to use lukewarm water. Hot water kills the yeast and cold water prevents activation of the yeast. 

How to make the dough

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast well. Add in olive oil and warm water and mix well with a hand whisk, fork or spatula. When it is hard to stir, use your hands and knead until you get a smooth and elastic dough. You can wet your fingers occasionally when you find it too sticky. This will take about 6-7 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, you can use it too and make your dough in 3 minutes.
2. Shape the dough into a ball, oil the inside of the same bowl well and put the dough ball back into the bowl.
3. Cover it with a kitchen towel and keep the bowl in a warm place that is away from air circulation.
4. Let it rise 1 hour or until it doubles. You might need to wait longer if it hasn't doubled after 1 hour.

5. When it has doubled in size, transfer it onto the counter. Knead it for a few minutes, give it a log shape and cut it into 5 pieces.
6. Shape each into a ball and cover with a kitchen towel for the second rise. Let them sit for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile you can prepare the topping you want. You will find two topping options below.

Pide Dough Without Yeast

Can you make Turkish pide without yeast? Although the traditional recipe requires yeast, it is possible to make it with no yeast. Use baking powder instead just like in our dinner rolls recipe without yeast. 

To make a no yeast dough, you will need 3 cups flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup olive oil and ¾ - 1 cup warm water. So the ingredients are almost the same as the above. We just don't have yeast and sugar in this one. 

When making the dough, combine everything with ¾ cup of water, mix with your hand and then add an extra ¼ cup water if needed. If everything holds well together, it is ready. 

Continue the rest of the recipe as it is described. 

Toppings

There are several toppings you can use on your homemade Turkish pide, you can even create your own combination. Here we will share two most popular toppings in Turkey.

Ground Meat Topping

The ingredients for the ground meat topping (for kiymali pide) are very similar to the ones we use for lahmacun topping. There is no need to cook the meat before assembling the pide. 

• Ground meat: We use 80% lean ground beef. You can use lamb or beef or a combination of two. Just make sure it is not lean because we need some fat for flavor. You can add some chopped Turkish sausage called sujuk or chorizo if you want more flavor.
• Onion: We use a large onion. Make sure it is finely chopped.
• Tomatoes: Use finely chopped fresh tomatoes. We don't recommend canned tomatoes.
• Parsley: Use chopped fresh parsley. This is the herb in a traditional Turkish pide, so we don't recommend any substitutions for it if you want the original taste.
• Green peppers: Chop them finely. We use Turkish green peppers that are not spicy. Any green pepper works fine. Just chop them well.
• Lemon juice: It adds a richness to the mixture and helps the flavors bend together well.
• Olive oil: It is for moisture and flavor. Your pide will become dry without olive oil. 
• Salt and pepper: These are the only spices in a traditional kiymali pide recipe. You can add some extra spices like ground cumin, red pepper flakes or paprika.

Combine all these in a mixing bowl until it turns out like a paste. The best way for this is mixing it with your hand. Use gloves if you don't want to touch uncooked meat.

Cheese Topping

There are two variations of cheese pide (peynirli pide) in Turkey. One is made with a combination of two or more cheeses and we will be making this one in this recipe. The other is made with a combination of spinach and white cheese/feta (peyaz peynir) and this one is very similar to the topping we use in our cheese borek recipe.

• White cheese: This is called beyaz peynir in Turkey, a cheese very similar to feta cheese, just fattier than it. It is easy to crumble and has a nice tangy flavor, so used a lot in savory pastries. 
• Grated cheese: The cheese in a traditional cheese pide in Turkey is kasar cheese (kaşar peyniri). If you can find it at Turkish markets, use it. Otherwise, substitute it with grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese. They work equally tasty.
• Parsley: It is the best herb that goes well together with any cheese. 
• Egg: This is optional but highly recommended. We top the cheese pide with an egg yolk and half of the white in the middle of baking.

Assemble and Bake

Take a dough ball and put it on the counter. Flatten it a bit with your hand and then use a rolling pin and roll it out into an oval shape. Sprinkle flour on or under the dough when you feel that it is too sticky. Transfer it on a baking tray. Watch the video in the recipe card to see how.

Minced (Ground) Meat Pide

Spread the ground meat mixture on the dough, pressing with your hand. Leave about 2 cm (0.7 inch) space all around to fold the sides. Then fold the sides in, but don't not cover all the top. And pinch the ends to seal. 

Optional stretching: Take the pide in your two hands and gently stretch it to make it even longer (please see it in the video to see how). This step is a traditional one and recommended for a thinner result, but it is not a must. Then place it on the baking tray.

Finally, brush the edges with oil and bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Cheese Pide

1. Spread the cheese mixture on the rolled out dough, leaving about 2 cm (0.7 inch) space all around to fold the sides in.
2. Then fold the sides in and pinch the ends to seal. Optionally, you can hold the pide in your two hands and stretch it from both sides in a gentle way as you see in the video. It will get longer and crispier this way. Place it on the baking tray.
3. Brush the edges with oil and bake for 12 minutes.

Egg Topping

We show how to make an egg topping on a cheese pide but you can top any pide with an egg.

Remove the pide from the oven after 7 minutes and top it with an egg yolk and half of the egg white. Bake for another 5-6 minutes and serve.

Expert Tips

• It's very important to use warm water when making the pide dough. It should be a temperature you feel comfortable when you touch it. Hot water kills the yeast and cold water prevents the yeast from activating. So use lukewarm water.
• Don't skip the second rise when preparing the pide dough.
• Don't forget to leave some room around the edges to fold them in. 
• After rolling the dough out, transfer it onto the baking tray and top it with the filling and shape it there. 
• Stretching the pide to make it longer and thinner is an optional step. It might look hard but you can learn it with some practice (see it in the video).
• How many pides you can bake at a time depends on the size of your baking tray. We can bake 2 at a time with our regulat oven tray.
• If you want the egg topping, don't use all the egg white. It will overflow otherwise. And egg topping is not only for the cheese version. You can top any pide with an egg.
• To make it ahead of time; prepare the dough and let it sit for the first rise. Then keep it in the fridge for 1-2 days. When you are ready to make, take it out from the fridge, shape into a log, cut it into pieces, roll each into a ball and let them rise for 2-3 hours, covered with a damp kitchen towel. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written. 
• To reheat pide, you can use the stovetop or oven method. Put it in a pan with a lid and heat it over medium low heat or heat it in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Traditionally this boat shaped Turkish pizza is sliced and then served. But the slices mostly stay in their places. And no fork is needed to eat sliced pide. Just dig in with your hands!

You can serve it as a part of traditional Turkish breakfast, for lunch or dinner.

It is mostly paired with a fresh salad like shepherd salad or ezme salad. As for the drink, yogurt drink ayran is the best to serve with pides.