Want to make those golden and puffy pieces of fried dough called pişi you see on Turkish breakfast tables? We grew up eating them in Türkiye, and trust us, they’re really easy to make! Our version needs no yeast and no waiting. Just a simple dough that turns soft and airy inside as it fries.
You Can’t Stop at One!
Pişi is a simple Turkish fried bread, often served as part of a long weekend breakfast. Our faces always light up when we see these golden beauties on the table!
They’re soft, pillowy and airy inside. Perfect on their own, or torn open and filled with cheese or a spoonful of jam. And one is never enough!
Our Easy Pişi Recipe Has No Yeast
Our pişi recipe couldn’t be easier. We don’t use yeast, so there’s no waiting for the dough to rise. Instead, we use baking powder, and the result is just as good. Soft and puffy every single time.
It takes no longer than 15 minutes to prepare the dough and start frying. We’ve made this version countless times, so we know it works!
About The Ingredients
You only need a handful of basic ingredients for this easy pişi recipe.
- Yogurt: Keeps the dough soft and gives it a lovely texture. We use plain, full-fat yogurt.
- Egg: Adds a little richness and helps give the dough structure.
- Sunflower oil: We add a little to the dough to make it easier to work with, and use more for frying. Any neutral-flavored oil works.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK) works perfectly.
- Baking powder: This is what makes our no-yeast pişi puff up as they fry.
You'll find the full list of ingredients with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pişi
Making pişi this way is really easy. Start by mixing the yogurt, egg and oil, then add the flour, baking powder and salt. Bring everything together and knead for just a minute. You’re looking for a soft dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. And that’s it! No resting or rising.
Roll the dough out and cut it into squares. Don’t worry about making them perfectly even. Pişi is meant to look homemade!
Then heat oil in a pan and fry them in batches in hot oil.
You'll find the full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.
Spoon Hot Oil Over the Pişi Dough
Here’s what we always do for really puffy pişi, and we definitely recommend you do the same.
As soon as we leave the dough squares into the hot oil, we spoon hot oil over the tops several times. You’ll see them puff up right in front of you.
Flip when golden, cook the other side, and they’re ready!
How We Serve Pişi
For us, pişi belongs on a big weekend Turkish breakfast table, served instead of bread. We usually have it with cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey and kaymak.
We love tearing a warm pişi open and spreading some jam or honey and kaymak inside. Or we simply stuff it with cheese. Zerrin loves mixing sweet and savory, so hers usually gets white cheese (or feta) and some jam! Our favorites are strawberry jam and sour cherry jam.
And of course, we serve it all with plenty of Turkish tea!
Want more breakfast foods from Türkiye? Try these:
- Sucuk and Eggs
- Turkish Egg Salad
- Acuka (Turkish savory breakfast spread)
Pişi is still soft and puffy when cold, so it makes a great afternoon snack. Eat it plain or turn it into a little sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers or whatever you have on hand.
How to Store Leftovers
Pişi is best when freshly fried, but leftovers are still delicious! Let them cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. Let them cool completely first and store in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy as they are, or warm them briefly in the oven or air fryer if you prefer.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. You can make the dough the night before, cover it well and keep it in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15–30 minutes before rolling and frying.
That said, since this dough takes only a few minutes to make, we usually prefer making it fresh.
📖 Recipe
Pişi – Turkish Fried Dough for Breakfast
INGREDIENTS
For the dough
- 150 g plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 medium egg
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 7 g baking powder
- 7 g salt
For frying
- 250 ml sunflower oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil and egg.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a spatula until the dough starts to come together.
- Knead the dough by hand for about 1 minute, until smooth and soft. It should be soft but not sticky.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, about 35 cm (14 inches) long. It doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped.
- Cut the dough into 25 roughly equal squares using a knife or pizza cutter.
- Line a large serving plate with a few sheets of paper towel and set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. To check if it is hot enough, drop in a tiny piece of dough. If it starts sizzling immediately, the oil is ready.
- Fry the dough in batches of 4–5 pieces, depending on the size of your pan. As soon as you add them to the oil, use a spoon to repeatedly scoop some of the hot oil over the tops of each piece. You will see the dough start to puff up like little pillows.
- Fry for about 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden. Carefully flip them over and fry the other side for about 1 minute, checking as needed, until golden all over.
- Transfer the fried pişi to the paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Continue frying the remaining dough in batches in the same way. Serve warm.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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