Turkish Flatbread Recipe – Pide

It is chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. This Turkish Flatbread recipe is easy to make, delicious and fantastic for middle eastern theme night or a great addition to your charcuterie board!

It is the last day of Flatbread Week, and we are celebrating our first blog anniversary today! ?
Day 7 has finally arrived! I am ending this Flatbread Week with this wonderfully delicious Turkish Flatbread recipe. I hope you guys enjoyed the Flavors Recipe Series.?

There are different kinds of pide bread. If you search for pide, you will find many with meat, veggie, or cheese filling. This Turkish pide is called a Ramadan pide. It is traditionally served during the holy month of Ramadan. Although it is baked during the holy month, you can always find them in many Turkish Restaurants here. Back home, I have tried only the hummus, Kebabs, and pita bread that my mum makes. However, after moving to Qatar, I learned about many dishes and fell in love with middle eastern cuisine.

Turkish food is another favorite in our family. We love salads, dips, kebabs, and of course, this Turkish Pide bread that our favorite Restaurant serves. For some time now, my husband has been requesting me to make this Flatbread at home.

Turkish Flatbread Recipe- Pide

After a few attempts and talking to some of our Turkish friends and neighbors, I found out that some use yogurt in the dough and some only water. I have tried using both, and they both taste delicious but the closest flavor to the Turkish restaurant kind that we tried matches with the dough made with water. The pide bread made with water is chewy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, but the recipe with yogurt yields a soft and fluffy bread minus the chewy texture. We prefer the former. 

If you prefer the latter, From 1 1/2 cups of water, replace 1 cup of water with yogurt. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water plus the yogurt to form the dough. Vegans can use unsweetened non-dairy yogurt. 

Instead of egg wash, Vegans can brush some olive oil or vegan milk on top.

This recipe makes 8 small/ 4 medium/ 2 large Pide bread. I prefer making individual size bakes, so I baked 8 small Flatbread.

 These are wonderful with some cheese, olives, or dipped in yogurt. This delightful flatbread is also excellent for tea or on a charcuterie board when entertaining. 

Ingredients

Flour

Sugar

Salt

Yeast

Olive oil

Water

1 Egg yolk & 1 teaspoon of milk for brushing on top

Nigella seed or sesame seed for sprinkling on top

How to make Turkish Flatbread from scratch:

In a large bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Next, add olive oil and gradually add the water to form a slightly sticky dough. Depending on the flour that you are using, you might need more or less liquid.

Next, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes.

Put the Flatbread dough into an oiled bowl and cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave it to proof somewhere warm for 1 hour or till it’s doubled in size.

How to shape the Flatbread:

After the first rise, punch the dough down, Divide the dough into half. Next, roll each half into a log and divide each into 4 equal size pieces to make 8 small pide bread. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place all back in the bowl. Cover and let the dough balls rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each dough ball into 4-5 inches in diameter to make small ones. Place them on a lined and greased sheet pans, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190° C / 374°F.

First, leave 3/4 inch space as the border. Next, dip your fingertips in olive oil, make deep indentations on the rolled circles, as shown in the picture. Following that, create a crisscross pattern. (Since these are small Flatbreads, I used my index finger.)

Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle some nigella seeds or sesame seed. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until slightly golden.
Serve warm.