This Turkish pide bread recipe shows you how to make this traditional flatbread recipe straight from Turkiye.
When it comes to food in Turkiye, bread is king. From doughy loaves to spicy flatbreads, bread is a staple in Turkish cuisine. Bakeries line each neighborhood offering locals fresh access each and every day.
Turkish bread, particularly “pide” or “ekmek” is a favorite. This delicious loaf is known for its delicious taste and versatility in Turkish cuisine. Pide serves as a vessel for dishes such as kofta kebabs, mezes, and breakfast spreads. Its ability to complement and work with a range of flavors makes it a popular dish throughout the country.
This Turkish pide bread recipe will show you how to create an authentic and delicious pide bread that any Turk might think came straight from the streets of Istanbul.
What Is Turkish Pide Bread?
As you tear into pide, a gentle aroma of freshly baked bread wafts through the air, teasing your senses and igniting your appetite. This delightful flatbread balances a nutty sweetness with a subtle tanginess that has brought it to nearly every table in Turkiye.
Apart from its wonderful flavor, what sets pide apart from other Turkish bread is its versatility. It’s a bread that can be enjoyed plain, with a rich bowl of soup, or as a foundation for a heavily-seasoned kebab. The crust has a delightful crispiness, but unveils a pillow-soft inside that effortlessly accompanies a range of dishes.
This Turkish pide recipe not only pulls together all of the best aspects of this mouthwatering Turkish flatbread, but it invites a plethora of ideas to make this unassuming side dish into the core of a proper Turkish meal.
Turkish Pide Ingredients
To make the perfect Turkish flatbread recipe, you need just the right ingredients. But don’t stress about exotic twists, everything you need to make Turkish pide can be found in most kitchens.
To make this pide recipe you’ll just need a few simple things:
- Milk – Turkish flatbread, unlike many bread recipes, uses warm milk. It’s this unique ingredient that makes the bread so fluffy and delicious. Either 2% milk or whole milk can be used depending on how flavorful you like the results.
- Instant Dry Yeast – Using yeast with this Turkish pide recipe is easy. You don’t need to bloom the yeast ahead of time, you just add it to the ingredients while making it. If you decide to substitute instant dry yeast with active dry yeast, however, you will need to bloom it in advance. Use warm water with sugar and then follow the recipe as described.
- Egg – This pide recipe uses egg whites and egg yolk separately. The white is used for the bread dough while the yolks are used for the glaze.
- All-Purpose Flour – The basis of most bread recipes, all-purpose flour is a key ingredient in Turkish pide bread. This recipe calls for about 4 1/2 cups of flour, but the ultimate amount depends upon the cooking situation.
- Yogurt – Yogurt is one of the secrets of making pide bread look as good as it tastes. Mixing it with the egg yolk adds a brighter finish to the final product.
Along with these key ingredients you’ll also need water, olive oil, sugar, and salt. These all come together during the recipe process to create one of the most delicious Turkish flatbreads around.
How To Make Turkish Pide Bread
Making Turkish pide bread is a pretty straightforward process. If you’ve made bread before, you’ll find that Turkish flatbread follows the same basic principles of most bread, although there are a few twists and turns along the way that help to give it its own unique look and taste. Here are the basic steps:
Pide Dough
The first step to making Turkish pide bread is to make the dough. To do this you’ll need a large bowl, a whisk, and your pide bread ingredients.
Whisk the milk, water, olive oil, sugar, and salt along with your instant dry yeast (don’t forget to bloom it if you choose to use active yeast instead), and your egg whites. Add the flour one cup at a time and mix it well until the dough achieves your desired consistency. Once you’ve got the dough just how you like it, cover it with a cloth and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Shaping The Pide
Authentic Turkish pide bread has a very unique style. To get it just right, sprinkle your workspace with flour, transfer your dough, and shape it into a ball. Ensure that the dough is lightly coated with flour on all sides.
Once your dough is shaped and coated, cut it into eight equal pieces (based on the recipe listed). Place your dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them, and allow them to rise for 20 minutes.
Baking Your Pide Bread
Heat your oven to 400ºF. As the oven heats top your bread with sesame seeds and create the signature indentations that make pide so identifiable. I usually do this with a dowel or knife. Add a baking dish filled with two cups of water to the lower rack and place your baking sheet on the middle rack.
Bake the pide bread for 15-18 minutes until the top has a crisp golden finish. Once it’s ready, remove it from the oven and cover with a damp paper towel. This will help the steam stay trapped, which allows your bread to stay extra fluffy and soft on the inside while remaining crisp and fresh on the outside.
