Pide Recipe
- Daniel
- Oct 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 12
There’s something incredibly satisfying about making pide at home. These Turkish flatbreads are shaped like boats and traditionally filled with minced meat, cheese, or vegetables.
Fresh out of the oven...
If you’ve ever strolled through the streets of Istanbul or browsed through a Turkish bakery, you’ve probably seen these golden, oblong delights stacked high on display. Pide (pronounced pee-day) is often referred to as “Turkish pizza,” but that barely scratches the surface of how nuanced and delicious they are.
The crust is thinner, slightly chewy, and beautifully blistered from high-heat baking.
Pide has deep regional roots in Turkey, especially from the Black Sea region and cities like Samsun and Trabzon, each boasting its own style and fillings. You’ll even find versions where a whole egg is cracked into the center mid-bake, or where the edges are brushed with butter and left gloriously golden.
It’s a dish of celebration and comfort, often served hot out of the oven and enjoyed with family. While traditional pide is made in stone ovens, modern kitchens (like mine) can still get the job done beautifully.
I was honestly surprised by how well the pide turned out in my convection oven. No fancy tools. Just good dough, spiced lamb, and the joy of baking. It’s such a versatile dish; you can skip the cheese, add the egg, or garnish with herbs and a drizzle of good olive oil.
If you’ve never made pide before, I really hope you give it a go. You don’t need a Turkish oven or a pizza peel, just your hands, some parchment paper, and a bit of weekend spirit.
Ingredients:
(Make 4 pide)
Multi-Purpose Middle Eastern Dough Homemade, 4 Dough Balls
All-Purpose Middle Eastern Minced Lamb Homemade, 1/2 Recipe
Egg Wash, 1 Beaten Egg
Low Moisture Mozzarella Freshly Shredded, For Topping (Optional)
Egg Yolk, For Topping (Optional)
Dried Parsley, For Garnishing
High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Fresh Lime Juice, For Drizzling
Unsalted Butter Melted, For Brushing
Equipment:
Oven
Directions:
Please visit my "My Versatile All-Purpose Middle Eastern Minced Lamb" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "Multi-Purpose Middle Eastern Dough" page for the recipe.
Preheat and Prepare Equipment
Preheat your oven to its highest temperature setting.
If using a pizza stone, baking steel, or inverted baking tray, place it on the lowest rack of your oven while it heats.
Shape the Dough
Take one dough ball and roll it into a long oval shape, about 1/8-inch thick. It should be slightly longer than wide, like a canoe.
Add the Toppings
Spread a layer of the spiced lamb mixture (not too thin and not too thick) over the dough, keeping a small border clean around the edges.
Press down lightly so the meat sticks to the dough, but don’t overpack.
Form the Pide Boat
Fold the edges of the dough over the lamb slightly, pinching the two ends together tightly so it looks like a boat.
Egg Wash and Bake
Brush the folded edges with egg wash.
Transfer the pide (on parchment paper) onto a cutting board and then slide it onto your preheated tray/stone/steel.
Bake until the bottom is slightly charred and the crust is golden brown and crisp.
Optional Cheese and Egg
If you’d like to add cheese, remove the pide, sprinkle mozzarella over the top, and return to the oven until melted.
If using an egg yolk, gently slide it into the center of the pide once the meat is cooked or the melted cheese. Return to the oven until the yolk is just set.
Finish and Serve
Once out of the oven, garnish with dried parsley.
Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of lime juice for brightness.
Brush the edges with melted butter.
Serve hot and fresh.
Runny yolk hits every time...
I don't think 2 is enough for me...
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