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The BEST Turkish Pide


  • Author: Gonul
  • Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Meet our Turkish pizza recipe—the best Turkish Pide you'll get to eat outside of Turkey with a tender crust and juicy toppings! 3 plant-based options full of flavor: a take on the classic mince made with walnuts & mushrooms, almond chive ricotta with a vegan yolk à la Georgian khachapuri, and an herb-chickpea quiche.


Ingredients

Scale

DOUGH (makes 6 150g Pides)

  • 1 tsp (6.5g) sugar
  • 1 packet (7g) of active dry yeast
  • 1.5 cups (350ml) water, lukewarm (~105°F)
  • 2 tbsp (13g) olive oil
  • 3 cups + 2 tbsp (500g) all-purpose flour (See Notes)
  • 2 tsp (12.5g) table salt, *double volume/same weight if using kosher
  • extra flour for shaping and rolling the dough (1/2 cup)

ASSEMBLY

  • 2 tbsp semolina (or breadcrumbs)
  • 2 tbsp aquafaba
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp nigella (black cumin) seeds
  • 1 Topping of choice (see below)

FOR SERVING

  • 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
  • Optional: vegan egg yolks
  • Optional: Charred chili peppers and tomatoes

TOPPINGS (CHOOSE ONE—each option makes enough topping for 6 pides)

Chive Almond Ricotta

Plant-Based Mince:

  • 1 full recipe (2 cups) walnut & mushroom mince (or store-bought plant-based ground beef of choice)
  • 1 medium onion (200g), finely chopped
  • 1 medium tomato (120g), finely chopped
  • 1 medium green bell pepper (120g), finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes (or sub w/ regular chili flakes)
  • 1 tsp table salt

Chickpea Herb Quiche:

  • 3 cups (270g) chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1 bunch of dill, chopped
  • 1 bunch of parsley, chopped
  • 1 bunch of scallions (~5 stems), chopped

Instructions

Making the Dough

  1. Mix active dry yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water in a large bowl. Whisk and set aside until foamy—takes about 10 minutes. Once the yeast is activated, add in the olive oil and mix.
  2. In a separate large bowl, mix the flour with salt. Gradually add this flour mixture into the other bowl while mixing with a wooden spoon. Once most of the flour is incorporated, switch to kneading with your hands for about 8-10 minutes, or for 3-4 minutes if using a stand mixer, until the texture is smooth.
  3. Place the kneaded ball of dough back into the bowl, cover with cling wrap, and let rest for at least two hours, until the dough doubles in size. You may also place it in the refrigerator overnight after the first rise.
  4. After the first rise, deflate the dough fully by pressing out the large air bubbles and divide into six 150g pieces.
  5. Roll each piece into a ball between your hands, place on a lightly floured surface, cover with a damp dish cloth, and set aside for the final proof. It should take about an hour for the balls to approximately double in size. If the dough was refrigerated, give the second proof at least three hours.

Pide Assembly & Baking

  1. Preheat oven to 475°F. 
  2. Lightly flour the working surface and roll out the dough into a long oval shape (10in long and 4in wide).
  3. Cut out pieces of parchment paper to sizes slightly larger than the rolled out pides. Sprinkle each paper with semolina and place the rolled out dough on top.
  4. Place the chosen topping all over the dough, leaving a 1/2-in lip throughout the perimeter. Fold the sides inward and pinch the ends together. Brush the raised border with aquafaba and sprinkle a mixture of sesame and nigella seeds along the border.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the crust is golden.
  6. While still hot, brush the border with melted vegan butter. If desired, place a vegan egg yolk on the pide as well as charred vegetables on the side. Cut into 1-in thick slices and serve. 

Toppings

Chive Almond Ricotta:

  1. Divide the chive almond ricotta into six portions to be placed on each pide.

Plant-Based Mince:

  1. Mix all the ingredients and divide into six portions to be placed on each pide.

Chickpea Herb Quiche:

  1. Blend the chickpea flour and water in a blender or food processor until smooth, then mix with the other ingredients. 
  2. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to thicken so that the mixture doesn’t run off the dough.
  3. Divide the mixture into six portions to be placed on each pide equally.

Notes

Flour: You may substitute all-purpose flour with bread flour or gluten-free flour. 

Semolina: Turkish pide bakeries use either semolina or breadcrumbs to add crunch to the bottom. Both are delicious in this recipe so use whichever you wish!

Toppings: Feel free to make multiple toppings in smaller batches to decide which you like the best! Mince topping is the most popular in Turkey.

Saving Pide: Treat pide like pizza—it’s always best enjoyed when fresh! It can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen for up to three months. Reheat on very low heat in a covered skillet to avoid retrogradation if possible. Reheating in a toaster or regular oven will also work.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Mains, Snacks, Flatbread
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Turkish