Turkish Pide
This Turkish Pide with Cheese And Spinach is kind of like a Turkish pizza, but in boat form! Itโs filled with yummy Turkish cheese and spinach, and Iโve added a bit of my own flair with my own spices, cumin and cinnamon. It all comes together in a pillowy soft bread ready to be sliced up and eaten! Plus that cooked egg yolk on top just adds a bit of extra richness!
I absolutely love these Turkish Pide. Here’s why…
I love how easy it is to make these! And I also love how you can literally fill them with anything! There are meat versions, this one of course is a lovely cheese and spinach vegetarian option. I love putting my own little twist on things, in this case the flavour, but more about that below! The obvious thing here is the boat shape which is so cute and the egg on top! The egg is very quickly cooked, but kind of makes this look like a breakfast food!
What do these Turkish Pide taste like?
The bread crust is soft and pillowy, the filling is deliciously cheesy with the addition of yummy spices like cinnamon, cumin and paprika which gives it a very slight sweetness. The egg yolks on top makes this rich in flavour and a great breakfast food option!
What are the ingredients I need?
Dough
Instant Dry Yeast – The yeast I used was instant dry yeast. This is what will work for this recipe. Rapid dry yeast will also work.
Sugar – I used granulated sugar
Warm water – In order to make sure the dry yeast is activated; you want the temperature to be 40C / 100F.
Bread flour – Bread flour is a higher gluten flour that results in a nice chewy bread dough with more elasticity.
Salt – I used fine salt.
Olive oil – I used extra virgin olive oil.
Filling
Kaลar cheese – This is a Turkish cheese which is very similar in texture and flavor to mozzarella. I would describe it as slightly stronger in flavor. I purchased mine from a local Turkish supermarket. If you canโt find this cheese, you can replace it with mozzarella.
Brown onion – Red or white will also work.
Garlic – freshly minced garlic is always best.
Spinach – I use baby spinach leaves that were washed and dried well.
Paprika, cumin and cinnamon – these spices add a little bit of smokey sweetness to the pide.
Semolina – this is optional but adds a little crunch under the
Butter – I used melted unsalted butter.
Eggs – I used only the egg yolks for this recipe. They make the
Sesame seeds – optional but adds a bit of visual flair.
Parsley – finely chopped.
Letโs go through each step.
Dough
- Add the instant dry yeast and sugar to a jug or bowl and stir to combine. Add the water and stir. Allow to sit in a warm spot for 5 minutes. If the yeast is active, it will froth up.
- To a large bowl, add the bread flour and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the yeast mixture along with the oil.
- Use clean hands to mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Dust your workbench with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until a smooth dough forms.
- Drizzle some oil in the mixing bowl and spread it around a little before you place the dough back in it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot.
Filling
- To prepare the filling, add a little oil to a frypan on medium high heat. Next, add the onion and garlic and stir using a wooden spoon until aromatic, about 60 seconds.
- Add the spinach and allow to cook, stirring, until it cooks right down, about 3 minutes.
- Add the paprika, cumin, salt and cinnamon and stir to coat.
- If the spinach starts releasing a lot of liquid, drain it out of the spinach before using.
Assembly & Baking
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 400F. Sprinkle two baking trays with semolina. Set aside. Once the dough has risen, unwrap, punch the dough in the center and dust your workbench with flour. Knead the dough slightly and shape back into a ball.
- Slice in half.
- Use a rolling pin to roll both out to a 30cm long oval shape. Or slightly smaller than your baking tray. Place on pre-prepared baking trays.
- Sprinkle with half the cheese,
- Add half the spinach
- Fold about an inch of the boat dough over the top and pinch each end.
- Brush with butter and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
- Optional: add an egg yolk on top of each pide.
- Bake for an extra minute. Slice into fingers and serve with a sprinkle of parsley.
My Top Tips!
Storage
These Turkish Pide can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days and reheated in the oven for 10 minutes.
How to freeze
You can bake these and freeze them wrapped tightly in plastic or even freeze them before theyโre baked. Simply bake for 30-40 minutes if frozen.
Water Temperature
In order to make sure the dry yeast is activated; you want the temperature to be 40C / 100F.
Instant Dry Yeast
The yeast I used was instant dry yeast. This is what will work for this recipe. Rapid dry yeast will also work.
Bread flour
Bread flour is a higher gluten flour that results in a nice chewy bread dough with more elasticity. You can use all-purpose flour in its place.
Water
The ideal water temperature is 40C / 100F.
To Create A Warm Spot
If itโs a cold day where you are and youโre struggling to find a warm spot in the house to let the yeast rise and the bread dough rise, boil the kettle, and pour into a large pot. Place the pot in your oven 5 minutes before using. It creates a warm steamy environment which is perfect for the yeast and dough to rise.
Kaลar cheese
This is a Turkish cheese which is very similar in texture and flavor to mozzarella. I would describe it as slightly stronger in flavor. I purchased mine from a local Turkish supermarket. If you canโt find this cheese, you can replace it with mozzarella.
Egg Yolk
The egg yolk here just ads visual flair and extra flavour and richness. If youโre serving this for breakfast, and in my opinion any time, itโs a great addition. Itโs blasted in the oven for the final 20 seconds so that itโs not raw.
Loved this Turkish Pide? Here’s some other Recipes You Might Like!
- Spanakopita Greek Cheese & Spinach Pie
- Greek Lamb Burgers
- Soft Pita Flat Bread Recipe
- Gozleme Spinach And Cheese Flatbread
- Thick And Creamy Tzatziki Recipe
Gave this a go? Donโt forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more great recipes!
Turkish Pide
Serves 2
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast, see notes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2/3 cup / 160 ml warm water, see notes
- 2 cups / 300 g bread flour or all-purpose flour, see notes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil + extra to drizzle
Filling
- 1 cup / 250 g kaลar cheese, crumbled (see notes)
- 1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 180 g spinach, washed and dried
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup / 100 g semolina
- 1/4 cup / 60 g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 egg yolks, see notes
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- Chopped parsley to sprinkle
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Dough
- Add the instant dry yeast and sugar to a jug or bowl and stir to combine. Add the water and stir. Allow to sit in a warm spot for 5 minutes. If the yeast is active, it will froth up as shown in the video.
- To a large bowl, add the bread flour and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the yeast mixture along with the oil and use clean hands to mix until a sticky dough forms. Dust your workbench with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. Drizzle some oil in the mixing bowl and spread it around a little before you place the dough back in it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot.
Filling
- To prepare the filling, add a little oil to a frypan on medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir using a wooden spoon until aromatic, about 60 seconds.
- Add the spinach and allow to cook, stirring, until it cooks right down, about 3 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, salt and cinnamon and stir to coat. If the spinach starts releasing a lot of liquid, drain it out of the spinach before using.
Assembly & Baking
- Preheat your oven to 200C / 400F. Sprinkle two baking trays with semolina. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, unwrap, punch the dough in the center and dust your workbench with flour. Knead the dough slightly and shape back into a ball. Slice in half and use a rolling pin to roll both out to a 30cm long oval shape. Or slightly smaller than your baking tray. Place on pre-prepared baking trays.
- Sprinkle with half the cheese, add half the spinach and fold about an inch of the boat dough over the top and pinch each end. Brush with butter and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
- Optional: add an egg yolk on top of each pide and bake for an extra minute. Slice into fingers and serve with a sprinkle of parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
