Pide

Pide is a Turkish flat bread – their version of pizza. Just like in any pizza, Pide includes various toppings, but  ground lamb and egg gives it that Middle Eastern flavor. And who could resist the exotic shape!

Substitute with minced beef or turkey if lamb isn’t your thing. But I highly recommend lamb for authenticity!

We only tried Pide once at Pizza Pide place on Gerrard St and felt in love! Not so long after  we had to try and make our own at home. It turned out surprisingly fantastic! The dough was perfectly chewy and very soft. The most flavorful Pide known to mankind.

Dough:

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 tbsp of active dry yeast

1 cup of warm milk

1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of salt

1 egg

3 tbsp of  olive oil

2 tbsp melted butter, for post-brushing

 

Toppings:

1 lb ground lamb/beef/turkey

1 onion

1 medium tomato (we used several little ones from our garden)

 1 egg

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup of cheddar cheese

1 tbsp of fresh mint

1 tbsp of fresh parsley

1 tsp of paprika

salt/pepper to taste

1 tbsp of olive oil

Directions for the dough:

Add yeast to warm milk and let it fully dissolve. Add the egg, sugar, salt and oil. Mix everything well and add the flour. Then knead the dough for about 2 minutes. At the end rub it with a little oil and let the it rest for 30 minutes with a plastic bag over and around the bowl in a warm place.

While the dough is getting ready start working on the toppings:

Add your meat on a hot skillet and fry for about 2 minutes, add onion, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, mint, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.

Once the dough is rested, it should double its previous size. Take out the dough and cut into two pieces. This way you will end up with two large Pides. Place your dough on a baking sheet and form an oval shape. Roll it out to 5 mm thickness.

Tip: Pat the top of the baking sheet with some corn starch. This will prevent the dough from getting soaked with the moisture of the filling.

Place your cooled toppings on top and fold the sides to create a boat-like shape.

Using a pastry brush, brush the sides of the Pide with the beaten egg.

Place Pide in preheated oven to 400 F for 20 minutes. Take it out and beat the fresh egg on top. Add cheese and return back in the oven for another 10 min or until golden brown.

Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and enjoy!