Pide are Turkish flatbreads made into an oval, boat-like shape and topped with cheese and an assortment of other toppings like vegetables, sausage, or meats. These Cheese Pide are made with a flavorful dough and baked to perfection.
When My husband and I traveled to Turkey in 2021, we had more than our fill of Pide. We found a neighborhood Pideci (a place that makes and sells Pide), and had breakfast there almost every morning! I would get Cheese Pide, while my husband's favorite was always something filled with meets.
What is Pide?
Pide is a Turkish savory flatbread made of a simple dough and shaped into an oval, boat-shape, topped with various toppings like cheese, meats, vegetables, and egg, and then baked at high heat in a wood-fired oven.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple dough: The dough is made using my versatile Manakeesh dough, and it contains simple ingredients, but it's a beautiful no-fail recipe.
- Perfect cheese mix: The blend of cheese is a mixture of mozzarella, feta, and Monterey Jack and it's so delicious.
- Customizable: You can do whatever you want with your toppings!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Water: For this Cheese Pide recipe, I use water since it's a basic dough. You'll want to make sure your water is warm, anywhere from 105 to 115 degrees. Too cold and it won't activate the yeast. Too hot and it will kill the yeast.
- Yeast: I use active dry yeast because I like to make sure my yeast is active and I activate it before I start on the dough. Instant yeast works too.
- Sugar: To activate the yeast, and to give the dough a little flavor.
- Flour: All purpose flour works great with this recipe.
- Salt: It's very important to add salt to dough, otherwise it will taste flat and bland.
- Olive oil: It adds some flavor, and creates a softer dough.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cheese Pide
How to Make Cheese Pide Dough
- Proof the Yeast: Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to activate and foam.
- Knead the Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Then add the yeast mixture and with a hook attachment, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until it pools away from the bowl. If after 5-10 minutes, the dough is not pulling away from the bowl, add a ½ tablespoon of flour and knead for another 5 minutes. You want the dough to be tacky, but not sticky, so don't add too much flour.
- Proof the Dough: Let the dough proof for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Rolling and Folding
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
- Prepare the baking sheet: Prep the large baking sheet by adding parchment paper and set it aside.
- Make the Pide: Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls.
- Long Pide: Flour your work surface VERY generously and start rolling out the dough in an oval shape. Don't be scared to add more flour because it helps it stretch. If the dough feels like it's not stretching enough or if it springs back, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. See picture above for how you want to roll out your dough.
- Fatter pide: If you want to add an egg, you'll want to roll the dough out so that it's fatter in the center (like the image below), this way you can add an egg and it will be enough room.
Fill & Fold: Add the dough to the prepared baking sheet, then add a layer of cheese, leaving about an inch. Pinch the ends and then fold the dough onto the middle (like in the pictures).
- Bake: Bake the Cheese Pides in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden and the cheese is melted.If you're making one with an egg, bake half way, then add an egg yolk and cook the rest of the way. You can do the same thing with pre-cooked sausage.
Hint: Make sure to generously flour your work surface so that it's easy for your dough to roll out.
Substitutions
- Yeast: Instead of Active Dry Yeast, you can use instant yeast and it will work out just fine.
- Cheese: You can switch up the cheeses if you're not a fan. In Turkey, they use kaşar cheese for Cheese Pide, so if you can find it, it's recommended.
- Meat: You can use whatever other type of meat you want like pepperoni, bacon, or other types of sausage.
Variations to Try
The options for this Cheese Pide recipe are endless.
- Spinach and Feta
- Plain spinach
- Meat and red sauce
- Meat and vegetables
- Chicken
Equipment You'll Need
- Large Baking Tray
- Rolling Pin
- Stand mixer is optional since this dough can be kneaded by hand
Storing Cheese Pide
Once cooled, store wrapped in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat, bake at 350 degrees F. for 5-7 minutes.
Pro Tips
Measure Flour Correctly: As always, with any recipe, use a kitchen scale, as it is the best form of measuring your ingredients. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off. Start with 2 ½ cups of flour first, then increase if needed.
Flour your work surface: Make sure to generously flour your work surface so that it's easy for your dough to roll out.
Let dough rest: If the dough springs back and doesn't stretch, let it rest for 5 minutes and try rolling again.
Preheat your oven: If the oven isn't preheated to the correct temperature, the Pide will take much longer to bake.
Cheese: Traditionally in Turkey, kaşar cheese is used for Cheese Pide, so if you can find it, I highly recommend it.
FAQ
Yes! I've made this recipe with instant yeast and it works perfectly. It's a 1:1 ratio, so use the same amount, and you can skip the pre-proof.
Most definitely, they can be frozen. Once they're cooled completely, wrap them up very well and freeze them for several month. You can reheat them in the oven when you're ready to eat.
My water temperature is a guide so that you don't use too hot of water (could kill the yeast) or too cold water (won't activate the yeast). Water temperature between 105-115 degrees F. will do the trick and yield best results.
More Bread Recipes:
- Zaatar and Cheese Manakeesh
- Spinach and Cheese Fatayer
- Honeycomb Bread
- Cheesy Bagel Bites
- Soft Zaatar Pretzels
📖 Recipe Card
Cheese Pide
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Large baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Yeast
- 1 cup water 110° F (lukewarm)
- 1½ teaspoon Active dry yeast (instant yeast works as well)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
For the Dough
- 3 cups (360g) all purpose flour see notes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Cheese Topping
- 8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella pulsed in a food processes or graded
- 1½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese shredded
- ¾ cup Feta cheese
Optional Toppings
- Bell Peppers
- Sausage or Sucuk
- Eggs
Instructions
Pide Dough
- Proof the Yeast: Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to activate and foam.
- Knead the Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix together. Then add the yeast mixture and with a hook attachment, knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until it pools away from the bowl. If after 5-10 minutes, the dough is not pulling away from the bowl, add a ½ tablespoon of flour and knead for another 5 minutes. You want the dough to be tacky, but not sticky, so don't add too much flour.
- Proof the Dough: Let the dough proof for 1 hour until doubled in size.
- Prep the topping: In a bowl combine the cheeses and mix and set aside.If adding more toppings, prep them by cutting up bell peppers. If adding sausage, I like to pre-cook my sausage so that it doesn't add too much oil to the pide.
Rolling & Baking
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees FPrepare the baking sheet: Prep the large baking sheet by adding parchment paper and set it aside.
- Make the Pide: Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls. Long Pide: Flour your work surface VERY generously and start rolling out the dough in an oval shape. Don't be scared to add more flour because it helps it stretch. If the dough feels like it's not stretching enough or if it springs back, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. See pictures in post for how you want to roll out your dough.Fatter pide: If you want to add an egg, you'll want to roll the dough out so that it's fatter in the center (like the images above), this way you can add an egg and it will be enough room.
- Fill & Fold: Add the dough to the prepared baking sheet, then add a layer of cheese, leaving about an inch. Pinch the ends and then fold the dough onto the middle (like in the pictures).
- Bake: Bake the Pides in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden and the cheese is melted.If you're making one with an egg, bake half way, then add an egg yolk and cook the rest of the way. You can do the same thing with pre-cooked sausage.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly using a kitchen scale. If you don't have a kitchen scale, fluff your flour, scoop flour with a spoon into a measuring cup and level off. Start with 2 ½ cups of flour first, then increase if needed.
Kevin Allen says
This is an interesting recipe. Looks like Pide can work as a perfect breakfast item. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
jimmy clare says
I would like to try this recipe