Turkish Pide Food

TURKISH PIDE DOUGH (BREAD)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 125 ml of the warm water and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy. Use your fingers to work 90g of the flour into the yeast to make a sloppy paste. Sprinkle lightly with a little more flour, then cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to form a 'sponge'.
• Put the remaining flour and the salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the sponge, oil and remaining water. Use your fingers to work it to a soft, sloppy dough. Don't panic: it is meant to be very sticky!
• Transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on a low speed for 10-15 minutes until very smooth and springy. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, then cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (From this point you can proceed to bake the pide bread or filled pide boats. You can also refrigerate the dough until you are ready to use it. It will keep for around 24 hours, but take it out of the refrigerator a good 3 hours before you want to use it, to give it time to return to room temperature slowly.).
• When ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to its highest setting with two pizza stones or oiled baking sheets in it. Divide the dough in two, then form into rounds and leave, covered, to rest for 30 minutes. Mix the egg and milk to make an egg wash. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Use the heels of your hands to press and flatten each piece of dough out to a 20 cm oval.
• Brush the surface liberally with the egg wash. Dip your fingertips into the egg wash and mark rows of deep indentations across and down the length of the dough, leaving a narrow border. Now comes the tricky bit. Lightly flour the hot pizza stones or trays. Lift on the pides, stretching them gently and evenly. Sprinkle with nigella or sesame seeds and bake for 8-10 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

TURKISH FLATBREAD (PIDE)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, and let stand in a warm place 10 minutes until frothy.
• Stir in the 1/2 cup of flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.
• To finish the dough, put the 3 1/2 cups of flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.
• Put in the yeast-and-sugar mixture, salt, olive oil, and 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water.
• Gradually work in the flour to make a soft and sticky dough.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 minutes.
• The dough will be very sticky at first, but as you knead, it will gradually cease to stick to your hands.
• You should have a damp and very springy dough that offers no resistance to kneading.
• Put the dough in a oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour, until well swollen.
• (You can refrigerate the dough at this point until you're ready to use it.) Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a log.
• Cut into 8 equal pieces, and roll each one into a tight ball.
• Place the balls on a floured surface, and let rest 30 minutes under a towel.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and if you have them, heat tiles 30-40 minutes before baking.
• Roll one ball of dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin into a circle 1/4- to 1/8-inch thick and 8 inches in diameter.
• Brush the top with olive oil.
• Bake 5 or 6 minutes, and repeat the process with the remaining dough balls.
• As the pide come out of the oven, stack them in a large pan and keep them covered until all are ready to eat.
• Remember to let the oven temperature return to 450 degrees after baking 2 or 3 pide.
• Serve the pide hot.
• They also can be reheated wrapped in foil.

TURKISH PIDE - THE "SECRET" TO MAKING THE PERFECT TURKISH BREAD

Steps:

• Combine flour, yeast, sugar and salt then add the oil and warm water.
• Use your hands to combine the dough and kneed the mixture to for five minutes to activate the gluten.
• When you have a soft shine dough cover the bowl with a tea towel and place the bowl in a warm spot. A good place is near a sunlit window.
• After an hour the dough should be ready for use. Check that it has increased in size. If not place it in a warmer environment and leave it a little longer.
• Add the mince meat, onion and garlic to a frying pan, I don't use oil because I find there is enough in the meat.
• Fry off these ingredients. The mixture will look quite wet for a while but as you continue to fry the it will eventually be cooked off.
• When the moisture starts to reduce add the diced capsicum and spices.
• continue to cook the beef filling for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• When there is very little moisture left remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
• Add half of the chopped parsley to the pan.
• Preheat oven at 180C.
• Prepare two large baking sheets with baking paper.
• Dust the bench top with a little flour.
• Divide the dough into about 8 equal balls.
• Roll each of the balls out into a thin oval shape.
• Place each of the 8 dough basis on the baking tray.
• Add the beef filling to the dough leaving a 1 1/2 cm boarder around the outside.
• Fold the border over the filling and pinch the top and bottom ends together.
• Repeat the same steps until all the dough has the Pide filling.
• Brush each pide with the olive oil.
• Bake the Pide for about 15 - 20mins at 180C or until golden.

TURKISH PIDE WITH EGGS AND SUCUK

Steps:

• For the dough: Put 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F) in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the flour, sugar, yeast and 1 teaspoon salt to the water and mix on low until barely incorporated. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes for the flour to absorb the water. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium high until smooth, about 7 minutes. Coat a large bowl with vegetable oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Move the dough around so it's coated with oil on all sides. Cover and let rise in a draft-free space, such as an unlit oven, until increased in size but not quite doubled, about 1 hour.
• Uncover the dough and place on a well-floured surface.
• Place a baking sheet upside down on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Turn a second baking sheet upside down and cover with a piece of parchment.
• Divide the dough into 5 pieces (see Cook's Note) and cover 4 with a damp cloth. Roll out the uncovered piece using a rolling pin into an oval about 20 inches long and 5 inches wide. Transfer the dough to the parchment on the back of the baking sheet. Repeat with a second piece of dough.
• For the toppings: Sprinkle about 1 cup kaşar on each oval, leaving about a 1-inch border on all sides. Top the cheese with sucuk slices, leaving some space in the middle to add an egg later. Fold the dough up and over about 3/4 inch onto the cheese on all sides and pinch the ends. Brush with vegetable oil.
• Slide the pides with the parchment onto the baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Crack 2 eggs into 2 small bowls. Add 1 egg on top of each pide in the middle. Continue to bake until the eggs are set to your preference, another 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough, cheese, sucuk, oil and eggs.

PIDE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the yeast and caster sugar in warm water and let stand for 15 minutes in a warm place, away from drafts.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour and dig a well in the center. In the center of the well, add the egg, yogurt, oil, and yeast.
• Using the dough hook, start mixing the ingredients at low speed, while gradually incorporating the milk.
• Knead for 3 minutes, then add the salt.
• Then knead for 10 minutes at medium speed until obtaining a soft and homogeneous dough, coming off the edges of the bowl.
• Cover the dough and let it rise for an hour in a warm place, away from drafts. It should at least double in volume.
• In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
• Brown the onions for 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and mix well. Sauté for 1 minute.
• Then add the ground meat and garlic, mashing it well with the potato masher so that no large chunks form.
• Then add the tomato, the tomato paste, and pepper concentrates.
• Season with salt, pepper and cook for 10 minutes, covered, over a medium to high heat, stirring regularly.
• If necessary at the end of cooking, remove the cover to reduce the sauce.
• In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sweat the onion for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Add the spinach, salt and pepper, and brown them over high heat, stirring regularly.
• Cook until the liquid is reduced.
• Reserve.
• Beat the egg.
• Add the melted butter and grated cheese.
• Add salt, pepper and mix well.
• Reserve.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F (180°C).
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, degas and divide it into 9 pieces.
• Roll each pide to a thickness of ½ inch (1 cm) to form a boat, and place them, well spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Spread the garnishes over the pides and fold the edges of each pide.
• In a bowl, beat the egg yolk and vinegar together and, using brush the edges of each pide.
• Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.