Turkish Pide Flatbread with Minced Lamb: Turkey’s Boat-Shaped Pizza

⏱ Rise: 1 hr 🔥Bake: 12–15 min 👤Makes: 4 pide 🍞Style: Kıymalı

Turkish pide flatbread with minced lamb is the boat-shaped flatbread sold from street stalls across Turkey and baked at home in soft yeasted dough folded into pointed ends around a filling of spiced ground lamb, onion, tomato and pepper. The dough bakes pillowy soft with crisp edges, the filling sizzles right up to the rim, and a brush of melted butter the moment it comes out of the oven finishes the whole thing with a glossy shine. Genuinely Turkey’s answer to pizza and arguably better.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 3 cups (375g) bread flour, bread flour gives the best chew. All-purpose works in a pinch.
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the lamb filling

• 1 lb (450g) ground lamb, or a mix of lamb and beef. A little fat keeps the filling juicy, very lean meat turns dry.
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced, or ½ cup crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or red pepper flakes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

For finishing

• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing the dough edges before baking
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, brushed on immediately after baking
• 4 eggs, optional, one cracked into the center of each pide for the last few minutes of baking

Step by step

1. Make the dough. Mix yeast, sugar and warm water and let sit 5 minutes until frothy. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled.
2. Make the filling. Cook the ground lamb in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking into fine crumbles, about 6 minutes. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook 3 minutes until the vegetables soften. Stir in cumin, paprika, Aleppo pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until the mixture is thick and not watery. Stir in the parsley and let cool slightly.The filling should be deeply seasoned and mostly dry before it goes on the dough, a wet filling makes the dough soggy in the center.
3. Shape into boats. Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into an oval about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Spread the lamb filling down the center of each oval, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the long edges up and over the filling, pinching the ends into points to create a boat shape.
4. Bake. Brush the exposed dough edges with the beaten egg. Bake on parchment-lined trays for 12–15 minutes until the dough is golden brown and puffed. If adding an egg, crack one into the center of the filling about 5 minutes before the pide is done, then continue baking until the white is just set.
5. Finish and serve. Immediately brush the hot pide with melted butter, it soaks into the dough and gives a glossy, soft crust. Sprinkle with extra parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.

The boat shape, explained

Pinching the ends into points isn’t just for looks, the raised edges hold the filling in place as it sizzles in the hot oven, and the pointed ends crisp up into the best bite of the whole thing. Don’t skip pinching firmly; loose ends unravel during baking.

Make it your own

Claire’s note

The dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, let it come to room temperature before shaping. Ground beef or a beef-lamb mix works just as well as all lamb. Add shredded cheese over the filling before folding for a melty version, or crumble feta over the top after baking. Leftovers keep refrigerated for 2 days and reheat best in a hot oven, not the microwave, to bring back the crisp edges.

Serve with

Turkish pide flatbread with minced lamb is a meal on its own, with a simple cucumber and tomato salad alongside. For more from the Turkish collection the complete Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes guide has it all.

Add Turkish pide flatbread with minced lamb to your weekly meal planner, make the dough ahead and bake fresh any night of the week. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Turkish Pide Flatbread with Minced Lamb

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Turkish pide flatbread with spiced minced lamb filling, baked until golden and glossy.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups (375g) bread flour
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb (450g) ground lamb
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 eggs (optional)

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Instructions

1. Make the dough. Mix yeast, sugar, and warm water; let sit for 5 minutes until frothy. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
2. Make the filling. Cook ground lamb in a skillet, breaking into crumbles, about 6 minutes. Add onion; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, and tomato paste; cook 3 minutes until softened. Stir in cumin, paprika, Aleppo pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook until thick. Stir in parsley; let cool.
3. Shape into boats. Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each into an oval. Spread filling down the center, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold edges over filling, pinching ends to create a boat shape.
4. Bake. Brush edges with beaten egg. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden brown. If adding an egg, crack it into the filling about 5 minutes before done.
5. Finish and serve. Brush with melted butter immediately after baking. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Leftovers keep for 2 days, reheat best in a hot oven.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Turkish

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 pide
• Calories: 450
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 500mg
• Fat: 20g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 48g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 22g
• Cholesterol: 70mg