Kıymalı Pide
Pide is a classic Turkish dish. A flatbread or Turkish pizza, usually filled with a savory filling, which can be basically anything that comes to mind at the time. Years ago, when I visited Istanbul, I noticed simple pide on the streets and in restaurants, filled with minced meat and paprika. Often sprinkled with herbs and Turkish soft, white cheese.
So, to commemorate those meals, I made Turkish pide, which reminded me of the consistency and filling of the ones I had tried in Istanbul.

Preparation time: Totally 1.5 hours
Level: Medium
Serves: four
Ingredients:
Dough:
300 g flour
250 g water
40 g olive oil
0.5 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
Filling:
500 g minced meat (lamb, beef or pork-beef mixture)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
A handful of chopped parsley
3 tbsp cooking oil for frying
4 tbsp tomato paste
0.5 tsp dried oregano for seasoning
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
A handful of dry goat cheese for sprinkling on the pitas. Turkish white salad cheese is also often used
Chopped green onion for sprinkling on top
1 egg for brushing the edges of the pitas
Preparation:
- Prepare the dough. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water, then pour the flour into a mixing bowl and add salt, sugar, olive oil, and the dissolved yeast.
- Mix until soft. The softer the dough, the fluffier the handle will be. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
- Cover the dough bowl with a towel and let the dough rise at +40 degrees for at least 1 hour. The dough can also be risen at room temperature, but it takes longer. When the dough has doubled in size, it is ready to make the handles.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Finely chop the onions and garlic, and chop the bell pepper.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, and add the minced meat, onion, and garlic. Fry until the minced meat is lightly browned.
- Add the bell pepper, chopped parsley, tomato paste, oregano, black pepper, and sea salt. Mix and let simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- When the dough is ready, lightly knead the air out of the dough, and halve the dough ball. On a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into an elongated oval. Place it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and shape it until it is completely flat. The dough layer should be 0.5 cm thick and about 25 cm wide in the middle. The dough oval should be slightly thinner at the ends.
- Place half of the filling in the middle of the dough oval, roll the edges of the dough together in a few circles to form an edge about 2 cm high. Lightly twist the ends of the dough oval into a “knot” to form a boat shape. Spread the filling evenly so that it fills the dough boat.
- Prepare the second handle in exactly the same way. Place them side by side on the baking sheet. Brush the edges well with beaten egg.
- Let the handles stand for 15 minutes at room temperature, and then the dough wrapper will rise more fluffy. At the same time, set the oven temperature to maximum. In my oven, it is +300 degrees C. Depending on the temperature of your oven, bake the pides until they are golden brown.
- After removing from the oven, let the pides cool slightly, crumble the goat cheese or feta cheese, and sprinkle it over the pides. Sprinkle with chopped green onions. Cut the pides crosswise with a sharp knife into pieces about 5-7 cm wide and serve.
Ready!!























