Today I made these wonderful Turkish pide on a whim. I was meant to experiment with dough and try my hand at making homemade pizza bases; the last time I tried making pizza from scratch, they came out looking quite terrible. I was going to redeem myself today.
Been having trouble obtaining strong flour or bread flour here at my local store, so I kinda cheated and bought a box of bread mix meant to make white bread using a bread machine. It was either that or buy a pre-mix for pizza. I decided to go with the bread mix. The last time I attempted to make pizza dough I used regular flour and obviously that was a no-no. This box mix contained flour that already had salt, sugar and yeast added to it. All I had to do was add warm water to activate everything. Since I was aiming for pizza dough, I also added a good glug of olive oil.
The pide idea came about somewhere in between the kneading and proving process. I felt that pizzas were too predictable and far too plain, so I did some quick reading up online and discovered that pide dough and pizza dough are pretty similar. In fact, a pide can be considered Turkish pizza … just folded into a kind of boat shape. I have had many a pide when I lived in Australia – always had the lamb coz it’s the best! – and so I thought I should try to replicate it. Since I am using a pre-mix for the dough, I am unable to give the recipe for it. I shall have to find a proper pide dough recipe some other time. All I can say for now is use pizza dough recipe of choice.
Pop everything into a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment, add water and olive oil, and turn on the machine at speed 3 for ten to fifteen minutes until dough becomes soft and pliable. Remove the dough and place it in an oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and rest for up to two hours. Meanwhile, get your fillings ready.
Spinach & Ricotta Cheese.
200 g frozen spinach
200 g ricotta cheese
1 whole egg
salt & pepper
Squeeze out as much water from the spinach before use. Then mix everything together and set aside. A pinch of ground nutmeg would also be nice.
Spicy Beef & Aubergine
200 g minced beef
½ an aubergine, cubed
2 medium tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 medium red onion
2 tsp ras al hanout spice
1 tsp chilli powder
salt & pepper
½ cup water
Sautée onions, garlic and ground beef until browned. Then add the spices and ground chilli. Sautee again for 5 more minutes then add in the diced tomatoes and aubergines. Season accordingly. Once the juices of the tomato have almost evaporated, add the water. Simmer until all the water has evaporated and meat is tender. Set aside until needed.
Now back to the dough that has been chilling out in the corner. You will notice the dough has risen to almost three times its original size, mostly it is filled with air. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surface.
Plop some filling down the middle of the dough leaving about an inch free round the edges.
Fold up the sides and make little boats out of them. You can either crimp the ends or give them a twist. Place the finished ones on a baking tray lined with baking paper … then continue doing the same for all the rest.
Shove the lot into a very hot oven … 200°C for 20 – 30 minutes. Just before you remove them I like to whack on the broiler for a couple of minutes just to get a bit more colour on the edges. OH!! And don’t forget to add some melty type cheese on top as well. Broiler + melty cheese = Very Good Idea. Let them cool down, then tuck in. These are great for picnics coz they are very portable and don’t drip gravy.
The good thing about these pides is that you can all any kind of filling you desire. They technically are pizzas, just presented in a different shape. Traditional dough for the pides include about two tablespoons of plain yoghurt and an egg … but i will have to work out the ratios on that one.
This was a pleasant practice session with dough and I enjoyed making these. They are not entirely perfect, but at least my Turkish friend has given me his seal of approval in the looks department. He said “… at least they look authentic” … and I shall accept that quite cheerfully. This dough eventually went on to make really good mini pizzas, which the boyfriend gobbled up in like 60 seconds (he avoided eating the pides due to the presence of vegetables in them … pffft).
~ Enjoy! ~
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