Turkish Pide with Beef

Often referred to as a ‘Turkish pizza’, this authentic Turkish pide with beef is a boat-shaped delight, consisting of flatbread with crispy edges, and a delicious ground beef topping.

I was young the first time I tried Turkish pide. My parents and I had decided to stop at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Saudi Arabia, which happened to share my dad’s name. The restaurant was tiny – I think it had room for about 15 people at the most.

The owner – a short, mustachioed man in a white chef’s jacket – suggested I try his “Turkish pizza,” my father encouraged me to listen (as opposed to just ordering a burger with fries), and it ended up becoming one of my most delicious food memories.

The restaurant is no longer a small hole-in-the-wall. We visited every few months until moving away from the area. The next time I returned, the location had bought out the two stores next to it, and expanded into a fairly large place! A few years later, it opened a handful of HUGE locations around the city. Very well deserved!

this recipe

Recipe Video

What is Turkish pide with beef

Pide with ground meat, Kıymalı Pide in Turkish, is a popular Turkish “fast food” (quotation marks because it really isn’t fast to make!). Pide is a traditional flatbread that is filled with various toppings (you can think of the toppings as delicious passengers).

Another popular variety is, Kusbasili Pide – that is, pide with beef pieces.

Oh! And don’t forget to check out the Turkish Pide with beef recipe video on YouTube too!

The difference between pide and lahmacun

When I was young, I used to mix up pide and lahmacun (a similar Turkish flatbread with meat), but there are a few key differences:

• The most obvious difference is the shape. While pide is boat-shaped, lahmacun is circular.
• Lahmacun is typically thinner than pide.
• While pide is sliced, lahmacun is often rolled and eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Lastly, (and I’m not sure if this is a definitive difference or just my personal experience), but I always find that the lahmacun bread cracks more than pide’s when rolled or folded.  

How do you eat authentic Turkish pide?

Turkish pide is usually served sliced, and is eaten by hand. Grab a slice, fold it in half if it’s particularly big, and take a bite! No need for a knife and fork.

It’s usually served alongside a salad, and ayran – a yoghurt drink.

Variations

Here are a few ideas to mix up the toppings:

• Cheese and spinach
• Meat chunks (instead of ground beef)
• Different meats
• Mix it up with sundried tomatoes, and roast chicken
• Drop an egg on it. (Literally, crack an egg into the centre of the pide just before putting it into the oven!)

Storage suggestions

Pide can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.

More Turkish recipes

I love Turkish cuisine. If you’ve never been, Turkey is home to one of the best food scenes in Europe. Here are a couple of Turkish recipes for you to check out:

• Cilbir – Turkish Eggs in Spiced Yoghurt
• Ali Nazik Kebab
• Iskender Kebab

Helpful tools

The link below is an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase using it, I will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These small commissions help keep Chocolates & Chai going. Thank you.

There’s not much equipment you’ll need for this recipe, but a good rolling pin will make life easier. (I’ve linked to a wooden rolling pin which is a little longer than your standard, and believe me, this can make such a difference!)

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And that’s it, bestie! Have you tried Turkish pide with beef? Or do you prefer another variety? Let me know in the comments below.

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📖 Recipe

Turkish Pide with Beef

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Riz | Chocolates & Chai
• Total Time: 1 hour 42 minutes
• Yield: 6–8 Turkish pides 1x

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Description

Often referred to as a ‘Turkish pizza’, this authentic Turkish pide with beef is a boat-shaped delight, consisting of flatbread with crispy edges, and a delicious ground beef topping.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the pide:

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ⅓ cups warm water (325 ml)
• 4 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (520g)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the beef topping:

• 550g ground beef
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 ½ cups tomato, grated
• ¼ cup parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Preparing the pide dough:

1. Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water together. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, and create a well in the centre. Pour the activated yeast into the well, and mix slowly to form the pide dough.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop, and knead for 5-6 minutes to form a ball.
4. Grease a large, clean bowl with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add the kneaded dough to it, spread the remaining olive oil on the dough and cover with a clean cloth. Ferment in a warm part of your kitchen for 45-60 minutes (until it rises well).
5. Return the fermented dough to the floured countertop, knead into a cylindrical shape, and divide into equal parts (6-8 pieces).
6. Sprinkle some flour on your dough and roll it out into the long iconic boat-shape of a pide. Dust off excess flour.

Preparing the ground beef filling:

Mix the ground beef, onion, finely chopped parsley, grated tomato, salt and pepper together thoroughly.

Preparing the Turkish pide:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of the ground beef filing on to each flattened piece of dough. Use a spoon to spread the mixture, and ensure that the edges of the dough are untouched, and have enough room to be folded over (about an inch).
3. Pinch the top and bottom ends of the pide dough, and fold in the sides so as to sandwich the meat.
4. Bake, on a tray, for 7-8 minutes on the bottom shelf of the oven, followed by and 3-4 minutes on the top shelf. Remove from the oven, and spread butter along the edges of the pide. Change someone’s life.

Notes

• If you find that your tomatoes aren’t very juicy enough, you can add ¼ cup of water (40-50ml). You want there to be a good amount of moisture in the mix.
• When spreading your beef mixture on to the pide, make sure not to create a very thick filling. A thin layer will ensure that your meat cooks through. And when it doubt, use a meat thermometer to check that your beef has been cooked through.

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Fermentation Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Turkish

Keywords: Turkish pide with beef, turkish pide with ground beef, turkish pide with meat, Kıymalı Pide, pide recipe