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A Turkish Pide with chorizo is a delicious way to taste another part of the world using easy to access ingredients. It's an awesome savoury baking project the whole family will love.
I've only ever eaten Turkish pide in Taiwan of all places. Now I live much closer to Turkey, but I still haven't had a chance to visit. It's definitely on my list of places to explore because I'm a history lover, and I also know that part of the world is steeped in magical lore. But with that said, I'm obviously not an expert in Turkish food or culture. If you're looking for a truly authentic recipe, check out one of these Turkish food bloggers.
While I think we should definitely honor other cultures, I also personally think it's okay to try to recreate the food of other countries based on the ingredients we have available to us. This is essentially the basis of all American cuisine. And as a witch who cares for the Earth, I'm always torn when it comes to importing "authentic" ingredients versus buying something made a bit more locally. I think you do what works for you.
What makes Turkish Pide so awesome?
I loved that Turkish pide I ate in Taiwan, and luckily, it's something that I can recreate at home, albeit with slightly modified ingredients. In place of the traditional Turkish cheese and sausage, I used melty shredded mozzarella and spicy chorizo. And I never miss a chance to put an egg on something, so I definitely kept with that tradition. I finished the dish off with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes and za'atar. You could use dried oregano if you don't already have za'atar.
This pide is crisp and crunchy around the outside and gooey and cheesy in the center. The gooey yolk almost creates a sauce and adds richness to the dish. One pide is perfect to share between two people. This recipe makes two, so you can easily serve four or save on for the next day if you're a household of two like we are. These are great reheated. If you plan to add an egg for your leftovers, just wait to add the egg until you reheat it.
Magical Properties of Eggs
Eggs have been used in witchcraft around the world for centuries. With their tough outer shell, they're used in many ways for protection. You can save and crush up egg shells to create a protective powder. This is great for protecting your home instead of salt because it won't kill your plants. You can also rub an egg over your body to absorb any negative or harmful energy.
As eggs also contain baby animals, they're a symbol of fertility, as well. One spell suggests egg energy can be used for beauty. Save the water you used to boil eggs, let it cool, then bathe with it for "youth, vigor, and beauty." (Source: Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes)
To learn more about the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this recipe. Full details are in the recipe card below.
- Yeast - rapid rise or instant
- Sugar
- Warm water
- Bread flour
- Salt
- Olive oil - nothing fancy
- Shredded mozzarella - the low-moisture kind you put on pizza, not the fresh kind packed in water
- Chorizo sausage
- Eggs
- Za'atar
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Tips for making Turkish Pide with Chorizo
While there are a few steps, and it does take some time, this recipe is actually pretty simple. If you're worried that your yeast might be out of date, you can add it to a dish with the sugar and warm water and let it sit for about 10 minutes to make sure it starts to foam up. With instant yeast, though, you don't really need to bloom it. That's what makes it instant.
We make our dough stirring together the flour and the salt, then adding the yeast and sugar (already mixed with some water if you did that step), and slowly mixing in warm water and olive oil until the dough comes together. I do all this in my stand mixer with the dough hook. You can then knead it in the machine or by hand until you have a smooth dough. Let it rise for about an hour and a half. You'll then divide the dough in two, shape these into balls, and let them rise again for another hour.
When you're ready to shape your dough, you'll roll or stretch each ball into a roundish rectangle. Add your cheese and chorizo, the pinch the ends together to make that classic boat shape. Just wet the edges of the dough to help them stick. Transfer these to a baking sheet with some semolina or cornmeal to prevent sticking. Bake them in a hot oven, and pull them out about five minutes before their done. Crack an egg into the center of your pide, then pop it back in the oven. The longer you let the egg cook, the stiffer your yolks will be.
I like to slice these into four piece, but you could just cut them in half or serve them whole.
We can't always hop a flight to the other side of the world, but we can go anywhere in our imagination, and we can taste most of the world if we're willing to try. Make this Turkish Pide with Chorizo to get a hint of what Turkey tastes like.
Looking for more awesome chorizo recipes? Try a Chorizo & Potato Breakfast Burrito or this easy Chicken & Chorizo Tray Bake.
PrintTurkish Pide with Chorizo
- Prep Time: 30
- Rising time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 pide 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ⅔ cup warm water
- 1-½ teaspoons olive oil
For the toppings:
- 150 grams shredded mozzarella cheese
- 125 grams finely chopped chorizo sausage (you can use the food processor to chop it into smaller bits if you prefer)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon za'atar or dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the dough:
- Add your flour, salt, yeast, and sugar to a mixing bowl and gently stir to combine. Add the olive oil to the warm water, and slowly stir this into the flour mixture. Each time you make a bread dough, the conditions will be slightly different, so you might need a bit more or less water to bring it all together. You want just enough to hold it all together.
- Knead your dough for about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or about 8 minutes by hand until your dough is smooth. Let it rest and rise in an oiled mixing bowl, covered loosely in a warm place for about an hour and a half.
- Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it in two, then form each half into a ball, and place these on a baking sheet, lightly covered, to rise for another hour.
To assemble:
- Preheat your oven to 450 F (225 C).
- Roll each dough ball out into a roundish rectangle that's about roughly 16x8 inches.
- Divide your cheese and chorizo between the two pieces of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Wet the short edges of the dough with a finger dipped in water, then pinch the edges to form a sort of canoe shape. Fold over the long edges of the dough.
- Scatter a bit of semolina or cornmeal onto your baking sheets (I can only fit one pide on a baking sheet), then transfer your pide onto the baking sheet and pop it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the pide from the oven, and crack an egg onto the center. Put this back in the oven for 3-5 minutes depending on how well-cooked you like your eggs.
- Once your pide is cooked, remove it from the oven, then sprinkle with za'atar and crushed red pepper flakes. Slice and serve.
Keywords: Turkish pide
Recipe slightly adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.
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