Turkish Pide Bread (Ramazan Pidesi)

Ramazan pidesi turkish pide bread on a cooling rack.

5 from 4 votes

Turkish pide bread, or ramazan pidesi, is a traditional Turkish bread made with yeast that's typically served for iftar and sahur during Ramadan. This soft, round bread is topped with sesame seeds and features a distinctive basket-weave pattern on the top.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Rise time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Levantine, Mediterranean, Turkish

Servings: people

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $5

Equipment

Stand Mixer - Optional

Ingredients

3 ½ cups All-purpose flour - 490 grams
2 ¼ tsp Instant yeast - One packet
2 tsp White sugar
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 ⅓ cups Milk - Whole or 2%
Olive oil for brushing

Glaze and Garnish

1 Egg yolk
1 tbsp Milk or yogurt
Sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Mix. In a stand mixer bowl, add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix to combine. Add the warmed milk. Knead the dough using the dough hook for 4-5 minutes, until you have a nice and supple dough. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a large bowl and finish kneading it on the counter.
Rise. Bush the dough ball and bowl with olive oil and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. If your kitchen is on the cool side, you may need to let the dough rise for 1-2 hours.
Flatten. Preheat the oven to 400F. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Using your hands press down to form a circle that is 3/4" thick. The circle should be about 12" in diameter. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Circular indentations. Using your fingers, make indentations in the dough about 1" from the edge. You want to create a circular dimpled pattern.
Diagonal indentations. Once the circle is complete, move onto the diagonals. Using your fingers, make indentations in straight lines, about 1"-2" apart, in two different directions so you end up with a diamond pattern.
Brush. Make the glaze by mixing the egg yolk and milk (or yogurt) in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, glaze the entire surface of the pide. Sprinkle sesame seeds all over the pide. You can get creative here if you wish.
Short second rise: Let the pide rise for another 15 minutes and then go over the dimples once more to ensure you get a nice and defined pattern once baked.
Bake: Bake the pide in the pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes. The top will be nice and golden. The bottom should also have some color. Let the bread cool slightly before enjoying.

Video

Notes

See the recipe post above for detailed step-by-step photos. Useful for seeing how to make the diamond pattern.

Ingredient Notes:

Flour: use up to 50% bread flour instead of all-purpose for a stretchier, slightly chewier bread. Up to 50% whole wheat flour can be used as well but the bread will be less light and fluffy, and you may need to add a little more liquid to get the dough to form a ball.
Seeds: if you don't have both colors of sesame seeds, use one or the other. Some nigella seeds can be added too if you like the flavor.
Yeast: it has to be instant yeast as it's added with the dry ingredients. If you want to use traditional yeast, you'll have to bloom it in the warm milk first and the pide will take longer to rise.

Storage: keep the bread in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days, or refrigerate for up to a week. To refresh it, spritz with a little water and reheat in a warm oven for about 5 minutes.

Freezing: freeze Ramadan pide in an airtight container or resealable bag for up to three months. Thaw as usual and reheat using the method above.

Make Ahead: after the first rise, form ball(s) of dough as outlined in the recipe. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let the dough come back up to room temperature before shaping and baking as instructed.

Nutrition