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Turkish Pide Breads
The Turkish name for this bread is pide ekmeği, which translates as “pita bread.” But these are not the thin, pocketed flatbreads familiar to most Americans. Pide ekmeği are roughly the size of a small pizza, with an airy, open crumb and a tender, almost pillowy quality. Sometimes a sprinkling of seeds adds texture and flavor. We encountered pide ekmeği served alongside tepsi kebabı, or “tray kebab,” during a visit to Türkiye. We tried basic bread-making formulas, but ultimately found that starting with a sponge—a mixture of yeast, flour and water that becomes bubbly after standing for 30 minutes—produced breads with not only the lightness we were after, but also a more complex flavor. For dusting the breads just before baking, we use nigella seeds, which have an earthy, slightly bitter flavor with notes of allium. Sesame seeds are good, too—or use a combination. The bread is best served warm or at room temperature the day of baking, but foil-wrapped leftovers reheat well in a 400°F oven in about 10 minutes.
Makes two
10-inch breads
Don’t be tempted to add more flour to the dough during mixing. The dough’s relatively high hydration is key to the bread’s light, airy crumb.
2¼ hours
30 minutes active
Ingredients
-
2
cups warm water (110°F), divided
-
2¼
teaspoons instant yeast
Directions
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01In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1 cup of the warm water, the yeast, honey and 137 grams (1 cup) of the flour. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; the mixture, called a “sponge,” will rise slightly and become bubbly.
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