A modern turkish pide

The dough (for 4 people)

250g flour

60mL water
75mL milk
10g fresh yeast or 3g dry yeast
1tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt

For the Turkish eggs

400g yoghurt
2 garlic cloves (4 if you like garlic like I do)
A pinch of salt
Sumac or lemon zest

80g feta cheese
1 to 2 eggs per person (4 or 8)
1 tbsp cumin
1 head of parsley, mint, coriander or dill (pictured is coriander)
6tbsp olive oil
3tsp red pepper flakes (Aleppo pepper if you can)

I grew up with an older sister. In the fourteen years that we spent under one roof I spent an amazing amount of hours watching her play the Sims, I bit her until blood stained the bathroom sink, I snuck into her room to read her diary, but through it all, I always thought she was the coolest person around and secretly wished to be like her.
So when she came back from a year in the United States and declared that pizza was best eaten cold for breakfast, I chose to agree. Back then, pizza was something we would order with little consideration for the dough, and great love for the chase that covered it all. No regrets.
We got into the habit of ordering one pizza each, and another one for breakfast the next day. What started as an attempt to be like her, became an obsession, and a habit of mine as well. Much like listening to French singers who can’t sing, watching films where nothing happens, and dressing in clothes that our grandma might have bought. No regrets here either.
To this day I still make an extra pizza, or save a few slices, to enjoy cold with a hot cup of coffee the next day, and think of her every time.

Building on this idea, and with eating habits that have evolved slightly, I came up with a proper adult version of my breakfast pizza that I make for our weekly Sunday brunch from time to time. It is inspired by the Turkish pide, a boat shaped pizza I ate every morning when I visited Turkey a few years back, and mashed-up with Turkish eggs, one of my favorite brunch recipes.
Do try it, it’s crunchy, warm, creamy, herbaceous and with a tang from using sumac…everything I like. But please don’t let it stop you from ordering a very average pizza at the local joint, smothering it in cheese and tomato sauce, and dunking it cold in your coffee as well. And spare a thought for my sister, the mastermind behind it all.

The dough 

By hand or in your electric kneader, pour the flour, salt and sugar. Dissolve the yeast inside the liquids at room temperature and pour on your solids. Knead for about ten minutes or until the dough is smooth and comes off the sides of the bowl. Cover with a cloth and set aside for about an hour. This gives you time to make coffee, drink it and make some more, and prepare your fillings.

For the Turkish eggs

Chop the garlic finely, and add it to your yoghurt with the salt and a heavy pinch of sumac. If you can’t find sumac, replace it with lemon zest, and leave to marinate.
You can use this time to chop your herbs as well, using what you have and what you prefer : I love dill and parsley but coriander, chives or mint would do well too.
Finally, prepare the chili oil by warming the olive oil in a pan (on low heat) and adding the pepper flakes and cumin so they can infuse it. On the pictures, I also added a star anise, coriander seeds and a cinnamon stick, make it your own ! Turn off the heat after about 5 minutes and leave aside.
Preheat your oven at 220°C with your Stadler Made Pizza Steel inside. Doing this now should give it some time to heat.

After about an hour, when the dough has risen well, punch it with your hand to deflate it. You can either make two dough balls of about 200g or four balls of 100g.
Flour your table and flatten the dough balls into an oval shape. In the center, spread some of the garlic yoghurt and fold the sides to build the boat shape of the pide. Seal the corners well, by twisting the ends, to make sure they don’t unfold while baking. If you want to use cheese, now would be a good time : grated melting cheese, or feta cheese would be nice additions.

Use one beaten egg to brush the dough and make sure it comes out golden and delicious looking !
Place the prepared pides on the oven steel and bake for about 5 minutes. Then, crack your eggs and place them on top of the yoghurt filling. Lower the heat to 180°C and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the eggs are set.
Serve straight away, with a very generous drizzle of chili oil and lots of fresh herbs scattered on top. I also added pomegranate seeds for a fresh pop. You could use sesame seeds, or raw red onion… Be creative.

Ah ! And don’t forget the coffee.

Pro tip : if you wake up starving like I do, speed things up by making your dough the night before and leaving it to rise in the fridge. Get it out of the fridge in the morning and proceed.