Sourdough Pide with Cheese and Egg

Name: Sourdough Pide with Cheese and Egg
Prep time: 54 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 6 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 3⅓ cups (400 g) bread flour; 1 cup (plus 1 tsp) (250 ml) water, lukewarm, about 85°F (30°C); ½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), bubbly and recently fed, at its peak; 1¼ tsp (8 g) fine sea salt; 1½ tbsp (22 ml) olive oil; 2 tbsp (16 g) bread flour, for dusting the work surface; 1⅓ cups (200 g) Turkish white cheese (beyaz peynir) or feta, coarsely crumbled; if very wet, pat dry with paper towels; 1½ cups (150 g) kaşar or low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely shredded; ¼ cup (15 g) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; freshly ground black pepper, to taste, about ¼ tsp; 1 yolk (18 g) large egg yolk, beaten with the milk; 1 tbsp (15 ml) whole milk; 4 eggs (200 g) large eggs, cold, cracked into 4 separate small cups so the yolks stay whole; 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, melted; ½ tsp (1 g) Aleppo pepper (pul biber), for sprinkling (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Boat-shaped Turkish flatbreads made with a tangy, chewy sourdough dough, filled with salty white cheese and melting kaşar or mozzarella, then finished with a runny-yolk egg and a brush of melted butter.

Prep: 54 min
Cook: 12 min
Wait: 6 hr 3 min
Total: 7 hr 9 min
Makes: 4 pides (one per person)

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the dough
3⅓ cups (400 g) bread flour
1 cup (plus 1 tsp) (250 ml) water, lukewarm, about 85°F (30°C)
½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), bubbly and recently fed, at its peak
1¼ tsp (8 g) fine sea salt
1½ tbsp (22 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (16 g) bread flour, for dusting the work surface
For the filling
1⅓ cups (200 g) Turkish white cheese (beyaz peynir) or feta, coarsely crumbled; if very wet, pat dry with paper towels
1½ cups (150 g) kaşar or low-moisture mozzarella, coarsely shredded
¼ cup (15 g) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste, about ¼ tsp
For the egg wash
1 yolk (18 g) large egg yolk, beaten with the milk
1 tbsp (15 ml) whole milk
For the topping
4 eggs (200 g) large eggs, cold, cracked into 4 separate small cups so the yolks stay whole
3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp (1 g) Aleppo pepper (pul biber), for sprinkling (optional)

Equipment (8)

Large mixing bowl or dough tub (3–4 qt / 3–4 L)
Digital kitchen scale
2 large baking sheets, about 13×18 inches (33×46 cm), used inverted or rimless
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Bench scraper
Pastry brush
Instant-read thermometer (optional)

Steps

Before you start

Feed your starter 4–8 hours ahead so it is bubbly and has at least doubled; use it at its peak.
Plan for about 7 hours start to finish, most of it hands-off bulk fermentation. Dough at about 75°F (24°C) ferments in roughly 5 hours; a cooler kitchen takes longer.
Crumble and shred the cheeses while the dough ferments, and keep them chilled until shaping.
Place two rimless or inverted rimmed baking sheets on the oven racks when you begin the final rest, so they are hot when the pides go in.

1
Mix and rest dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the lukewarm water and starter until the starter mostly dissolves and the water looks milky.
- Add the 400 g bread flour and mix with a wet hand or spatula until no dry flour remains and the dough is shaggy.
- Cover and rest 30 minutes so the flour hydrates.
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Ready when: No dry flour remains; dough looks rough and shaggy
Tip: Use water no hotter than 85°F (30°C) so you do not weaken the starter.
2
Add salt and oil
- Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the olive oil over the dough.
- Wet your hand and squeeze and fold the dough in the bowl for about 2 minutes, pinching to work in the salt and oil, until the dough feels smooth and cohesive.
- Cover the bowl.
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Ready when: Dough is smooth, slightly sticky and no oil pools on the surface
3
Bulk ferment with folds
- Over the next 5 hours at about 75°F (24°C), perform 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30-minute intervals: grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up gently and fold it over the center; turn the bowl a quarter and repeat 4 times per set.
- After the third set, cover and leave the dough undisturbed until it has grown about 50–75% in volume.
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Ready when: Dough is puffy and jiggly, domed at the edges, with a few bubbles visible on the surface and sides
Tip: Judge by the dough, not the clock. In a cool kitchen it can take 6–7 hours.
4
Prepare the filling
- While the dough finishes rising, combine the crumbled white cheese, shredded kaşar or mozzarella, chopped parsley and black pepper in a bowl and toss with a fork.
- Taste a piece of the white cheese; it is usually salty enough that no more salt is needed.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk for the wash, and melt the butter.
- Chill the filling until needed.
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Ready when: Filling is evenly mixed and the wash is smooth with no streaks of yolk
5
Divide and restOven 475°F / 245°C
- Dust your work surface lightly with some of the dusting flour.
- Scrape the dough out and cut it into 4 equal pieces of about 165 g each.
- Gently shape each into a loose ball, tucking the edges underneath.
- Cover with a towel and rest 30 minutes.
- Place two baking sheets (upside down) on the oven racks and preheat the oven to 475°F (245°C) during this time.
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Ready when: Dough balls are soft and relaxed, and spread slightly when touched
Tip: Do not skip the oven preheat; hot pans give the pide a crisp, blistered base.
6
Shape and fill pides
- Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface into an oval about 10×6 inches (25×15 cm), about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
- Move each oval onto its own piece of parchment.
- Spread a quarter of the filling down the center, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border all around.
- Fold the long edges up and over the filling about ¾ inch (2 cm), then pinch and twist the two pointed ends together to form a boat with an open center.
- Leave a clear, wide opening in the filling for the egg.
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Ready when: Each pide is boat-shaped with sealed pointed ends and the filling is contained within raised edges
Tip: Pinch the ends firmly or they will open and the cheese will leak out as it bakes.
7
Bake the pidesOven 475°F / 245°C
- Brush the exposed dough edges of each pide with the egg wash.
- Carefully slide the parchment with two pides onto each of the hot baking sheets (work quickly to keep the oven hot).
- Bake at 475°F (245°C) for 8 minutes, swapping the pans' rack positions halfway, until the edges are golden and the cheese is bubbling.
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Ready when: Crust edges are light golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling
Tip: Use oven mitts; the pans are extremely hot.
8
Add eggs and finish bakingOven 475°F / 245°C
- Pull the pans out.
- Use the back of a spoon to make a well in the center of each pide's cheese.
- Slide one egg into each well.
- Return to the oven and bake 4 minutes more, until the whites are set and opaque but the yolks still jiggle slightly.
- For fully set yolks, bake 2 minutes longer.
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Ready when: Whites are completely opaque and firm; yolk is glossy and jiggles slightly
Tip: Crack each egg into a cup first so you can slide it in without breaking the yolk or spilling the whites.
9
Brush with butter and serve
- Transfer the pides to a rack or board.
- Immediately brush the crust edges and the cheese around the egg with the melted butter.
- Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, if using.
- Rest 3 minutes, then serve hot, cutting into strips or tearing and dipping the crust into the yolk.
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Ready when: Crust is glossy with butter and the yolk is just set at the edges

Good to know

Tips

Baking on a very hot surface is what gives pide its crisp base; do not shorten the preheat.
Keep the center well free of too much cheese, or the egg will sit on top and run over the edge.
If your cheese is very wet or brined, pat it dry well so the dough underneath doesn't turn soggy.
For a more tender crust, brush the edges with butter before baking as well as after.

Make ahead

"The dough can be refrigerated after the final fold for 8–16 hours (cover tightly). Divide and rest the cold dough for about 45 minutes at room temperature before shaping. The filling can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and kept chilled."

Storage & reheating

"Best eaten right away. Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: wrap leftovers and keep up to 2 days. Freezer: freeze unbaked-egg versions (shaped and filled pides without egg) up to 1 month; bake from frozen with extra 3–4 minutes, then add egg. Reheat leftovers on a baking sheet at 375°F (190°C) for 8–10 minutes; the yolk will be set."

Substitutions

Turkish white cheese (beyaz peynir) or feta → Feta, ricotta salata or a mix of feta and cottage cheese. Salt levels vary; if using a mild cheese, add a pinch of salt to the filling.
kaşar or low-moisture mozzarella → Low-moisture mozzarella, provolone or mild white cheddar. Shred it yourself for better melting.
bread flour → All-purpose flour. The dough will be slightly softer; reduce the water by 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) if too sticky.
flat-leaf parsley → Fresh dill or chopped scallion. Use the same amount.