Sucuklu pide – Turkish bread boat with sausage Recipe
Sucuklu pide is an oblong, soft bread in the shape of a little boat, filled with cheese and slices of aromatic Turkish sucuk sausage. In Turkey it’s often ordered in bakeries as a quick, filling meal during the day. It tastes a bit like a cross between pizza and an open-faced baguette, but with a characteristic stretchy dough and an intense, slightly garlicky sausage aroma.
Sucuklu pide combines the comforting chew of freshly baked yeast dough with the intense, garlicky flavor of Turkish sucuk and a rich, melty cheese filling. It brings the feel of a Turkish bakery or street food stall straight to your kitchen and is easy to share at the table.
Chef's tips
Use really warm, but not hot, water so the yeast activates quickly without being killed. Roll the dough fairly thin so the pide bakes through in the short, hot bake time and stays flexible rather than bready. Don’t overload the filling – a moderate amount of cheese and sausage gives the best texture and prevents the center from becoming soggy.
How to serve
Serve straight from the oven, cut into diagonal slices, with a fresh salad and a cold glass of ayran. For brunch, pair with olives, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and a simple yogurt dip. It also works well as a game-night snack served on a wooden board for sharing.
Ingredients
- wheat flour - 350 g
- instant yeast - 7 g
- sugar for the yeast starter - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- water warm but not hot - 200 ml
- vegetable oil for the dough and for brushing - 2 tablespoons
- sucuk Turkish dry sausage, sliced into thin rounds - 150 g
- yellow cheese grated, e.g. gouda or mozzarella - 150 g
- feta cheese crumbled - 80 g
- egg for brushing the edges - 1 piece
- parsley chopped, for sprinkling after baking - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Put the yeast, sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm water into a bowl, mix and set aside for 5–10 minutes until a foam appears on the surface.
- Add the flour, salt, remaining water and 1 tablespoon of oil. Knead by hand or with a dough hook for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly grease the bowl with oil, place the dough inside, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 40 minutes, until doubled in size.
- In the meantime, grate the yellow cheese, crumble the feta and slice the sucuk into thin rounds.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 4 pieces and shape each into a ball.
- Roll each ball into an oval about 25 cm long. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Sprinkle the cheese mixture along the center of each oval, leaving about a 2 cm border. Arrange the sucuk slices on top of the cheese.
- Fold the edges of the dough inwards to form a boat shape and pinch the ends together. Brush the edges with beaten egg.
- Leave the shaped pide to rise slightly for 10–15 minutes, meanwhile preheating the oven to 230°C (top and bottom heat).
- Place the tray in the hot oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are well browned and the cheese inside has melted and lightly browned.
- After removing from the oven, brush the edges with a little oil or melted butter, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot, cut into pieces.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This version of sucuklu pide is inspired by the simple bakery-style ones you can grab on the go in Turkey. The dough is forgiving and can be made ahead, and the filling is flexible depending on what cheese and sausage you have on hand.
