Turkish Cheese Pide (translated as Kasarli Pide) with Mushrooms is a type of flatbread topped with veggies and Kasar cheese, very similar to pizza but without tomato sauce. This cheesy pide is buttery, packed with flavour, very easy to make and perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
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Pide is a Turkish classic and it is the ultimate snack and “to go” food. It is also called "Turkish Pizza" in the Western world. Although there are some traditional fillings to top these flatbreads, you can customize yours with your favourite toppings. My other favourite Pide is Kiymali Pide, the one filled with mince and small chopped vegetables.
Ingredients for Cheese Pide With Mushrooms
This recipe for authentic cheesy Turkish Pide requires a few pantry and fridge ingredients.
- Mushrooms- Button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms are perfect for pide. I sometimes use wild mushrooms as well when lucky enough to find them.
- Kasar cheese - It is a semi-hard yellow cheese that is similar to cheddar but much milder and is made by sheep milk. It is widely used in Turkey for pastries and general cooking. You can replace kasar with mozzarella, gouda, cheddar or any other semi-hard cheese you like. Use dairy-free cheese to make this vegetarian pastry vegan friendly. You can buy Kasar from Turkish shops as well as online from Amazon.
- Butter - You can replace butter with olive oil if you want to make it vegan friendly.
- Green peppers - I use Turkish green peppers as I always have them in the fridge but any green peppers you like or you have in hand would work fine.
- Onions - You can use finely diced white, yellow or red onions.
- Tomato - A medium-sized finely diced tomato is enough but you can add some extra for more color.
- Seasoning- I use salt, pepper and chilli flakes (optional) to keep the flavour fresh and simple.
- White strong flour - It is also known as strong bread flour. It is made from hard wheat varieties and contains more gluten than other types of flour. It gives some elasticity to the dough and helps it to rise with a good structure.
- Yeast - Use fast-action dried yeast or alternatively fresh yeast if you prefer. You need to double the amount if using fresh yeast.
- Eggs - They are optional but strongly advised!
Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making your own homemade Cheese Pide (Kasarli Pide) with Mushrooms might sound daunting but it is fairly simple to make them if you follow a few simple steps:
Prepare the dough
Sift the flour in a bowl then add the yeast and warm water. Mix until combined and then add the salt to the bowl. Gently mix with your fingers to form a dough, it will be sticky at that stage. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 4-5 minutes or until it doesn't stick to your hands anymore.
You can use a bit of extra flour if needed but not too much. It should feel soft and elastic at that stage. Turn the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with a cling film or clean kitchen cloth and let it rise for an hour until it doubles the size up.
Prepare the Filling
Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onions on medium heat until soft. Add the mushrooms and then saute for a few minutes before adding the peppers. Sautée the peppers for a minute and then add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper and chilli flakes (if using). Cook for a few more minutes, remove from the heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
Shape the Pide
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan oven). Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (approx 140 grams each) and then place them on a lightly floured surface. Cover with cling film or a damp kitchen cloth and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
Roll one of the dough balls into an oval shape of 15 cm x 35 cm (about 6”x13”) in size and ½ cm (0.2”) in thickness. Spread ¼ of the mushroom filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 ½ cm border at the edges. Sprinkle on ¼ of the cheese, fold the border over the filling and then pinch the top and bottom end together.
Repeat the same for the remaining 3 dough balls. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper and gently transfer 2 pides on each tray. When the oven is hot enough, place the trays in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the filling is cooked and the pastry is lightly browned.
If you want to top your pide with an egg, add it at the last 5 minutes of the cooking time for medium cooked eggs or 10 minutes for well-done eggs. When the pides are golden brown, generously brush the crust with butter and slice before serving.
If you need more detailed instructions about how to make the pide dough and roll it out, watch the video tutorial here.
Related Recipes
For more delicious flatbread recipes why not try:
This cheesy pide is perfect to serve for breakfast/ brunch and we Turks love it with a glass of Turkish tea.
Alternatively, try them with a bowl of warming Autumn Squash Soup or another Turkish classic Ezogelin Soup. I often serve this cheesy flatbread with some salad such as Tomato and Walnut Salad or Rocket and Parmesan Salad.
Simply cover in tin foil and reheat in a preheated oven for 10 minutes or until piping hot. You can also microwave it for a couple of minutes if you prefer.
I believe it is a personal choice and preference. Although they look very similar, there are big differences between them. The texture of the pide dough is softer and more tender than pizza dough, which is chewier. Also, the toppings are very different. Pide doesn't have any tomato sauce on the dough and is generally topped with meat mixed with onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
Top Tip From the Chef
Using a good quality strong white flour is necessary to have an elastic dough that is easier to roll out. Make sure you knead the dough long enough to make it soft and elastic.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this authentic cheesy pide as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
Cheese Pide with Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 sifter
Ingredients
For Pide Dough
- 400 g white strong flour
- ½ TSP fast action dry yeast (3 grams)
- ⅔ teaspoon salt (4 grams)
- 250 ml tepid water
For Mushroom and Cheese Filling
- 30 g butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 700 g button or chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 Turkish green pepper, or ½ green bell pepper, or 3 Padron peppers (finely chopped)
- 1 medium tomato (diced)
- 200 g grated mozzarella or kasar cheese
- 100 g grated cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- 4 eggs for topping (optional)
- butter for brushing
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
- Sift the flour in a bowl then add the yeast and warm water.
- Mix together until combined then add the salt to the bowl.
- Gently mix with your fingers to form a dough, it will be sticky at that stage.
- Transfer the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it for 4-5 minutes or until it doesn't stick to your hands anymore. You can use a bit of extra flour if needed. It should feel soft and elastic at that stage.
- Turn the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl. Cover with a cling film or clean kitchen cloth and let it rise for an hour until it doubles the size up.
- Start to prepare the mushroom and cheese filling while the dough is rising.
Preparing the Mushroom and Cheese Filling
- Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onions on medium heat until soft.
- Add the mushrooms and then saute for few minutes before adding the peppers.
- Sautée the peppers for a minute and then add the tomatoes, salt, freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes (if using).
- Cook for few more minutes, remove from the heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes while portioning and resting the dough.
Making the Pide
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan oven).
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (approx 140 grams each) and place them on a lightly floured surface. Cover with cling film or a damp kitchen cloth and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
- Roll one of the dough balls into an oval shape 15 cm x 35 cm (about 6”x13”) size and ½ cm (0.2”) thickness.
- Spread ¼ of the mushroom filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 ½ cm border at the edges.
- Sprinkle on ¼ of the cheese, fold the border over the filling and then pinch the top and bottom end together.
- Repeat the same for the remaining 3 dough balls.
- Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper and gently transfer 2 pides on each tray.
- When the oven is hot enough, place the trays in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the filling is cooked and the pastry is lightly browned.
- If you want to top your pide with an egg, add it at the last 5 minutes of the cooking time for medium cooked eggs or 10 minutes for well-done eggs.
- When the pides are cooked, generously brush the crust with butter and slice before serving.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Annabel
Never thought about putting an egg on top of Pide,
What a fab idea !
Ayla Clulee
Thank you Annabel 🙂
Hannah
Love this recipe! The Pide turned out absolutely delicious. Will definitely keep in the recipe collection.
Rezan
Great recipe, turned out perfect. I didn't put an egg on top. Yummy and will definitely make this again. Thanks