Every weekend it’s Manic Monday Saturday in our household. Between 9am swimming lessons and 10am athletics training we need to be up early and out of the office ready to move by 8:30am. This is no small feat between two kids who would rather stay in the jammies and six cats who protest (by the incessant paw-whacking of dry dishes on the counter) until they are fed ☺. Needless to say I really look forward to lunch after the hustle bustle that comes with Saturday morning breakfast. Last weekend I was craving a carb heavy lunch (we had just run a 5K loop while the kids did their thing) when we realized there was no bread at home. Normally this would call for an excuse to stop by our neighbourhood Cobbs Bread for some lovely sourdough bread, but since we started making our own bread I’m hooked on the homemade variety. After an exchange of “hangry-motivated” remarks I acquiesced and told Janik we should stop by Cobbs Bread and pick up a loaf of bread – just today I proclaimed. We had lots to do later that afternoon and preparing the bread dough (and proofing time) just wasn’t in the cards. This impromptu stop by the bakery turned out to be the impetus for our latest bread recipe: Garlic Herb Turkish Bread (Pide).

Funny enough I never made it inside the bakery…instead I sent Janik and the kids while I visited the farmer’s market across the street to pick up some cauliflower for my vegan wing adventures (more about that here). When I came back to the car there was not only one, but two Cobbs Bread bags. Janik explained that Eliam was hung up on getting a loaf of bread while Naya was determined that we should buy a flatbread from the display case. In the spirit of pleasing everyone (so he says) Janik decided to bring home both a sourdough bread loaf and a loaf of Turkish Bread. I admit I was a little frustrated at first (remember I was still “hangry”, lol) but after taking a bite of the Turkish Bread I was hooked. The only other time our family had tried something close to Cobbs’ Turkish Bread was the Turkish-style pizza Janik’s brother used to order from Mr Pide – a neighbourhood gem in the Danforth area of Toronto. As I sampled the Pide on the way home I was impressed by the texture – think crusty garlic bread meets a flaky croissant – while the minced garlic, olive oil and seasoning brushed over the top of the Pide had a savoury dimension I didn’t expect 😀. Tasting this bread reminded how much I love sumac – the nearly purple-coloured Middle Eastern spice with a distinctive fruity-tart flavour reminiscent of vinegar or lemon. It’s hard to describe other than delightful!  If sumac isn’t in your pantry you’ll want to head to your bulk store and add this to your culinary toolbox 🤓.

Our family has made this Turkish-style bread our ‘own’ using our Thermomix to prepare the dough but this could be adapted depending on what you have available in your kitchen. What I love about this bread beyond its taste is its versatility. The kids devoured the pide plain (right out of the oven) while Janik and I dipped it in hummus. It makes a great sandwich bread and pizza (of course). There’s no shortage of options when it comes to this tasty Turkish (Pide) Bread. Thanks to serendipity for serving up the inspiration for this go-to bread recipe ☺.

For other family favourite bread recipes why not try our Rustic Ciabatta Loaf or our Salted Pretzel.

Enjoy~

Recipe Preparation

• 1/Prepare the dough (see below) and let proof for 2-3 hours
• 2/Preheat oven to 350F

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup Lukewarm Water (320g)
• 2 tsp dry instant Yeast (10g)
• 1 tsp raw cane sugar (5g)
• 2 cups unbleached white organic flour (490g)
• 1 tsp of salt (5g)
• 1 Tbsp organic olive oil (12g)
• 2 cloves organic garlic (Minced)
• 2 Tbsp organic olive oil to brush your dough
• Za’atar spice or a mix of marjoram/oregano/sumac
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• Himalayan salt or Maldon salt flakes to finish off

Instructions

• 1/ Mix 2 min/37C/Speed 2 water, yeast and sugar together and let stand in the bowl for 10 min.
• 2/ Add flour, salt and olive oil and Knead/3 Min.
• Proof covered for 2 or 3 hours or until approximately double in size.
• Pre-heat oven at 350F
• Form the dough in an oval shape and flatten with roller (dough should be 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick).
• Place on a baking or pizza stone.
• Using a brush lightly oil entire visible surface of dough and spread garlic, Za’atar spices (marjoram, oregano, sumac) and toasted sesame seeds.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and finish it off by sprinkling Himalayan pink salt or Maldon sea salt flakes.
• Serve hot with Hummus or use as pizza crust with your favourite toppings.

Note: This recipe was made using a Thermomix appliance; however, it can easily be adapted using similar food prep tools (e.g. multi-function processor, immersion blender etc).