Turkish Pide

When I first saw Wendy posted her Turkish pita last week, right away I knew I wanted to bake it! In fact, I could so eat it right then! How could I not... the pita looked so beautiful & colourful, and the shape is so unique! Looking through the ingredients, I knew the dish would taste great. I think this dish will make a great & interesting presentation for guests.

The pita was so good that Wendy regretted baking only one piece... I didn't want to have any regrets, so I baked 4! Haha! But that's a good thing because my first two pitas were not presentable enough for picture taking (but still good to eat ^_^), most probably because of the mistake I made with the filling (read notes below). Also, good thing that I made 4 because all my kids loved it. They kept telling me that the crust was really good. I'm thinking of using this pita recipe for my pizza crust. One thing I know for sure, this is one dish I will make again & again.

Notes & modifications:

1. I made the mistake of mixing the egg together with the rest of the ingredients for the filling, besides cracking an egg on top. As a result, my filling was quite watery after baking. Actually, my kids & I did not really mind the moist filling. The only problem is the liquid did get soak a little into the bread..
2. Before pinching the dough at the two ends, I applied some water on the edge to ensure the dough was sealed securely. 
3. I baked my pita on a baking stone which I preheated for 1/2 hour, so I only needed to bake each pita for about 20 minutes.

(Update: I made this again. This time I used the filling recipe by Paul Hollywood. I think it has better flavour. Take a look at the recipe here.)

Mozzarella cheese topping for my youngest...

Turkish Minced Meat Pita
Source: Table for two.... or more.
(Makes 1 large pide.)

Pide dough:
125g flour (I used bread flour.)
20g water + 1/2 tsp instant yeast
20g natural yoghurt
20g milk (I used 30g.)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
olive oil for brushing on baked pita

Filling:
100g minced meat
1 tomato, seeds removed, diced
2 tbsp onion
2 tbsp chopped parsley (I used coriander leaves.)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 egg (for topping)

Method:

1. Dissolve yeast in water. Combine all ingredients for pastry & knead using hand for 2 minutes. Leave to proof (covered) for 2 hours.
2. 20 minutes before end of proofing, combine all ingredients for  filling, except egg, & place the mixture in a colander to drain any liquid.
3. Preheat oven at 180 (fan) or 200 deg C.
4. Roll out dough into an oval, 5mm thick. Place dough on a baking paper which is placed on a dark-coloured baking tray. Put filling on the dough, leaving 1-inch border. Fold the sides in & pinch the ends together. Crack the egg onto the filling.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until the dough turns golden brown. Remove pita from oven & brush the crust with olive oil. Serve warm.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.