How to make Turkish-style pizza

”Oklava, the first restaurant I opened, is named after the rolling pin traditionally used to make pastries and breads – including pide, this boat shaped Turkish take on a flatbread or pizza. I love how versatile this recipe is –you can pretty much put anything that takes your fancy on a pide. This version is particularly good as it’s summery and surprisingly light, yet it carries some really punchy flavours.” – Selin Kiazim

You will need:

• 2 x 280g jars marinated artichokes in oil, drained thoroughly and cut into quarters
• Melted butter for brushing
• 6 tbsp tulum cheese
• 1 tbsp aleppo chilli flakes (from ottolenghi.co.uk, also sold
  as pul biber) or regular chilli flakes
• ¼ bunch fresh parsley, finely shredded

For the dough

• 360ml lukewarm water
• 12g fresh yeast or 7g sachet dried yeast
• 12g (about 1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 625g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust

For the garlic cream

• 280g full-fat cream cheese (we used Philadelphia)
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 50g pecorino (or any hard cheese), grated
• For the broccoli
• 1 broccoli head
• 50ml extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice 1 lemon
• 1 green chilli, finely sliced

You’ll also need…

• Pizza stone or sturdy baking sheet

Selin’s tips for success:

• If you can’t roll the dough into the correct shape don’t worry – you can trim the edges with a knife.
• Be firm when shaping the dough. Pinching the ends and sides will ensure your pide keep their distinctive shape during cooking.
• Serve these with a traditional Turkish chopped salad (pepper/cucumber/onion/tomatoes and herbs) in a garlicky, sharp pomegranate dressing.
• The pide bases are versatile. Mix and match the toppings with different favourite flavours.

Makes 6. Hand-on time 1 hour, oven time 15 min, plus proving

1.Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9 with the pizza stone or baking sheet inside. To make the dough, combine 150ml of the water with the yeast, olive oil and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk and set aside in a warm place to let the yeast activate and create a froth (5-10 minutes).

2. Put the flour and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. When the yeast mix is frothy, pour it into the well and use your hand/wooden spoon to incorporate it into the flour, slowly adding the rest of water to give a dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. You may need to add a little more water to bring the dough together.

3. Tip the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth. Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for an hour or so until doubled in size. Meanwhile, make the garlic cream by combining all the ingredients in a bowl, then taste and season.

4. Cut the broccoli into florets, trim the stalk and cut into thin pieces. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli for 2 minutes (I like it with a bit of crunch). Drain and spread out on a tray to cool.

5. To make the pide, roll the dough into a 40-50cm sausage, then divide into 6 even pieces. Roll into balls and cover with a damp cloth. Roll out a ball of dough on a floured surface into a large oval shape about 25cm x 15cm and 3mm thick.

6. Leaving a border of about 3cm, use the back of a spoon to spread roughly one sixth of the garlic cream down the centre. Top with some artichokes, then fold the edges about a quarter of the way in to partially enclose in a canoe shape, leaving the filling in the centre exposed. Pinch the ends together to prevent the pide unfolding as they bake.

7. Slide the pide, 2 at a time, onto the hot pizza stone/baking tray (use a pizza paddle if you have one or another baking sheet). Bake for 10-12 minutes until the crust has a golden brown, crisp exterior. Meanwhile, roughly chop the cooled broccoli, then put in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, chilli and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Transfer the pide to a serving board, brush with melted butter, slice it and top with broccoli dressing. Sprinkle with the crumbled tulum cheese, chilli and parsley. Repeat with the other pide and serve.