I’m kind of, slightly, obsessed with Turkey and all things Turkish. 

And so during this Ramadan, I made it my mission to make this traditional style bread. 

To be honest, I literally started watching tons of Youtube videos in Turkish and tried piecing together what kind of ingredients go into this bread. But it was so hard, because I had no idea what was being said in the videos. 

Anyway, the first time I made this, I took the chance and tried preparing a dough without the help of a translator and I wrote down my list random and almost haphazard measurements of ingredients. 

Later in the afternoon, my Turkish friend came to visit me and she helped me out with the final steps. And, alhamdulilah, it was a success! 

Ingredients:

Dough: 
3 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3+ cups all purpose flour or bread flour

Other Ingredients: 
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 cup warm water

1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Raw sesame seeds
Habet el Baraka (aka Black Cumin Seeds, Nigella Seeds)

Step 1: In a kitchen mixer or your own mixing bowl, combine the warm yeast, warm milk, water, oil and sugar and stir. Then allow for the mixture to sit for about 5-8 minutes or until the yeast begins to bubble.

Step 2: Turn on mixer and begin to add the flour with salt one cup at a time and continue to combine the ingredients. You want to create a sticky-but-not-impossible-to-work-with kind of dough. You may find that you will need to add additional flour to mix. If so, begin with 1/4 cup and then slowly add more until the dough has been formed. Again, it’s sticky but not impossible to pick up and work with.

Step 3: Transfer dough into a lightly oiled bowl (vegetable oil), cover with saran wrap and place in a warm area. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 1/2 -2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Dip your hands in water to help keep the dough  from sticking to your fingers. Gently remove the dough and place into the center of a pan lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with flour. Then gently flatten the dough until it is about 3/4 inch thick.

Step 5: Combine the flour and warm water into a bowl and stir. Dip your fingers into this mixture and then use your hands to create the traditional border and design. Go back over the design with a fork.

Step 6: Combine the egg, milk, and oil and then brush the entire Ramazan Pidesi. Sprinkle with the sesame and black seeds. Then transfer to the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.