What I Learnt About Turkish Bread This Week

This week Mr P and I went on a date. It does happen, you know, occasionally, when we make the effort.

I must confess, we were heading to a different restaurant (best not mention that, eh? In case the other restaurateur feels put out to be the second choice). Alas, the first place was closed so our date (which was going to be Indian) came over all Turkish and we arrived at Lezzet Restaurant and decided to give it a go.

It turned out to be rather serendipitous because, not only did we thoroughly enjoy our meal (What a fabulous restaurant! If you haven't been, you must try it. Go there at once. Take my car.*) I also got to sample some authentic Turkish bread, which was absolutely delicious.
*Not literally.

For a proper restaurant review of the food, I think we need to send in a proper foodie blogger. I nominate Foodie Therapy for this task. I, meanwhile, have done a little research into Turkish bread.

Turkish bread

There are, of course, many types of bread in Turkey, but the one that is most well known seems to be the Turkish flat bread, sometimes referred to as 'pide'.

It is this that we were served alongside our mezze, making a tasty accompaniment for meats and vegetables, as well as an excellent way to mop the plates clean at the end.

The bread is traditionally made with a very long rise-time for extra flavour. In some of the recipes I read online, sourdough starter was used but I cannot verify the authenticity of these methods.

It's a simple wheat-flour dough, with yeast and perhaps some sugar (depending which source you consult).

The characteristic grooves are made just prior to baking and they probably help to contain the seeds that are sprinkled on the top. Nigella seeds and sesame seeds add flavour and decoration. These may be held in place with an egg and milk glaze.

The bread is baked quickly in a hot, stone oven.

I may post up an actual recipe for Turkish bread at some point but not until I've made it for myself.

Pretty Things

Lezzet was hot on presentation. Look! Even the tea was pretty:

This is Turkish tea. I loved it!

 The coffee cup was pretty:

Turkish coffee was pretty hard-core

The light-fittings were pretty:

But this week hasn't all been dining out and luxury light-fittings...

Back At The Ranch

I made naan bread again and reminded myself how super-nice homemade naan bread is. Really, really good. Here's the naan bread recipe if you're feeling inspired.

And we had some lovely weather! That is noteworthy in this part of the world, believe me. It felt like spring and we did this:

And...

If you haven't already done so:

Grab your guide to Fresh Bread In 20 Minutes.

Also let's hear it for my humble bread-recipe ebook, ever growing and now containing over 30 bread recipes. Don't miss out!

"Likes" and "shares" are also very much appreciated, if you have a moment to help me grow my audience.

Thank you!