How to make Turkish bread - a simple recipe even for beginngers (2024)

Want to know how to make Turkish Bread? Look no further than this quick, easy and delicious authentic Turkish bread recipe. No bread baking experience required.

How to make Turkish bread

Nosy is a subjective term.

Yes I’m nosy when I think I can be of assistance to someone or they’re talking about something really juicy but I think if I can hear something while remaining in the confines of my own home, that doesn’t count as nosy as all, it’s merely being aware of one’s surroundings.

Yes?

The golf widow that used to be pre-kids, I was home one Saturday afternoon baking an easy Turkish bread recipe when I heard raised voices coming from the unit next door.

We used to have neighbours who like to argue.

I’m not talking abusive arguing just general couple stuff like ‘I did this’ and ‘you never do that’ that makes you feel normal and perhaps a little silly to think that you too sound like this sometimes.

You might also be interested in my no-knead artisan bread recipe.

I’m embarrassed to say that I was straight to the front door with my ear pinned to the crack to get my fix.

Every now and then I had to leave my post to knead the Turkish bread dough, pre-heat the oven, bake the Turkish bread and finally make my sandwich.

The argument went on for so long that I had to give up my post and sit down to eat, only because I couldn’t balance with my ear pinned to the door and eat a sandwich at the same time.

My Turkish bread sandwich was worth leaving the entertainment behind. I wasn’t expecting to be able to replicate the traditional bread but this was almost as good.

The consistency of the actual bread was not quite as wet but the crust was just perfect.

I toasted some the next day and it was super thin and crispy just like you get from toasting the store-bought version.

It’s really easy to make and you only need flour, water, salt and yeast.

Next time you have a hankering for authentic Turkish bread, try making your own using this super simple Turkish bread recipe.

Surprisingly, there was no oil in this recipe. Here I was thinking Turkish bread was oily (I think maybe the stuff you buy in the supermarket has a bit added to it).

How to make Turkish bread

1. Start by letting the yeast come to life. Sprinkle it over the water in the bowl of an electric mixer then leave it for 10 minutes to froth up.

2. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and use the dough hook on low speed until everything comes together. Increase the speed a little and knead the dough until it is smooth.

If you’re kneading by hand, here are some tips:

3. Shape the dough into a ball and pop it back in the bowl then cover it up and leave it to grow for 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

4. Looks just about ready for a big punch in the face (totally undeserving though).

5. Looks like he caught a left hook complete with indent from my engagement ring, poor little dough ball!

Give it a good whack to let the air out and then perform the lift and fold, similar to the bend and snap. Use a scraper to lift the bread at 12 o’clock back over into the middle of the dough.

Turn the bowl 90 degrees and do it again until all four ‘sides’ have been folded into the middle.

6. Shape it into a ball again, cover it and leave it to rest for 30 minutes this time. If you’re really short on time then you might prefer my 30 minute bread.

7. Line a baking tray with baking paper and then sprinkle over the polenta. It’s not an essential step but I think it looks much more authentic with the polenta bottom.

Divide the dough into as many pieces as you like and then stretch and shape them into long, flat pieces. Cover them again and leave them to rest for 15 minutes.

If you like the look of this then you’re going to love my best ever olive bread recipe.

8. Pre-heat the oven to 250C fan-forced and place a baking dish filled with water in the bottom of the oven.

There are a few different crusts you can achieve with this bread by changing the oven temp and cooking time and playing with the level of steam.

I wanted a thin, crispy crust like the bread from the supermarket so I baked it at a high temp with steam (see the recipe for other options).

9. While the oven it heating, poke the dough all over and brush it with the egg. Decorate the top of the dough with seeds.

All I had in the pantry was some poppy seeds so they had to do but I’d love to get my hands on some Nigella seeds to make it truly authentic. Anyone know where I can get some?

10. Bake the bread for 8-9 minutes or until it turns golden on top.

Not totally convinced it was going to turn out, I was pleasantly surprised when these emerged from the oven.

11. Pop them straight onto a wire rack to cool before you serve them.

If you’re really observant you’ll notice that the slice on the right isn’t actually the end of the bread.

That would be because it somehow disappeared into my mouth before I could take a photo.

One serving suggestion – thinly sliced and served with a bowl of beetroot hummus.

Not the most exotic sandwich I know but fresh shaved leg ham, Swiss cheese and whole grain mustard made the perfect sandwich filling for my first Turkish bread. Enjoy!

How to make Turkish bread – a quick video

A few common questions

What is baker’s flour?

Bakers flour (in Australia) is a flour that has a higher protein and gluten content than regular plain flour which means it holds together better and is perfect for baking bread like easy Turkish bread.

You can also use regular plain flour in homemade Turkish bread and add ‘bread improver’ to it which is basically the protein that’s added to make bakers flour.

In some countries, ‘bakers flour’ is called ‘bread flour.’

What are Turkish bread ingredients?

To make this easy Turkish bread recipe you will need:

• 500g bakers flour
• 4g dried yeast
• 10g salt
• 360ml water (at 110F)
• 2 tbsp polenta (for the tray)
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• seeds to top the bread

What about you? Are you nosy or do you keep to yourself? Would you listen in on your neighbours or do you think I’m terrible?

Connect with Claire K Creations!

Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!

Facebook|Pinterest|instagram

Be sure to follow me onInstagramand tag @clairekcreations so I can see all the wonderful Claire K Creations recipes and creations YOU make!

I created a fun little group onfacebookand I’d love for you to join in! It’s a place where you can share YOUR favorite recipes, tips, tricks and tools for making life simpler, more natural and more connected and see what’s new around here (so that you never miss a new recipe, tip or trick)! If you’d like to check it out, you can request to joinHERE.

Do you want to learn more about baking your own bread? Check out my free eBook – 10 Bread Baking Mistakes and How to fix/avoid them.

Turkish bread

Yield: 2 large loaves

Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 3 minutes

A delicious and easy Turkish bread recipe that even those with no bread-baking experience can succeed at.

Ingredients

• 500g bakers flour
• 4g dried yeast
• 10g salt
• 360ml water (at 110F)
• 2 tbsp polenta (for the tray)
• 1 egg (for egg wash)
• seeds to top the bread

Instructions

1. Pour the water into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over the yeast. Leave it for about 10 minutes or until the yeast froths.
2. Add the flour and salt and using a dough hook, mix slowly until the dough comes together.
3. Knead for another couple of minutes until the dough is smooth.
4. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and leave it to stand for 45 minutes or until it doubles in size.
5. Punch down the dough and then use a scraper to knead the dough using the lift and fold method - lift the bread at 12o'clock and fold it back over the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you have folded in all 4 'sides.'
6. Cover it again and leave it to rise for 30 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into as many pieces as you like and shape them into long loaves.
8. Lay them out on a baking sheet sprinkled with polenta.
9. Cover them and leave them to relax for 15 minutes.
10. Pre-heat the oven to 250C fan-forced and place a dish of water in the bottom (if using).
11. Use your fingers to poke holes in the top of the dough and then brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.
12. Bake the bread for 8-9 minutes or until golden.
13. If you want the crust to be harder, bake it at 220C for 14-16 minutes.
14. I baked mine for 9 minutes at 250C using steam.
15. Let the baked bread cool on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

For a thicker, chewier crust bake without steam, for a thinner crispier crust bread bake with steam.

To add steam, place a baking dish of water in the bottom of the oven when you turn it on and leave it in there for the entire baking process. Be careful when you open the oven because it will be very steamy!

See Also

The Best Easy Apple Pie RecipeI Made Joanna Gaines' 3-Minute Bread Recipe and It's the Next Thing You Should BakeThe Ultimate Guide to Naturally Cleanse and Detox Your Body - F and B Recipes50 Keto Breakfast Recipes

Nutrition Information

Yield 10 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 201Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 19mgSodium 421mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 2gSugar 0gProtein 6g