Turkish Ramadan Bread (Ramazan Pidesi)

A simple recipe for traditional Turkish Ramazan Pidesi will show you exactly how to make this classic Ramadan bread. It’s a soft flatbread with a golden crust, signature weave pattern, and crunchy seed topping.

This traditional Ramadan Pide recipe creates two beautifully soft and golden loaves that are perfect for breaking and sharing!

This delicious bread (Ramazan Pidesi) is beloved in Turkey and the Levant countries, including where I grew up, in Jordan. There, this special bread is only made and sold in bakeries during the month of Ramadan, making it a cherished tradition.

Ramadan bread is commonly enjoyed for Suhoor – the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan. Like pita, it pairs wonderfully with stews or soups like my Lentil Soup, and dips such as Fattet Hummus, Baba Ganoush, or Labneh. I love it for making sandwiches too.

I’ve learned to make this bread at home so that I can still enjoy the tradition of Turkish pide bread during Ramadan, or any time of the year that I want to make it! I specifically enjoy making this with fresh olive oil when I can get it during the harvest season in fall and early winter.

Is it Ramadan Pide or Ramazan Pidesi?

It’s both! The spelling and pronunciation changes based on where you are. In countries where Arabic is the main language, Ramadan is spelled with a “d”, and in countries where Arabic is not the main language, such as Turkey, Pakistan, or India, it tends to be spelled with a “z”.

In Turkey, “pide” generally means flatbread with toppings, almost like a flatbread pizza, while “pidesi” is a Turkish word that refers to this specific style of flatbread made during Ramadan.

Ramazan Pidesi Recipe Highlights

• An Easy Bread Recipe – This recipe comes together quickly and easily in one bowl with 6 simple ingredients that you can usually find in most kitchens.
• Traditional Seed Topping – A wash made with egg yolk and milk gives the bread a deep golden brown color, and sesame and nigella seeds add crunch and flavor.
• Enriched with Olive Oil – Adding milk and olive oil to this flatbread gives it a tender crumb.

Ramazan Pidesi Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this Turkish Ramadan Bread:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Flour: For simplicity, this Turkish bread is made with regular all-purpose flour. I wouldn’t use bread flour to make pide, as the bread would end up too dense.
• Instant Yeast: I like instant dry yeast since I don’t need to bloom it before mixing it into the dough.
• Salt and Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast. Together the salt and sugar add balanced seasoning to the bread.
• Warm Milk: Aim for a temperature of 110°F/45°C, or just above body temperature. This temperature is ideal for yeast growth.
• Sesame Seeds: These tiny morsels are always best if they are toasted first. A minute or two in a skillet on the stove will take care of that.
• Nigella Seeds: A popular spice in Indian, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines, these seeds are crunchy with an onion-like flavor. Sometimes called “black cumin seed”, “charnushka”, or “kalonji”, you can find nigella at Asian or Middle Eastern specialty stores, or online.
• Olive Oil: For amazing flavor, use good extra virgin olive oil here. The recipe will also work well with melted butter, melted ghee, or vegetable oil.
• Optionally, add 1½ tsp of ground anise to the dough for a subtle aromatic flavor.

How To Make Turkish Pide Bread for Ramadan

Recipe Tips

• Mixing by Hand? Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand if you aren’t using an electric mixer with a dough hook attachment.
• The dough should be a bit sticky. It’s a very high hydration bread dough, so some sticking is to be expected. If you need to, lightly oil your hands to work with it.
• Egg Glaze: Make the egg wash with only the egg yolk for this deep golden color. For a thicker glaze, use heavy cream or plain yogurt instead of milk.

Storing Tips

I suggest eating the bread fresh from the oven, but if you need to, it can be baked and stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.

You may also want to make the dough ahead of time. After it rises, divide it into two loaves, cover, and refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours. Before shaping and baking, let the dough balls come to room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

Ramadan Pide is a great option as part of a meal before starting to fast, or as Iftar, a light meal to break a fast! Try it with some of my other favorite recipes for Ramadan:

• Manakish with Cheese and Za’atar
• The Best Atayef
• On Pot Shawarma Rice and Chicken
• Sambousek
• Mujadara with Bulgar
• Lebanese Lentil Soup

Recipe FAQs

What can I use instead of Nigella Seeds?

Black sesame seeds have a similar look, although they won’t give you the same smoky, oniony flavor. You can also leave the seeds out of you can’t find them or don’t enjoy eating them.

Is Pide the same as Ramadan Pide?

Nope! Just “Pide” refers to an oval-shaped flatbread that is formed into a sort of boat and wrapped around meat, cheese, or veggie filling before baking. Ramadan Pide or Ramazan Pide is this specific recipe that we’re making today, a round no-knead Turkish flatbread with a weave pattern, egg wash, and seeds on top.

Is Ramadan Pide a focaccia?

There are definitely similarities in the these two bread recipes, especially since I make my Ramadan bread with olive oil. Italian focaccia is also formed with the fingers into a pillowy texture before baking, but tends to be baked in a pan and into a taller and more structured loaf than this flat bread we’re baking today.

I hope you enjoy one of my favorite Ramadan recipes! Turkish Ramadan Bread is simple to make, but so special and perfect for sharing.