Turkish Flatbread (Pide) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup lukewarm water, plus
1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, and let stand in a warm place 10 minutes until frothy.
Stir in the 1/2 cup of flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.
To finish the dough, put the 3 1/2 cups of flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.
Put in the yeast-and-sugar mixture, salt, olive oil, and 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water.
Gradually work in the flour to make a soft and sticky dough.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for 15 minutes.
The dough will be very sticky at first, but as you knead, it will gradually cease to stick to your hands.
You should have a damp and very springy dough that offers no resistance to kneading.
Put the dough in a oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour, until well swollen.
(You can refrigerate the dough at this point until you're ready to use it.) Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a log.
Cut into 8 equal pieces, and roll each one into a tight ball.
Place the balls on a floured surface, and let rest 30 minutes under a towel.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and if you have them, heat tiles 30-40 minutes before baking.
Roll one ball of dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin into a circle 1/4- to 1/8-inch thick and 8 inches in diameter.
Brush the top with olive oil.
Bake 5 or 6 minutes, and repeat the process with the remaining dough balls.
As the pide come out of the oven, stack them in a large pan and keep them covered until all are ready to eat.
Remember to let the oven temperature return to 450 degrees after baking 2 or 3 pide.
Serve the pide hot.
They also can be reheated wrapped in foil.