Flatbreads with feta, zahtar and red pepper paste; Biberli Ekmek
I hope you enjoy Biberli Ekmek; Turkish flat breads with crumbled feta, red pepper paste, sesame seeds, spices and zahtar blend. This easy recipe from Antakya, southern Turkey also showcases region's wonderful olive oil and crumbled feta, cokelek. Delicious and wholesome; try as a mezze (try with Hummus, Muhammara – red pepper paste and walnut dip or with Cacik, yoghurt dip with cucumbers and dried mint), or at tea time, with soups and main courses.
Author: Ozlem Warren
Recipe type: Turkish flat breads with spicy feta cheese topping
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi
15 ml / 1 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
10 ml/ 2 tsp. ground cumin
45 ml/ 3 tbsp. sesame seeds
30 ml / 2 tbsp. zahtar or za’atar
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Prepare the topping first. Combine the crumbled feta (or cokelek), red pepper paste, tomato paste all the spices, sesame seeds and olive oil. Knead with your hands to blend them well to form a smooth paste. Set the topping aside.
Now let’s make the dough. Combine the flour, dried yeast and salt in a large bowl.
Stir in the warm milk, warm water and olive oil and knead for 3 minutes to form a soft dough. If it gets sticky, drizzle a little extra olive oil in your hand to shape the dough, it really helps.
Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and spread the dough as a thin flat bread base, reaching all the edges (about ¼ cm, 0.9”).
Spread the topping evenly over the flat bread.
Leave the flat bread with topping on at a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes.
Once the dough's risen, bake in the preheated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 18 – 20 minutes.
Let the baked flat bread with spicy feta cheese topping, Biberli Ekmek to cool down for 15 minutes.
Slice and serve as part of a mezze spread or with tea, Turkish cay.
Recipe by Ozlem's Turkish Table at https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2014/11/flatbreads-with-feta-zahtar-and-red-pepper-paste-biberli-ekmek/