No-knead Turkish bread

No-knead Turkish bread

no knead turkish bread top down

As I have mentioned before, both me and Duncan have a soft spot for a particular type of Turkish bread – flat, fluffy loaf traditionally eaten during Ramadan. Sometimes, it’s topped with sesame seeds, sometimes with pul biber (Turkish chilli), either way it is delicious.

We got hooked on it when we used to live in North-East London next door to a Turkish bakery. They sold these amazing Turkish breads, straight from the oven, for 80p each and their tantalising smell made it impossible to go past without buying some! It’s fabulous when it’s still warm and fresh, but even a day or two later it tastes delicious cut into thin strips, lightly toasted on a griddle pan and served with a selection of mezze dishes to dip it into.

Since we no longer live in London, now I have to twist Duncan’s arm to make us Turkish bread now and again. To be honest, he is not that resistant to it as this is one of the easiest breads you’ll make.

It requires no kneading! You cannot believe it? I was a bit sceptical too, but try it – proof is in the erm…bread. It’s light and airy, full of air pockets and so irresistible that you’ll wanna eat the whole loaf at one sitting. Just a word of warning, don’t do it if you intend to go running an hour later. This last bit of info is NOT BASED on personal experience at all:).

no knead turkish bread pattern

turkish bread with mezze

turkish bread texture

no knead turkish bread side

makes
1 medium loaf
PREP
20 min
COOKING
13 min
makes
1 medium loaf
PREPARATION
20 min
COOKING
13 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 250 g / 2 cups bread flour
  • 7 g / 0.25 oz / 2¼ tsp instant dried yeast
  • 200 ml / ¾ cup + 4 tsp warm water
  • 2 tsp caster/fine sugar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 15 ml / 1 tbsp olive oil, for glazing
  • handful of white and black sesame seeds
METHOD
  1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Create a small well in the middle of the flour and add the yeast. Pour the water into the well and mix everything together with your hands. At this stage the dough should be very wet and fairly hard to manage.
  3. Cover the mixing bowl with cling film and leave to prove for about one hour (or until it has doubled in size).
  4. Flour a work surface and tip the proven dough out on to the work surface making sure to add lots of flour to avoid sticking. Shape the dough into a flat circle (about 2-3 cm high).
  5. Place the dough on a olive oil-greased baking tray. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 250° C / 480° F in the last 20 minutes of this time.
  6. Dent the top of the dough by first drawing a rough inner circle (with your fingertips) of about 3 cm from the edge of the bread. Then fill in the centre of the inner circle with criss-crossed diagonal lines about 2-3 cm apart (see 2nd picture in this recipe to get the idea).
  7. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds and press the seeds in as far as you can to make sure that they stay in the bread.
  8. Bake the bread for 8 minutes at 250° C / 480° F and then turn the oven down to 200° C / 390° F and bake for another 5 minutes (or until golden brown).
SHARE
NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
1345
67%
sugars
6 g
7%
fats
43 g
61%
saturates
5 g
25%
proteins
41 g
81%
carbs
200 g
77%
*per serving
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5.0
80 reviews, 142 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Ashleigh:
When making this I was scared because the dough was really sticky and hydrated - I thought I had done it wrong. But when I baked it, it came out beautiful, bouncy and a really great texture. Plus it was yummy, thank you for the recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks Ashleigh, so happy to hear that this bread did not disappoint and thanks for trusting my recipe! x Ania
Noush:
Turned out great from first try so yummy
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great news, Noush! I am delighted to hear that it came out well and that you enjoyed it! x Ania
Emma:
Very easy and came out deliciously! Nothing like the smell of baking bread to boot. Today I cut a large triangle in half horizontally and spread with vegan cream cheese and fresh tomatoes. Really good. Thanks for the way to make easy and delicious fresh bread. Will make more very soon!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Emma, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this bread. Cream cheese and sweet toms sound great - if you want to go the extra mile pan-fried the halved tomatoes briefly in olive oil flavoured with finely diced garlic until they get soft and a bit jammy - that's one of my personal go tos! And thank you for taking the time to review, so apprecited. x Ania
Charles:
Will the dough keep a couple days ahead?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Charles,
    I am not sure it will, it will overproof I am pretty sure. You could, however, mix the dough up the night before, let it proof in the fridge overnight - the cold slows down the proofing process - shape and bake the next morning. Hope this helps! x Ania
Tiffany:
Just made this to go with a vegan stew. looks and smells awesome. Thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Tiffany, I am delighted that it came out so well and thanks for letting me know. x Ania
Alda:
I'm so intrigued by this recipe, but have a gluten sensitivity ... I suppose it's not possible to make gluten free since it relies on that strong flour ..?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Alda,
    Yes, I am afraid that you are right. Gluten present in gluten-rich strong flour is what gives it structure and its fluffiness. You can probably achieve good enough results with a good gluten-free flour mix, a binder or two and some food chemistry but that would need a separate recipe (I may get to it at some point) x Ania
Abigail:
This is such a fantastic, foolproof recipe; I make it regularly and it gives the tastiest, fluffiest bread every single time. Highly recommend!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, thank you Abigail! I am so happy to hear that you fell in love with this bread and that it has become your staple (it's the same for me). And thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Emma:
I have been making this since lockdown and it is so delicious. It goes with so many different recipes and encounter me to try Moorish recipes. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Emma, I am so happy to hear that this bread has become such a staple for you and that it encouraged you to be more adventurous. Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Jacqueline Katash:
Thank you for the recipe. The instructions were thorough and well explained. Love the short clip included - helps with visualizing. Will bake this again and again 😁
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thank you Jacqueline, I am delighted to hear that this recipe has worked well for you and that you plan to make it on a regular basis. And thanks for taking the time to review – I really appreciate it. x Ania
Martyn:
Hello, kept this one quiet didn't you. just used it as a pizza base, best I've made, only very small tweaks and it turned out perfect, BIG THANKS And a worthy 5 * + rating!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahaha, no I didn't - you simply never asked :) In all seriousness, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed it Martyn and thanks so much for taking the time to review, much appreciated. Ania
John Beaty:
can i subtitute garlic olive oil for glaze?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi John,
    Yes, it theory, but I worry that garlic may burn in the oven so you may want to brush it on for the last five minutes. Hope this helps! Ania
Anne:
With regard to the ingredients for the turkish bread. There is no bread flour available at the supermarket. Will it be okay to just use standard flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Anne,
    I guess in this situation you simply have to make do. Bread (also known as strong) flour has a much higher gluten content (look for protein per 100 g on the packaging) than plain flour, typically 12-16 g vs 8-10 g. High gluten content helps the dough to rise so yes, you can use plain flour but you may not get as much rise as you would otherwise. Hope this helps and you'll enjoy it anyway. x Ania
mak:
I have seen making by the baking soda what is you opinion about that instead yeast.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Mak,
    I have not tried using any other leavener than yeast, but I personally don't think that baking soda will give you a bread as fluffy as this as it doesn't cause fermentation, which is what produces these big air bubbles inside the loaf. I may be wrong though so feel free to experiment. Ania
Worked so well the first time! I will definitely be making this again.
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's fantastic to hear, M! Thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
EVDOKIA FRYER:
Absolutely loved this recipe- made it twice in one day! So quick and easy- mixed it altogether with a wooden spoon. My son said it tasted just like the bread from our local Turkish bakery. Thank you for the recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Evdokia! I'm delighted to hear that both you and your son enjoyed it! And I really appreciate you taking the time to review, it really helps me out - thank you! x Ania
Carlo:
Lovely
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Carlo, really appreciate you taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed it! x Ania
Farhanna:
I've made this recipe so many timrs and its great but i can never seem to get the bread that same lovely brown colour 😭
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Farhanna,
    Glad to hear that you enjoy this bread and make it on a regular basis! As for the browning, there could be a few reasons. One of them being that your oven runs a little low - perhaps it's worth trying not decreasing your oven temperature as much (or at all) at the end. You could also try glazing it with a mixture of oil (2 tsp), soy milk (2 tsp) and maple syrup or sugar (1 tsp) for the last 5 minutes? Hope this helps! Ania
Shirley:
Can you add sultanas or raisins to the bread?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Shirley,
    I think so (although it's a savoury, not sweet type of bread), but I've only just ever made it plain. Hope it works out well! Ania
Saira:
Can I use stoneground wheat flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Saira,
    Yes, in theory, but it will produce a different (coarser) texture and is likely to require different amount of water (more is my guess) for correct gluten development so some experimentation on your part may be necessary. Hope this helps! Ania
Nick:
A really simple recipe with great results. The bread was soft and fluffy inside, and reminded us of the bread we had in Istanbul. Will definitely make again!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Nick! I'm delighted that you were pleased with the result and I really appreciate you taking the time to review, it helps me a lot! x Ania
Martin:
I've been making this bread for a long time now adding various toppings including chilli flakes, nigella seeds, garlic granules and mustard seeds. It has become a regular in our house between baking everyday loaves and tiger bread. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much Martin! I am so chuffed to hear that it has become such a staple for you. And I really appreciate you taking the time to review - it really helps me out, thank you! Ania
Elisha Autrey:
Well it definitely took alot longer than than I was expected..it would have been nice for you to put that prep time includes the hours it takes for yeast to rise for those who have never used it before.... Cause it took ALOT LONGER than 20 min to prepare to cook it...allowing the yeast to do its thing is part of the prep time so In my opinion this isn't as advertised at all.. Nothing beats homemade bread though
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Elisha,
    Not including passive (waiting) time in the prep time is a pretty standard convention for recipe writers, which is what I follow too. The waiting time is clearly stated in the method and it is not my intention to mislead anyone. All bread recipes that use yeast require a substantial proofing time so I think that people expect there to be some waiting time during which yeast needs to do its thing. Hope this makes sense! Ania
Ann Griffiths:
OMG this was faboulous And oh so easy! I might make it every day. We had tried a Turkish bread for the first time 2 days before from Sultan's Middle Eastern Market in Tampa and loved it. Since I had citric acid and the market brand contained it, I added a 1/4 teaspoon. I assume it would help it last longer. I will not know as this will be gone tonight!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahaha, thank you Ann! I am so glad that you enjoyed it so much. I am totally with you, I have this bread several times a week as we now live close to a Turkish shop that sells them freshly baked - it may just be my favourite type of bread, especially once grilled...Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Ian:
It's my standard bread recipe. I do it every couple of weeks, particularly for summer BBQ
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Ian, I'm so happy to hear that! I agree, it's a perfect BBQ bread - it's sooooo delicious charred! Ania
Suzanne:
This bread is easy and super delicious. Thank you for all your great recipes. Served with chilli, with vegan chilli dark chocolate in, made it rich and smooth!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Suzanne, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and what an exciting mod to include chocolate? x Ania
Jeannette Bailey:
I had different breads in upper north east all my life many Nationalies are the interesting & educational
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Jeannette and I agree, multi-culturalism makes life more colourful and interesting. x Ania
Ruth Balogun:
can i use half of wholemeal flour and half of normal flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure you can! Ania
Mich:
Hi Ania, thank you for the recipe. Mine turned out not exactly what it should be but never the less, it was delicious. I like the chewiness of how the Turkish bread turned out. I was accidently on the wrong setting on the oven. :-( Luckily I turned out before it started getting too burn. It was still delicious and amazed how easy it is. Thanks again.
    Ania
    Ania:
    My pleasure, Mich. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it and that it didn't turn out too badly despite issues with the oven. I am sure your next one will be spot on! x Ania
Alex Smith:
Absolutely awesome recipe, love it, so simple and delicious. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Alex! I'm delighted to hear that! x Ania
Mirandy:
Hi, I absolutely love your bread recipe! Do you have the nutritional information posted somewhere?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Mirandy,
    Thank you, I'm delighted to hear that you like it! I don't have any nutritional info at present, I'm afraid but I will soon be launching a new version of my website, which will have that information. Please bear with me. Ania
Ash:
my dough didn't double in size- not sure why? I left it to prove a further half hour but the loaf was lovely but small
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm sorry to hear that, Ash. There is quite few reasons that cause the dough not too rise. For example, expired / stale (even they are within their expiration date) yeast, unactivated yeast (if not using instant type), yeast 'killed' by too hot or cold ingredients added, too cold ambient temperature, too low hydration of the dough. I hope you'll not be discouraged from trying again and that it will rise well next time. Ania
Sara:
This bread is so easy and delicious! It is very similar to Ramazan Pide but without the eggs and yogurt . I have made this nearly every night during Ramazan to help me and my Turkish husband break our fast.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for your kind words, Sara! I'm so happy to hear that you and your husband enjoy this recipe and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know - I really appreciate it! Ania
Allyn:
I haven't tried this yet, but am very much looking forward to it. We lived in N7 for a year and there was a Turkish grocer at the corner of our street. We bought way too many of these, and were always heartbroken when they had none left. Looking forward to making (and devouring) this on the weekend.
    Ania
    Ania:
    That's great to hear, I hope you'll love it and that it will bring back a lot of nice memories. I know exactly what you mean, I missed that bread so much when I moved away too. I hope this recipe will make you happy! x Ania
RAJEEV RASTOGI:
The oven surely goes pretty high and is adequate size to make one bread at a time of say 9" diameter. Oven can one go higher than 250 celcius easily. I would make it one of these days. It should taste very nice with some Korma or other complex Indian curries. Many foods from turkey to middle east to central asia to afghanistan pakistan and northern India are modifications of similar recipes. The similarities are the norm as are subtle variations. Thanks for your response. I am just learning to bake though, but I am an expert on curries!
RAJEEV RASTOGI:
Hi
I am in India. I recently bought a Pizza Oven of brand G3 Ferrari. Its a stone oven heating at top and bottom with 600 watt elements on both top and bottom and goes up to 380/390 deg celcius or 725 deg F. This Pide ramazan bread recipe is very interesting and I want to try baking itin my Pizza oven. The oven has a basic thermostat to control temperature but does not have a thermometer so to say to give exact temperature for baking. Having said that I can measure temperature on the stone using a IR thermometer.
My question is can such a bread be done at higher temperature. How sensitive is final product to temperature. Higher temperature is an advantage or a disadvantage for such bread.
The oven can be opened to see the appearance of the bread and assess its doneness.....experience can eventually allow such a nice bread to be made proficiently but should my starting point be a slow bake at low or fast bake at high/higher.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Rajeev,
    I have not made these in a pizza oven, but as you can see in the instructions the bread requires high temperatures of 250° C - 200° C so as long as that's achievable in your oven, I am sure it will work just fine. Good luck! Ania
Belinda:
Great recipe! Nice and easy with very tasty results. I hunted down some nigella seeds (çörek otu) to use along with the sesame seeds on top, which adds to the flavour I love most about the is bread.
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Belinda and thanks for taking the time to let me know! And yes, nigella seeds are worth hunting down, I love the flavour they bring too. Ania
Ray Bauer:
I regularly visit a Turkish shop about a mile from home and love their bread so I had a go at making this. It turned out reasonably well but it was a little dense. I used bread flour, perhaps I could try just plain flour? I will also check my yeast to see if its actually instant. I dont think the water used was warm either.. Anyway looking forward to having another go soon.
Also when is guacamole not guacamole? When it's a salad! I tried to make some recently and waited until everything else was done before splitting my avocados. They were rotten! So plan B, I added a tin of tuna and ot was awesome!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad you enjoyed it, Ray. Yes, adding plain all purpose flour (I would recommend 50%) is a good idea, it will make the bread softer. And yes, instant yeast is key, otherwise be sure to activate the yeast first. I'm not sure I am qualified to answer your guacamole question, best to google it! x Ania
Nosheen:
I am not sure what I did wrong but my bread came out dense and didn't rise much. I followed measurements exactly for flour and water but I had a rather dry dough, not wet at all. I did add little more water and let it rise for the time itt said. Any tips so I can be successful next time?
Thanks for any tips.
Nosheen
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Nosheen,
    With regards to the amount of water needed, this can happen as different flours (including different brands of the same type of flour) can have different absorbency so that's not a big deal, good thinking on your feet! As for the density, this would be to do with yeast, I imagine. Are you absolutely sure the type of yeast you used is 'instant' and not active dry yeast for example? I have made that mistake before when living in Greece! The first can be added straight into the recipe, the other requires prior activation in liquid. This is my best guess. Let me know and I'll be happy to trouble-shoot with you. Ania
Just found this recipe and so excited to try it! Are there any kind of dips that go well with it? Just want to make sure I'm keeping it authentic as possible!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi,
    I'm excited that you plan to make it and I hope you will love it as much as I do. Dips-wise, sure. I tend to serve it with beautiful Syrian pepper and walnut dip - muhammara, baba ganoush,hummus, beetroot hummus and shop-bought pickles. Hope this helps!
    PS: these are not strictly speaking Turkish dips but they all hail from the cuisines of the Mediterranean and all their flavour combinations are staple in Turkish cuisine too.
Priti:
Can we use brown bread flour or wheat flour instead of bread flour which I assume is the normal white one?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Priti,
    I have not tried myself but if you would like I recommend 50% wholemeal and 50% regular. Wholemeal is coarse so the bread won't have its characteristic springiness and softness. Hope this helps! Ania
Jenny:
I made this as part of a Greek/Mediterranean New Year's Eve meal last night and it was amazing! So easy to make and delicious - can definitely see this becoming a regular feature on the menu. Thank you Ania and Duncan!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Jenny! I'm delighted to hear that you found it both delicious and easy to make. Thank you so much for letting us know - good feedback is always very motivating. Ania
June:
A little update - when I made this bread originally I wasn't looking for a "vegan" bread but rather an easy & delicious Turkish bread recipe in which this absolutely is. I had mentioned that I even used the same recipe to make pizza dough which the kids (and neighborhood kids) loved as well. For the new year I am trying a 30 day Vegan cleanse and I can't wait to try more of your recipes. I watched "what the health" on Netflix and it was really mind blowing. Hope that the 30 day Vegan adventure will help with my arthritis. Any tips on Vegan diet that only includes whole foods (not planning to use flour, wheat, white rice, etc.). Thank you in advance.
Warmest wishes for an amazing 2021
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi June,
    Thank you for your kind words about this recipe, I am glad you and your kids enjoyed it. I'm delighted to hear that you decided to give vegan lifestyle a try and I hope it will help your health issue and you will never look back (that's what happened to me 6 years ago now). There is plenty of whole food recipes on my blog, please have a browse and I'm sure you will find something that features ingredients you enjoy. Alternatively, Forks Over Knives is a good website for a more extreme (no-oil, no-sugar, plant only wholefoods) diet intervention - they have lots of healthy 100% vegan recipes. Hope this helps! Ania
Bonnie:
I made this and it came out great. I was a little skeptical because I wasn’t sure how much flour to add after the first rise. Some more comments how the dough should feel after the first rise would be helpful.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Bonnie, I am glad the recipe worked out well and that you enjoyed it. I will try to add that info in next time I make it. Ania
Fred:
Whilst I am sure it is gorgeous, please amend the prep time! When viewing the synopsis and assuming it looks like 30-40 mins to make, when coming to make it there are two proving times required of total 1hr 45 mins??!! Not as stated.
Thank you for posting the recipe and one day I will find that time but please provide a consumer driven synopsis that assumes all level of bread making expertise 😁
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your feedback, Fred, but it is customary not to include passive time in the cooking time when you write a recipe so that's the convention I follow on my website. Ania
sabah:
what's that purple side dish?
Mahin Kamran:
Thank you your no knead Turkish bread is delicious
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm delighted to hear that, thank you. Ania
Walaa:
Hello,
I just made this today and it was delicious. Thanks for the super easy recipe. One question though, I made sure to add olive oil on top and even left it in the oven for an extra 10 min but the top of it didn’t turn golden brown- what did I do wrong?
    Ania
    Ania:
    I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, Walaa! It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, perhaps your oven burns a little low - next time perhaps do not decrease the temperature at the end or place it under a grill/broiler for a few minutes. Ania
Jamil Hassan:
Hi, I eat this bread with Ezogelin soup. Do you know how many calories are in the bread roughly for the whole thing?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear you enjoy it, Jamil. I'm sorry but I don't have any means to calculate calories for the recipes at present. I hope to be able to add it to my website in the new year. Anna
Natural Temptation:
Your simplicity of presentation is motivating for learning. Please keep it up for your teeming followers.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you :)
June Badr:
What can I say - DELICIOUS and EASY!! Every Ramadan we look forward to going to the Turkish mosque for their soup & bread that they serve to break the fast. It’s an amazing experience. This year due to Covid - we were unable to go to any mosque during Ramadan. I know how to make Turkish lentil soup and Yayla (yogurt/mint/rice) soup. But when I make it I have to make a special trip to Brooklyn to get Turkish bread (or else my daughter won’t eat the soup). Well - this recipe CHANGED EVERYTHING! I spent months afraid to attempt it as I can’t even master Pita bread. Yesterday I said well - it’s vegetarian night so let’s try. I was skeptical as I only have regular flour in hand as well. OMG! It came out wonderful. I made 2 loaves and the bread was gone and no one even finished their soup! We also served olives in a garlic/olive oil/oregano/basil mixture and the kids dipped the bread in it - just like when we go to our favorite Turkish restaurant in Brooklyn (Istanbul). It was so good that I made another batch today and used the same recipe as my homemade pizza base (just added sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil and halal pepperoni). KIDS LOVED IT!!! Thank you! Thank you! I shared the recipe with my sister as well since one of her kids is vegan.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much for your kind review, June. I'm really happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed this bread so much and that you found it easy to make too. Love your tradition of visiting the local mosque for delicious food and I'm glad that this recipe allowed you to compensate for not being able to do that this year, even if it's just a little bit. Ania
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