Turkey · Konya

Konya-Style Etli Ekmek

Supple dough is rolled exceptionally thin, covered edge to edge with a fine beef-and-vegetable topping and baked fast on a blazing-hot surface without folded pide edges.

Konya's long, thin meat bread Flatbread and main course
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Freshly baked etli ekmek cut into long crisp-edged pieces
A fully heated steel or stone produces a freckled base before the topping loses moisture.
Prep 35 minutes
Rise 60 minutes
Cook 32 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients ↓
Overview

How to Bake Thin, Open Konya-Style Etli Ekmek at Home

Konya etliekmek is defined as much by geometry as by ingredients. The registered bakery version is extraordinarily long—roughly 85 to 90 centimetres—only 15 to 20 centimetres wide, completely open and rolled very thin. Its meat-and-vegetable topping reaches almost to the edge. There is no raised boat-shaped rim and no folded border enclosing the filling.

A normal domestic oven cannot hold a 90-centimetre bread or match a wood-fired masonry floor. This recipe divides the dough and topping into four shorter breads that fit a steel or stone. It keeps the important ratios, the narrow shape and the fast bake. Each bread should be about 40 to 45 centimetres long if the oven allows, but making it slightly shorter is better than rolling it so long that it folds or bunches during transfer.

The topping must be finely textured and relatively dry. Beef, tomato, green pepper, onion and parsley are chopped small enough to spread as one thin layer. Seed very juicy tomatoes and avoid a food processor, which can turn vegetables into wet foam and the meat into paste. Mixing just before shaping limits the amount of liquid drawn out by salt.

Dough strength matters because the base is thin. Bread flour gives enough elasticity to lift the topped bread onto a peel without tearing, while a modest amount of yeast keeps it supple rather than puffy. The dough needs to relax until it rolls without springing back, but it should not double into an airy pizza dough. If large bubbles form, press them out before topping.

High heat is the final requirement. A steel or stone preheated at the oven's maximum setting for a full hour stores enough energy to brown the base in six to eight minutes. The topping should reach 71°C while it remains moist. Cut the baked bread into long strips and serve immediately with ayran, yogurt or a simple salad; waiting under a tight cover softens the base.

Practical

Practical

  • Shorter is more faithful than thickerThe protected bakery length is impossible in most homes. Reduce length to fit the oven while keeping the dough and topping thin. A short, thin bread is closer to etliekmek than a long, bready one.
  • Control tomato moistureUse ripe but firm tomatoes, remove the wet seed cavities and chop by hand. If topping waits, salt draws out liquid that can glue the dough to the peel and leave the centre pale.
  • Test the peel before toppingAfter rolling, shake the peel gently. If the dough catches, lift the edge and dust a little flour underneath before adding meat. Trying to free a fully topped bread usually stretches it out of shape.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Dough

  • 500 g bread flour
  • 325 ml lukewarm water
  • 4 g instant yeast
  • 8 g fine salt

Meat topping

  • 500 g 15-20% fat ground beef
  • 200 g ripe tomato seeded and finely chopped
  • 150 g mild long green pepper finely chopped
  • 140 g onion very finely chopped
  • 15 g flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
  • 7 g fine salt
Directions

Directions

Mix and relax the dough

  1. Knead a soft, smooth dough.Combine flour, water and yeast until no dry flour remains, rest 10 minutes, then add the dough salt. Knead for 7-9 minutes by hand or 5-6 minutes with a mixer.

    The dough is supple, slightly tacky and stretches into a thin membrane before tearing.

  2. Rise only until relaxed.Cover and leave at room temperature for about 60 minutes, until roughly one and a half times its original volume. Divide into four equal pieces and shape loose balls.

    A fingertip indentation springs back slowly; the dough is aerated but not full of large bubbles.

  3. Heat the baking surface thoroughly.Place a steel or stone in the upper-middle oven and preheat at the highest setting, ideally 275-300°C, for 45-60 minutes. Use top heat or broil only if the manufacturer permits it with the stone.

    The oven has completed its preheat cycle long before shaping begins and the surface is intensely hot.

Prepare the topping

  1. Remove excess vegetable water.Seed the tomatoes and chop tomato, green pepper, onion and parsley very finely by hand. Blot the tomato if it releases a visible puddle.

    The chopped vegetables are moist but no liquid pools at the bottom of the bowl.

  2. Mix immediately before shaping.Add the vegetables and topping salt to the beef and fold until evenly distributed. Do not knead the mixture into a dense sausage paste.

    The topping spreads easily and shows tiny distinct pieces of pepper, tomato and parsley.

Roll and bake

  1. Roll one narrow bread.On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough ball into an oval or rectangle about 40-45 cm long and 12-15 cm wide. Keep the centre very thin and do not form a raised rim.

    The dough is almost translucent in places but lifts without tearing.

  2. Spread a thin open topping.Transfer the dough to a floured peel. Spread one quarter of the topping in a thin, even film almost to every edge, pressing gently so it adheres. Leave the edges flat and uncovered by no more than 5 mm.

    No thick mound of meat remains and the bread still slides freely on the peel.

  3. Bake fast on stored heat.Slide onto the steel or stone and bake for 6-8 minutes. Rotate once if the oven browns unevenly. Check the thickest patch of meat for 71°C before removing.

    The base has dark freckles, the narrow edges are crisp, and the topping is cooked but still glistens.

  4. Cut and serve while flexible.Move to a board, rest for 1 minute and cut crosswise into long strips. Repeat with the remaining dough and topping, keeping unbaked meat chilled between breads.

    A strip folds without cracking while its underside remains dry and browned.
Practical

Practical

Bake one at a time

A home steel loses surface heat after every bread. Close the door promptly and allow 3-5 minutes of recovery if the second base browns more slowly. Crowding two breads also blocks air and makes transfer difficult.

Use top heat for colour, not as a substitute for a hot base

A broiler can finish pale topping, but only a fully heated steel or stone sets the underside quickly. If the top browns first, move the baking surface one rack lower for the next bread.

Control points

Control points

  • The centre is soggy. The vegetables were too wet, the topping too thick or the baking surface underheated. Seed tomatoes, spread thinner and extend the preheat.
  • The dough springs back while rolling. Cover it and rest 10-15 minutes. Forcing tight dough makes the centre thick and the edges uneven.
  • The bread sticks to the peel. Work quickly, use a light flour dusting and confirm the bare dough slides before topping. Do not let salted topping stand on raw dough.
  • The edges become hard before the meat cooks. The oven is too cool or the rim is too thick. Increase stored heat, flatten the border and verify that topping is a thin film.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories545 kcal
  • Protein28 g
  • Carbohydrates67 g
  • Fat18 g
  • Saturated fat7 g
  • Fiber4 g
  • Sugars4 g
  • Sodium760 mg

One sixth of the recipe — Approximate values per serving; flour absorption and beef fat percentage affect the result.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Wheat/gluten

Food safety: Keep the raw beef topping at 4°C or below until each bread is ready to bake. Cook the thickest patch of ground beef to at least 71°C; do not judge only by surface colour. Wash the topping bowl and utensils before they touch cooked bread.

Storage: Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days, with parchment between pieces. Reheat on a hot tray at 220°C until the topping reaches 74°C.

FAQ

FAQ

Is etli ekmek the same as pide?

No. Konya etliekmek is notably longer, thinner and completely open. Its edges are not folded into the boat shape associated with many pide styles.

Can I use lamb instead of beef?

Historical and household versions vary, but the registered composition allows beef from suitable cuts. Lamb creates a richer variation; keep the same fat level and thin spread.

Can the dough be refrigerated overnight?

Yes. Use about half the yeast, refrigerate after kneading and bring the divided dough out 45-60 minutes before rolling. Keep the meat topping separate and cold.

What if my oven reaches only 250°C?

Preheat a steel for a full hour, roll slightly shorter breads and expect 8-10 minutes. If necessary, use the broiler for the final minute after the base has set.

What matters most

What matters most

A narrow meat bread with a freckled base, moist fine topping and enough flexibility to fold without becoming bready.

Relax strong dough, keep vegetables dry, spread topping paper-thin, leave the rim open and bake on a fully saturated surface.

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