I first came across peinirli at a tiny bakery in Thessaloniki, years before I moved to Thailand. The owner pulled a tray out of the oven and the whole street smelled like butter and melted cheese. I had no idea what they were called at the time — I just pointed and said “two of those, please.”

Turns out, that boat-shaped, cheese-filled bread has a name, a long history, and a devoted following across Greece and Turkey. And once you understand what peinirli actually is, you’ll wonder why it hasn’t taken over the rest of the world yet.

A Boat Made of Dough

Peinirli — sometimes spelled peinirli, peynirli, or even “Turkish pizza boat” — is an open-topped bread shaped like a small canoe. The edges are folded up and pinched at both ends to form a boat, leaving the center open for a generous pile of fillings.

The most traditional version is stuffed with a mix of cheese (usually kasseri or mozzarella), topped with a cracked egg that bakes right inside the dough, and finished with a knob of butter. When done right, the egg is still slightly runny, the cheese is bubbling, and the bread is golden and soft with just a hint of crispiness along the edges.

Think of it as the love child of a pizza and a calzone — open like a pizza, stuffed like a calzone, shaped like neither.

Where Does Peinirli Come From?

The name likely comes from the Turkish word “peynir,” meaning cheese. The dish has deep roots in both Greek and Turkish baking traditions, particularly in cities along the coast and in northern Greece. In Thessaloniki and Athens, peinirli bakeries are everywhere — some serve nothing else.

The Greek version tends to be more bread-like, with a thick, soft dough and generous dairy fillings. Turkish variations (often called pide) lean more toward a thinner crust with meat-based toppings like ground lamb or sucuk sausage. But at their core, both share that distinctive boat shape and the idea of baking a filling right inside an open bread vessel.

What Goes Inside a Peinirli?

This is where it gets fun. While the classic version is all about cheese and egg, peinirli is incredibly versatile. Here are some popular filling combinations:

Classic cheese and egg — Mozzarella or kasseri cheese, a whole cracked egg, and a generous drizzle of butter. Simple and perfect.

Ham and cheese — Sliced ham layered with mozzarella. Think of it as a croque monsieur in boat form.

Sausage and pepper — Spicy sausage with roasted red peppers and feta. A bit of heat, a bit of tang.

Spinach and feta — The Mediterranean vegetarian option. Works beautifully with a squeeze of lemon after baking.

Bacon and mushroom — Sautéed mushrooms with crispy bacon bits and a cheese base. Breakfast or dinner — your call.

The beauty of peinirli is that the open shape lets you see exactly what’s inside. No surprises. And because the edges puff up while the center stays loaded with filling, every bite has a good ratio of bread to topping.

Peinirli vs Pizza: What’s the Difference?

People often call peinirli “Greek pizza,” but that’s a bit misleading. The dough is richer and softer than typical pizza dough — more like brioche or a soft dinner roll. There’s usually butter or olive oil worked into the dough, which gives it that tender, slightly sweet quality.

The shape is obviously different. And unlike pizza, peinirli doesn’t use tomato sauce as a base. The filling sits directly on the raw dough and bakes together, so the bottom soaks up all the melted cheese and butter. That’s what makes it so addictive.

If you’ve ever had pizza baciata (the Italian stuffed pizza), peinirli sits somewhere between that and a traditional open-face pizza. Different tradition, similar level of deliciousness.

How to Make Peinirli at Home

Making peinirli from scratch is totally doable, but the dough requires some patience. You’re looking at a yeasted dough enriched with butter, milk, and sometimes egg — similar to a focaccia but a bit richer. It needs a good hour to rise, then you portion it, shape the boats, fill them, and bake at around 200-220°C for 12-15 minutes.

The tricky part is shaping. You want the edges tall enough to hold the filling, and the ends pinched tight enough that they don’t open up in the oven. It takes a couple of tries to get right.

Or you can skip all that. We make ready-to-fill peinirli bases that are pre-shaped and par-baked. You just add your fillings and pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Same result, fraction of the effort. They’re especially great for a quick dinner or when you’re feeding a group and want something different from the usual pizza night.

Why Peinirli Works So Well in Thailand

Living in Thailand, I’ve noticed that boat-shaped breads actually resonate well with Thai food culture. The concept isn’t that far from certain Thai snacks and stuffed breads you find at markets. And the combination of soft bread, melted cheese, and a runny egg? That’s universally appealing.

Peinirli also works brilliantly as a party food. You can prepare a bunch with different fillings, line them up on a board, and let people pick their favorites. They’re individual portions, easy to eat with your hands, and look impressive without much effort.

For pizza parties at home, mixing in a few peinirli alongside regular pizzas gives your spread some variety and always gets people talking.

Give It a Try

If you’ve never had peinirli, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of those foods that makes you wonder why it isn’t more popular everywhere. Simple, satisfying, endlessly customizable.

And if you want to try making them without wrestling with dough in Thailand’s humidity, our peinirli bases are delivered frozen and ready whenever you are. Just thaw, fill, bake, and enjoy.

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• /shop/peinirli/ 
• /pizza-baciata-stuffed-pizza-italy
• /focaccia-toppings-recipes 
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Links to tindoro.com blog (where relevant in text):

•  https://tindoro.com/10-creative-ways-to-top-a-neapolitan-pizza-base/
•  https://tindoro.com/topping-pizza-base-after-baking/