This trio of peinirli-Greek pizza boats is making waves in classic bacon, oyster mushroom, and colorful bell pepper. They are excellent as an appetizer, quick snack, or a full-on meal paired with a green salad.
If you’re a fan of our delicious Peinirli-Greek Pizza Boats, you’re in for a treat with our Easy Pita Pizza, Ladenia the Greek Pizza, and Buratta Eggplant Pizza!
Why you will love peinirli
Peinirli Q&a
Peinirli, also known as Greek pizza boat, is a long, open pie in the shape of a boat, typically containing cheese and butter. In the traditional recipe, the cheese is kasseri, and the deli meat is either pastourmas or pastirma.
A peinirli is an appetizer of Turkish origin and, by extension Greek. Immigrants from Minor Asia introduced it to Greece aproximately a century ago. Peinirli is a term rooted in Turkish cuisine and literally translates to with cheese from peynir, which means cheese in Turkish.
Here is what you need
- Pizza dough – With already-made dough, peinirli will come out great and can be ready in 30 minutes.
- Cheese – You need gruyere and cream cheese.
- Bacon – Whole slices and cubed.
- Oyster mushrooms – I love their meaty flavor and texture after they are cooked. You may use portobello, button, or a combination of varieties.
- Bell peppers – The red, yellow and orange are sweet and go well with the savory cheese filling. Try adding green for a pop of color and some bitter notes.
- Butter – Here we use salted butter, please use your preferred kind.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by step
Step 1: Preheat oven to 205°C / 400°F. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil and lightly sauté the sliced bell peppers for about 1-2 minutes. Remove bell peppers from the pan and set aside on a plate until needed.
Step 2: In the same pan, heat an additional teaspoon of olive oil and sauté the oyster mushrooms until they are crispy but still tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside on a plate until needed.
Step 3: In a bowl, combine the gruyère, cream cheese, and freshly ground pepper. Dust a clean surface with flour. Divide the pizza dough into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out into an oval shape. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
Take about one tablespoon of butter, divide it into smaller pieces, and scatter them on one piece of dough. Repeat the same process for the other two pieces. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over each oval-shaped dough.
Step 4: Add the bacon to one dough, the sautéed bell pepper slices and cubed bacon to the second, and the sautéed mushrooms to the third.
Create the boat shape by raising the dough’s edges and folding them inwards to form a border. Overlap borders and press to seal them.
Melt two to three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Brush the dough border with the melted butter.
Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan 180° halfway so that they all cook evenly.
When ready, remove from oven, and serve.
Greek side dishes for peinirli
- Fresh & light Salads – like horiatiki – Greek tomato salad and maroulosalata lettuce & herbs salad.
- Savory nibbles – try marinated olives and herbaceous dolmadakia stuffed grape leaves.
- Dips & Spreads – like tzatziki with cucumber, garlic, and dill and zesty tirokafteri spicy feta dip.
More Greek appetizers & starters
Peinirli – Greek Pizza Boats
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 lb pizza dough
- 3 tablespoons butter cut in small pieces
Cheese filling – makes 3 peinirli
- 1½ cups gruyere grated
- 1/2 cup cream cheese soften
For the bacon filling
- 2-3 slices bacon cut in pieces
Mushroom filling
- 1½ cup oyster mushrooms roughly chopped.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
Bell peppers filling
- 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cubed bacon
For brushing
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For serving
- freshly ground pepper optional
- fresh thyme leaves optional
- balsamic vinegar crema optional
- freshly ground pepper optional
- sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Make the fillings
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large pan and lightly sauté the sliced bell peppers, about 2 min. Remove bell peppers from pan to a plate and set aside for later.
- In the same pan heat another teaspoon of olive oil and sauté the oyster mushrooms until they are crispy but still soft, about 5 min. Remove mushrooms from pan to a plate and set aside for later.
Prepare the dough
- Dust some flour on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Divide the dough into 3 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Roll out a ball of dough into an oval shape. Dust with some flour a rimmed baking sheet. Add all three on the baking sheet.
Fill the boats
- In a bowl, combine the gruyere, cream cheese and freshly ground pepper.
- Divide with your hands 1 tablespoon of butter into 3-4 pieces and scatter them over one oval shape dough. Repeat the same for the rest of the oval shapes. Use 1 tablespoon of butter for each oval shaped dough.
- Spread the cheese mixture over each dough, dividing it evenly. Add the mushrooms in one dough, the bacon in the second and the peppers and pancetta cubetti on the third.
- Create the pizza boats by raising the edges of the dough and folding it inwards to form a border. Overlap borders and press to seal the "boat" at the edges. Melt two to three tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Brush the dough border with the melted butter.Brush the dough border with melted butter.
Bake
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure to switch the pan's position half way so that they all cook evenly.
- When ready, remove from oven, cut and serve.
Serving suggestions
- For the bacon peinirli.Sprinkle with some fresh thyme, fresh ground pepper or red chili pepper flakes and serve.
- For the mushroom peinirli.Serve with some fresh ground pepper. You an also add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar crema. It goes well with the earthy meaty mushrooms.
- For the peppers peinirli.Sprinkle with some fresh thyme and ground pepper and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
