Lahmacun — Turkish Flatbread Pizza

About This Recipe

Lahmacun — pronounced 'lahm-ah-joon' — is one of the most beloved street foods across Turkey and the broader Levantine world. The name derives from the Arabic 'lahm bi ajeen', meaning 'meat with dough', and the dish consists of an impossibly thin flatbread rolled to near-translucency and topped with a finely minced, highly spiced mixture of lamb, tomato, pepper and onion before being fired at extremely high heat. The result is a crispy, fragrant, paper-thin disc that is eaten rolled up around a filling of fresh parsley, sliced red onion with sumac and a generous squeeze of lemon juice — one of the most satisfying fast foods in the world.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gstrong bread flour
• 1 tspinstant dried yeast
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 180 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 300 gminced lamb(or beef, 15–20% fat)
• 2 largeripe tomatoes(seeded and very finely diced)
• 1 largeonion(very finely diced or grated)
• 2green peppers(or 1 red bell pepper, very finely diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tsppaprika(sweet or hot)
• ½ tspground allspice
• ½ tspchilli flakes
• salt and black pepper
• 1 small bunchflat-leaf parsley(to serve)
• 1lemon(cut into wedges, to serve)
• 1red onion(very thinly sliced, to serve)
• 1 tspsumac(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add warm water and olive oil. Mix to a rough dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should be quite firm and not sticky. Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.

2. 2

   Prepare the topping

   Combine the minced lamb, very finely diced tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, allspice and chilli flakes in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Use your hands or a food processor to work the mixture until completely uniform — you want a smooth, even paste rather than lumpy mince, as it spreads more evenly and adheres to the thin dough better. The mixture should be quite moist.

   Squeeze excess moisture from the tomatoes and onion in a clean cloth before adding to the meat — too much liquid prevents the topping from crisping in the oven.

3. 3

   Preheat and prepare

   Place a pizza stone, heavy baking sheet or cast iron griddle in the oven and preheat to the absolute maximum temperature of your oven — ideally 260°C (500°F) or higher. Allow the oven and stone to heat for at least 30 minutes. High heat is critical to achieving the characteristic thin, blistered, partially charred base of authentic lahmacun.

4. 4

   Roll and top

   Divide the risen dough into 8 equal balls. On a lightly floured surface (or better, a silicon mat), roll each ball into an extremely thin oval or round — aim for 25–30cm in diameter and near-translucency, about 2mm thick. It should be almost as thin as filo pastry. Spread 3–4 tablespoons of the meat mixture in a very thin, even layer all the way to the edges, leaving no bare dough.

   The meat layer should be extremely thin — almost a wash of meat on the surface. Thick toppings steam rather than caramelise and make the lahmacun soggy.

5. 5

   Bake

   Carefully transfer the lahmacun to the preheated stone or tray. Bake for 6–8 minutes until the edges are golden-brown, the meat is cooked through and the base is crispy with light charring. The lahmacun should be semi-translucent at the centre and cracker-crisp at the edges. Repeat with remaining dough portions.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve immediately, straight from the oven. Top with fresh flat-leaf parsley, thinly sliced red onion tossed in sumac, and a generous squeeze of lemon. Roll or fold the lahmacun and eat as a wrap. Pomegranate seeds make a beautiful and traditional addition. A bowl of yoghurt and pickled chillies on the side are classic accompaniments.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian lahmacun: replace lamb with very finely diced mushrooms, walnuts and red lentils blended with all the same spices and tomato paste.

• •

  Beyti-style: roll baked lahmacun around grilled minced meat kebab and serve with yoghurt sauce and tomato for a hearty main course.

• •

  Mini lahmacun: roll smaller circles (12cm) for party bites or mezze appetisers — bake for 4–5 minutes.

Storage

Lahmacun is best eaten immediately after baking. The dough balls can be refrigerated for 24 hours before rolling. The meat topping can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Baked lahmacun can be reheated on a hot dry pan or in the oven at 220°C for 3 minutes, though freshness is the ideal.

Frequently Asked Questions