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Lahmacun (Turkish Lamb Flatbread)

Few things beat the joy of biting into a crisp, thin lahmacun loaded with richly seasoned lamb and bright herbs straight from the oven. The dough is wonderfully simple to work with, and the topping comes together with everyday ingredients and bold flavor.
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Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g strong white bread flour plus extra to bake
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 3 g instant dried yeast fast action
  • 160 ml water room temperature or colder
  • 5 g salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 250 g tomato halved
  • 75 g onion
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 30 g flat leaf parsley Italian parsley
  • 200 g minced lamb or a mixture of lamb or beef
  • 1 Tbsp Turkish hot red pepper paste acı biber salçası, or 2-3 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • lemon wedges for serving
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley Italian parsley, thick stems discarded
  • 2 medium tomatoes sliced and sprinkled with a little salt
  • pul biber Aleppo pepper, for serving
  • pickled chilis or other pickles

Method
 

  1. Mix 160 g of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and water until a wet dough forms.
  2. Cover the dough and leave until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
  3. Add the remaining flour, salt, and olive oil to the dough.
  4. Knead using a kitchen machine on medium/high speed until smooth and elastic.
  5. If the dough becomes hotter than body temperature, cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes before continuing.
  6. Continue kneading until the dough stretches nearly transparent before breaking.
  7. Cover and leave the dough to double in size, around 1 hour.
  8. Place a pizza stone or baking stone high in the oven and preheat the oven to its highest temperature.
  9. Allow the stone to heat thoroughly before baking.
  10. Tip the risen dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6-8 equal pieces.
  11. Shape each piece into a smooth ball by stretching the edges toward the middle repeatedly.
  12. Leave the dough balls covered and seam-side down until relaxed, 15-20 minutes.
  13. Discard the wet core of the tomatoes.
  14. Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and parsley until fully mixed.
  15. Drain excess liquid from the topping mixture if needed.
  16. Combine the vegetable mixture with the minced meat, red pepper paste, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper.
  17. Roll each dough piece into a very thin disc.
  18. Place the dough on a floured pizza peel or baking parchment.
  19. Spread a thin layer of topping mixture evenly across the dough using your fingers.
  20. Bake one or two lahmacun at a time until crispy and golden at the edges, 3-8 minutes depending on oven setup.
  21. If not using a pizza stone, bake on a regular baking sheet toward the bottom of the oven for 2-4 minutes, then move to the top to finish for another 2-4 minutes.
  22. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, parsley, tomatoes, pul biber, and pickles as desired.

Notes

Store leftover lahmacun in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Serve hot with lemon wedges, parsley, sliced tomatoes, pul biber, and pickled chilis for extra freshness and flavor.