Lahmacun
A paper-thin flatbread spread edge to edge with a wet, finely minced paste of lamb, tomato, pepper, onion, and spices, then baked hot and fast until the crust crisps. Often called "Turkish pizza," it has neither sauce nor cheese; the earliest documented version appears in a 13th-century Syrian cookbook, and Armenian lahmajoun remains a well-established sibling tradition across the former Ottoman Levant.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 300g flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 180ml warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250g lamb, or lamb and beef mix, very finely minced
- 1 small onion
- 1 small green pepper
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp red pepper paste (or extra tomato paste)
- A handful of parsley
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- Chili flakes, to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Lemon wedges, extra parsley, and sliced onion, to serve
Steps
- Combine flour, salt, yeast, warm water, and olive oil; knead until smooth, then rest covered for 1 hour until doubled.
- Blend the onion, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and parsley to a fine, wet paste.
- Mix the vegetable paste with the minced meat, tomato paste, pepper paste, cumin, paprika, chili flakes, salt, and pepper until spreadable.
- Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each out paper-thin, into rounds about 20-25cm across.
- Spread a thin, even layer of the meat mixture edge to edge on each round.
- Bake on a very hot pizza stone or heavy baking sheet at the highest oven temperature, 250C/480F or more, for 6-9 minutes until the edges are crisp and the meat is cooked through.
- Squeeze lemon juice over each, top with parsley and onion, and roll up to eat.