Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza)
User Reviews
4.4
Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza)
Description
The recipe for Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza) starts with a simple dough made from all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and warm water, kneaded until soft and left to rest. The topping is a finely processed mix of green and red peppers, onion, tomato, garlic, and parsley, strained to remove excess liquid. This vegetable puree is combined with ground beef (or lamb), olive oil, tomato paste, and spices including paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, forming a soft meat-vegetable paste.
The dough is rolled thin and topped with this mixture, then baked to create a thin, crispy flatbread with a savory topping that balances the richness of the meat with the freshness of the vegetables and the heat from the spices. The use of fresh herbs and lemon juice alongside the cooked topping adds brightness, while the hands-on preparation with kneading and stretching develops a tender crust.
Lahmacun is traditionally served with fresh parsley, lemon wedges for squeezing over the top, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and raw sweet onions, which add layers of texture and acidity. It's a versatile dish useful for sharing as a light lunch or dinner, delivering both protein and fresh vegetables in one preparation.
The recipe notes mention a recent update to increase the topping amount for better balance, and an easier technique for stretching the dough during transfer, highlighting the importance of dough handling for the best final texture.
Ingredients
For the Flatbread
- 4 ½ c all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1- 1 ¼ c water warmed to 90F
For the Topping
- 1 1/2 green pepper large, roughly 3 cups diced
- 1 1/2 red pepper large, roughly 3 cups diced
- 1 1/2 onion large, roughly 1 1/2 cups diced
- 2 tomato small, roughly 1 1/2 cups chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 c parsley fresh
- 3/4 lb ground beef (85% lean) or ground lamb
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper ground
For Serving (as desired)
- parsley fresh
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 2 tomato sliced
- lettuce
- 1 onion sliced, sweet
Instructions
For the Flatbread
- Mix the flour and yeast in a medium bowl. Add the salt and mix well. Add the oil and mix until well distributed.
- Add ¾ c of water and mix well. Continue adding a little water at a time until the dough starts to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto your counter and knead until a soft and supple dough forms, 3-5 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 min-1 hour.
For the Topping
- Process the peppers, onion, tomato, garlic, and parsley in your food processor in batches according to its size. Once the veggies are finely pureed, transfer them to a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl. Lightly strain the veggie mixture of excess juices. (Reserve the juices for later.)
- Place the vegetable puree in a large bowl along with the raw ground meat, olive oil, tomato paste, paprika, red pepper flakes (according to your heat preference), salt, and pepper. Mix well until a soft paste forms. (If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of the reserved vegetable juices to the meat mixture.)
- Cover the meat mixture and let the flavors develop for 30 min.
Putting It All Together
- Near the end of your dough's resting/rising time, preheat your oven to 450F.
- Knock back the dough and divide it into 12, roughly even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
- Once your oven is preheated, place a baking sheet into the oven to preheat.
- On a floured surface, work with two balls of dough at a time. Roll each ball out to roughly 6x9.
- Spread approximately 1/3 cup of filling over top of each piece of dough, spreading the filling with your hands or a rubber spatula to cover the entire piece of dough and pressing the filling into the dough. (The topping shouldn’t fall off when you go to move the dough.)
- Remove the preheating baking sheet from the oven and transfer the topped pieces of dough onto the hot baking sheet. Stretching the dough to roughly 7x10 inches as you transfer it.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake the pizzas for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden brown.
- While the first two are baking, make two more pizzas.
- When the first two pizzas are done, transfer them onto a wire cooling rack, and place the next two pizzas onto the hot baking sheet. Continue rolling, topping, and baking, until all your pizzas have been made.
For Servings
- Top the warm lahmacun with parsley, tomatoes, lettuce, or onion and a squeeze of lemon juice, as desired. Roll the pizza up and enjoy!
Notes
- For a well-balanced topping, use the updated larger amount of meat and vegetable mixture to cover the dough.
- When processing the vegetables, lightly strain the excess juices to avoid soggy dough but reserve juices for later use if needed.
- Let the dough rest covered for 30 minutes to an hour to develop softness and elasticity for easier stretching.
- Stretch the dough gently to a thin, even layer, using updated techniques to avoid tearing during transfer to the baking sheet.
- Serve with fresh lemon wedges, parsley, sliced tomato, lettuce, and raw onion for authentic flavor and texture contrasts.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.4
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