Lahmacun: Turkish thin flatbread with spiced topping
Paper-thin Turkish flatbreads spread edge-to-edge with lamb, tomato, pepper, parsley, and warm spice.
Prep40 min
Cook30 min
Rest75 min
Oven250°C
Servings8
Adapted for the home kitchen from documented Turkish recipe references
Ingredients
Written for a 30 × 40 cm baking sheet
Units
Temperature
Servings
- 500 g plain flour rounded
- 7 g instant yeast rounded
- 9 g fine salt, for the dough rounded
- 5 g fine salt, for the topping rounded
- 310 ml lukewarm water rounded
- 20 ml olive oil rounded
- 400 g minced lamb rounded
- 180 g tomatoes, finely chopped and drained rounded
- 120 g red pepper rounded
- 100 g onion rounded
- 20 g flat-leaf parsley rounded
- 20 g tomato paste rounded
- 8 g pul biber, Turkish red pepper flakes rounded
- 5 g ground cumin rounded
- 60 g onion, thinly sliced, for serving rounded
- 15 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves, for serving rounded
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges rounded
Method
- Knead the flour, yeast, 9 g salt, water, and oil for 8 minutes. Cover and rise 60 minutes.
- Pulse the lamb, tomato, red pepper, the 100 g onion, the 20 g parsley, tomato paste, pul biber, cumin, and 5 g salt to a cohesive coarse paste. Keep it cold.
- Heat the oven and an inverted heavy tray or baking steel to 250°C. Divide dough into eight balls and rest 15 minutes.
- Roll each ball paper-thin to about 24 cm. Spread a thin layer of topping right to the edge.
- Bake one or two at a time for 5 to 7 minutes, until the rim is crisp but the base still folds. Scatter with the sliced onion and parsley leaves, add a squeeze of lemon, and roll them up.
Notes
- The topping must be a thin paste, not loose chunks, so it cooks before the base hardens.
- Vegetarian route: replace lamb with 300 g cooked brown lentils and 100 g walnuts, pulse with the same vegetables, and add 15 ml olive oil.
Sources consulted
Good with
- Greek salad with sardines
- İmam bayıldı: Turkish stuffed aubergines
- Şöbiyet: pistachio and cream baklava parcels
Sources consulted
From Christoph Mayer