Lahmacun is a thin and crispy middle eastern flatbread topped with a flavorful combination of ground lamb, vegetables, herbs and spices. It is a beloved flatbread that originated in Turkey, but can be found in kitchens and restaurants all over the middle east.
The flatbread dough is very simple to bring together and requires only 1 rest. The filling combination is added in such a thin layer that it does not require cooking ahead of time, so unlike other flatbreads or pizza, lahmacun can be made in just about 90 minutes making it possible for a weeknight dinner or brunch.
They are thin, crispy and bursting with flavor. I love adding a pile of thinly sliced tomatoes and red onions, some tzatziki and a sprinkling of sumac on top of my lahmacun, but the are also great topped with some lightly dressed greens, crumbled feta or just as they come out of the oven.
Let’s get started…
Begin by making the flatbread dough…
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast. Add a cup of warm water and mix until a shaggy dough begins to form.
It may feel like there is not enough liquid to bring the dough together, but knead the dough by hand in the bowl until everything starts to come together. If your flour was compacted too much when you scooped it, there is a slight chance that you’ll need an extra teaspoon or 2 of water, but this ratio is usually a good one.
Knead for a few minutes to bring it together into a smooth, elastic dough and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for about an hour.
While the flatbread dough is resting, gather 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves, 1/2 of a small red bell pepper, 1/2 of a small red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of sumac spice, a pinch of black pepper and 12 ounces of ground lamb or beef.
The spices in the filling are important. If you have never used greek oregano, it has a bolder flavor than its italian counterpart and sumac is something you should definitely have in your pantry. It has a wonderful citrus-like punch of tart, tangy and sweet flavors. It adds something special to the lahmacun.
To get the topping started, add 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves, 1/2 of a small red bell pepper, 1/2 of a small red onion and 2 minced cloves of garlic into a food processor and pulse until everything has a fine texture.
Add this mixture into a thin kitchen towel and squeeze all of the excess moisture out of it. Although this mixture does not look particularly wet, you may be surprised by how much liquid will be squeezed out. If left in the topping mixture, this excess liquid would prevent the flatbread from crisping up and we don’t want that! So squeeze way…
Add the mixture into a large bowl along with the ground lamb (or beef), the spices, a tablespoon of tomato paste, a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest. Mix until everything is completely combined and then set it aside until the dough is ready to be shaped.
Once the dough has puffed to double its original size, transfer it onto a floured surface and divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
So, you have options when it comes to assembling and baking your lahmacun. You can roll all of the flatbreads out first or you can assemble each lahmacun one at a time.
Figuring out how you are going to bake them may help you decide how you are going to assemble them. I use a pizza stone in my oven, so I like to make 1 or 2 at a time, get those onto the stone and then make the next 2 while those are baking.
If you plan to bake them on a baking tray, make as many will fit on your tray and go from there.
To assemble the lahmacun, roll a portion of dough onto a ball and flour the top of the dough and your rolling pin. Roll the dough out as thin as possible. Keeping the doughs surface floured as you roll it out will help prevent it from tearing.
Once it is super thin, add only about 1/4 cup of filling onto the dough and carefully spread it out as thin as the dough and all the way to the edges.
Once your lahmacun is assembled, carefully slide it onto a baking sheet or a pizza peel and bake at 475 degrees until the edges are crisp and deeply golden brown and the topping is sizzling.
A thinly assembled lahmacun should only take 4-5 minutes to bake up, which makes for a great kitchen rhythm.
Assemble the first one… bake that one… while the first one is baking, assemble the next… slide the first one out of the oven and the next one it… assemble the next one… repeat until each lahmacun is baked.
Would you take a look at those edges? So crisp, so delicious and the topping is absolute perfection.
When you press the topping out super thing over the flatbread, it gets all caramelized making those garlic, spices and herbs really pop. This flatbread is truly one of my all time favorite meals.
Whether you are looking for a simple middle eastern recipe to try out or you are a Turkish food aficionado, you are going to love this lahmacun.
Lahmacun - Turkish Flatbread
Ingredients
The Dough...
- 2 cups of bread flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast (7 grams)
- 1 cup of water, warm
The Topping...
- 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 of a small red bell pepper
- 1/2 of a small red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon of dried greek oregano
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of sumac spice
- a pinch of black pepper
- 12 ounces of ground lamb or beef
The Garnishes...
- red onion, thinly sliced
- tomatoes, thinly sliced
- fresh parsley
- tzatziki sauce
Instructions
Make the dough...
- Combine 2 cups of bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of instant yeast in a large bowl
- Begin adding warm water, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms
- Knead with floured hands for 4-5 minutes to create a smooth, elastic dough
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for about an hour
Make the topping...
- Pulse 1/4 cup of fresh parsley leaves with 1/2 of a small red bell pepper, 1/2 of a small red onion and 2 minced garlic cloves in a food processor until fine
- Transfer the mixture into a thin kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture
- Add the mixture into a large bowl along with 12 ounces of ground lamb or beef and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of Greek oregano, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of black pepper and mix until well combined
Assemble the lahmacun...
- Preheat your oven to 475 degrees (if using a pizza stone, place it into the oven before you begin preheating)
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll a portion of dough out into a very thin round and spread 3-4 tablespoons of the meat mixture over the entire surface
- If using a baking sheet, carefully transfer the assembled lahmacun onto the baking sheet. If using a pizza stone, use a pizza peel to transfer the lahmacun onto the preheated stone
- Bake at 475 degrees for about 8 minutes
- Repeat the process until all of the dough has been used
- Garnish with thinly sliced red onions, tomatoes and fresh parsley and serve with tzatziki
