Description
Homemade Lahmacun (Turkish Pizza) with a thin, crispy flatbread and seasoned ground beef topping. A traditional Turkish recipe that’s easy to make at home.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 7 oz ground beef
- 1/2 oz fresh Italian parsley
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 roasted red bell peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 packet active dry yeast (0.25 oz)
- 1 onion (or shallot)
- 1 red chili pepper (such as a jalapeño)
- 1 tablespoon plain Greek (or Turkish) yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Combine 4 cups all-purpose flour with 1 packet active dry yeast (0.25 oz), 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt, and about 1 1/4 cups milk to form a firm dough. The dough is ready when it no longer sticks to your hands. In our stand mixer, this takes about 5 minutes.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the ball of dough in the center. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, make the topping. Add 7 oz ground beef or lamb to a food processor along with 1 shallot, 1 red chili pepper, 1 tomato, 2 garlic cloves, 2 roasted bell peppers, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil, and a generous handful of fresh parsley. Process until finely chopped and smooth.
- Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls and use a rolling pin to roll each one into a very thin round. Spread a thin layer of the ground meat mixture over each one.
- Carefully fold the topped flatbread in half once and place it in a large skillet. Unfold it again and cook over medium heat, without oil, with the lid on for about 5 minutes. It’s done when the edges are no longer soft.
- Place the lahmacun on a plate and let cool. I always use 2 plates and alternate them as I stack the lahmacun. This keeps them from sticking together.
- Note: The lahmacun will be fairly firm and crisp when they come out of the pan. Once they have cooled, they will soften again and can be folded if desired. Simply reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Fill a lahmacun with iceberg lettuce and parsley (traditional) and roll it up. Serve with cacik (or garlic sauce), sambal, and a lemon wedge if desired. We also add tomato, cucumber, and red onion to ours.
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern