Gaziantep Lahmacun
Description
It was such a hit that my family begged me to make it again later this week, a great benefit of lahmacun is that the dough and filling can be prepared and refrigerated ahead of time and then rolled and baked just before you plan to serve them, but beware, the trick to rolling out this dough very thinly is to ensure it is at room temperature before you start. If your dough is too cold, it will be too elastic and difficult to work with!
Equipment
- pizza stone or sheet or alternatively, half an hour prior to baking, place the oven sheet you are going to be using, and preheat to the highest heat setting available in your oven, so it’s screaming hot.
Ingredients
- 500 grams / 1 lb. 2 oz. all- purpose flour
- 300 ml / 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water you may need a bit more than the mentioned amount, simply because different flour brands have different water absorption
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
The Topping:
- 750 grams/ 1 lb. 10.5 oz minced lamb meat 30 percent fat
- 1 1/2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped, stems removed
- 7 large garlic cloves
- 1 large tomato
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sumac
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Turkish pepper paste biber salcasi / or paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- hot red pepper to taste, optional but recommended
- A dash of freshly grated black peper
Instructions
- To make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, salt and oil. Add the lukewarm water and mix well. Knead until you get a malleable dough of one texture. Slam it a couple of times on a countertop, this will strengthen the gluten in the flour, resulting in a very light and fluffy dough. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for 1 1/2 hours. Giving the dough some time to rest ensures it’s easy to work with.
- Half an hour prior to baking, place a pizza stone or sheet you are going to be using, and preheat to the highest heat setting available in your oven, so it’s screaming hot, the ultra-hot environment is what gets you the kind of crust you would only expect from a bakery.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping: finely dice the red bell pepper, green pepper, tomato, garlic cloves, red hot pepper (if used) and parsley, then mix everything together and dice thoroughly one more time with a serrated knife, until you reach a chunky purée.
- Now incorporate the meat, tomato paste, sumac, salt, cumin powder, paprika, black pepper and hot red pepper (if used). Mix well to homogenize everything together. The mix should be that of a paste consistency.
- Once the dough has been rested, dust your work surface lightly with the flour; divide it to 8 even-sized portions and gather each into a ball. Cover with a kitchen towel, and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
- Dust your rolling pin, roll out one dough on a floured countertop to a thin oval (6×9) inches/ (15×22) cm, and about 1 1/2 mm thin. Transfer it to a parchment paper or silicone baking mat and spread 1/8th of the topping mixture onto the dough. Make sure all parts including the edges are well coated. Carry it to the heated sheet in the oven, beware not to burn your hands.
- Bake about 8-9 minutes until lightly browned and crispy on the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- To serve: pile some arugula, or parsley on top of your lahmacun, dress with freshly squeezed lemon juice that will add a serious punch of flavor, add some onion wedges, wrap and serve piping hot from the oven.
Video
Notes
Looking for more meat pie recipes, check the recipes below!
Lebanese Meat pies, Sfeeha
Lebanese Meat Fatayer/ Lebanese Meat Turnovers
Lebanese Meat Fatayer/ Lebanese Meat Turnovers
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!