Lahmacun Recipe

Serves 4; makes 2
Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 20 min, plus rising
Easy

Lahmacun is a traditional Middle Eastern flatbread recipe that is also known as Turkish Pizza. We've topped our version with beef mince, spices and toasted pine nuts.

Nutritional info per serving

Per ½ Lahmacun
Calories 501kcals
Fat 24.8g (5.5g saturated)
Protein 21.5g
Carbohydrates 45.7g (7.4g sugars)
Fibre 4.7g
Salt 1g

Ingredients

For the dough

200g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
½ tsp salt
7g fast-action dried yeast
¼ tsp caster sugar
40ml sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling
1 medium free-range egg
75ml lukewarm water

For the topping

½ onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
½ heaped tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
Scant tsp ground cumin
1 tsp aleppo chilli flakes (or ½ tsp regular chilli flakes)
2 heaped tbsp tomato purée (or domates salçasi)
Small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
200g 20% fat British beef mince
Dried sumac for sprinkling
35g toasted pine nuts
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)
Sliced cucumber, red onion and cherry tomatoes dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil to serve

Method

1. For the dough, mix the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix the sunflower oil, egg and water in a jug, then stir into the dry ingredients to form a sticky dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, put the onion, green pepper, ground spices, chilli, tomato purée and parsley in a food processor and whizz until the veg is finely chopped. Add the meat and plenty of salt and stir to combine (don’t whizz). Set aside.

3. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Once the dough has risen, punch it down, knead for another minute or so, then divide in half. Roll each piece out to 4mm thick on a well floured surface, keeping the remaining dough covered with a tea towel. Once both are rolled, leave to rise again for 15 minutes, covered with clean tea towels.

4. When ready, divide the topping between the bases, spreading it to the edges of the dough. Transfer to baking sheets, then bake for 10-15 minutes until the base is blistering and the topping is cooked. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the sumac and pine nuts, then drizzle over the pomegranate molasses, if using. Serve hot, scattered with cucumber, red onion, tomatoes and extra parsley.

Make Ahead
Make the topping mixture up to 24 hours in advance and keep in the fridge.

Know How
Domates salçasi, a Turkish tomato paste, is available from Turkish shops and at melburyandappleton.co.uk.