Once baked, Lahmacun is a DIY dream. Diners choose their own toppings and pile them on. In Turkey, you can find everything from pickles and lettuce, to onions and lemon juice. It’s an awesome way to get kids involved and to work through dinner party doldrums.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 8-10 minutes | 2 hours |
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Once baked, Lahmacun is a DIY dream. Diners choose their own toppings and pile them on. In Turkey, you can find everything from pickles and lettuce, to onions and lemon juice. It’s an awesome way to get kids involved and to work through dinner party doldrums.
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Ingredients
For the flatbread:
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , or as needed
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
For the topping:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 handful parsley (freshly minced)
- 1 handful mint (freshly minced)
- 1 tsp hot paprika (or to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cloves garlic , crushed
- 1 tomato , seeded and diced
- 1 small onions ,grated and squeezed dry
- 1 lb ground lamb
Garnish ideas:
- parsley
- ground sumac
- red onions (sliced)
- lemons (wedged)
- green lettuce
- bell peppers , sliced
- , pickles
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
Make the dough:
- For one batch of dough: mix together the sugar, yeast, and warm water. Let sit about five minutes until frothy.
- Next, add the remaining dough ingredients to a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture and knead until a soft, smooth ball forms. Add more flour, if necessary to keep from sticking. Let rise for an hour, then punch down and divide into four pieces. Shape into balls.
- Let rise another hour, or refrigerate until needed. I refrigerated mine in individual zip lock baggies, for 2 days and the dough turned into gorgeous pillows. They tasted awesome! This is because a long, cool rise gives time for the yeast to fully develop.
Make the topping:
- When you’re ready to eat (or up to a day ahead), mix together the topping ingredients.
- Tip: Be sure to seed the tomatoes before chopping. Also, place the grated onion into a double layer of paper towels or a dish cloth, then squeeze dry. This will help keep the topping from getting too soggy.
Bake the Lahmacun
- Preheat the oven to 450F. If you have a baking stone, use it! Roll out the dough fairly thin. Spoon on some of the topping and spread around with the back of a spoon.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned and the meat is cooked through. The olive oil and paprika in the topping will drip down over the crust, making it a little reddish orange in places.
- Add a bunch of your favorite Turkish toppings. Mr Picky liked red onion, parsley, lemon juice, sumac, and a bit of mint. Turkish pizza is traditionally folded or rolled, which makes for a fun, picnic-style dinner.
Recipe Notes
You may also grill this over a 450F grill with lid shut. Best done over indirect heat.