Destination
Antalya
The story
Lahmacun is Turkey's most-loved flatbread-and-topping dish and one of the country's most-shared street foods. A very thin round of dough is topped with a raw mixture of finely-chopped lamb, tomato, onion, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, Turkish red pepper paste, Aleppo pepper and salt, spread in a paper-thin layer, and baked at very high heat (traditionally in a wood-fired oven at 400C) for about 3 minutes until the edges of the dough have crisped and the meat topping has just cooked through. Rolled up like a wrap around a pile of fresh flat-leaf parsley, sliced red onion tossed in sumac, and a squeeze of lemon. Sold at every Turkish grill restaurant and every roadside lahmacuncu, and made in every household when a pizza-adjacent lunch is called for.
Method
In a large bowl, whisk flour, yeast and salt. Add olive oil and warm water. Mix and knead by hand 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest 90 minutes until doubled.
Combine all topping ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand for 3 minutes until well combined and slightly sticky. The mixture should be spreadable but hold together on a spoon.
Set oven to the highest heat, at least 250C, and place a pizza stone or heavy baking tray in the middle rack. Let heat 30 minutes.
Punch down the dough. Divide into 12 balls. Cover with a damp towel.
Working with one ball at a time on a lightly floured surface: roll each into a very thin oval or round about 25cm across and 1 to 2mm thick.
Spread a heaped tablespoon of topping in a very thin layer across each rolled dough round, leaving a 5mm border at the edges.
Slide each topped lahmacun onto the hot stone (or tray) in the oven. Bake 3 to 4 minutes until the edges are crisp and the meat topping has just cooked. Do not overbake, or the dough turns brittle.
Slide onto a plate. Top with a handful of parsley leaves and a small pile of sumac onion. Squeeze lemon generously. Roll into a cigar shape and eat with hands, or serve flat with fillings on the side.
Tips
- Very thin dough. Thinner than a pizza dough. Any thicker and the finished lahmacun eats like flatbread and topping rather than the classical crispy-edged Turkish version.
- Chop everything fine. The topping should look like a coarse wet paste. If the chunks are too big, the topping will not spread thin evenly.
- Very hot oven. 250C minimum. Pizza stones or steel are ideal. The 3-minute bake at high heat is what gives the classical texture.
- Roll at serving. Lahmacun is meant to be rolled around fresh herbs and lemon at the table. Do not pre-roll or the dough softens.
- Freeze extras. Baked lahmacun freeze well between parchment sheets. Reheat directly from frozen in a hot oven for 3 minutes.
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