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Lahmacun is sort of like a Turkish pizza made with ground lamb and lots of delicious herbs and spices. One thing I know for sure is that it tastes absolutely awesome.
I've never been that into science, but I do love to experiment in the kitchen. As a baker, I definitely know when to stick to the formulas and what's safe to tweak and change. I also love finding new recipes I've never heard of from places I've never been and giving them a try. If the ingredients list looks yummy, I'll go for it.
Sometimes these experiments end in disaster. It's hard to know if you're doing something right when you're trying to create something you've never even seen. We've definitely ended up having to order pizza because I botched dinner so badly. But other times, it's a delicious revelation. With our finances, we can't currently travel nearly as much as I'd like, but I can always make a feeble attempt to recreate the food of other cultures. I do the best I can with what I can find in my store, and then daydream about how the real thing will be even better once I finally get to try it.
What makes Lahmacun so awesome?
I discovered Lahmacun through Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess. This is a Turkish dish somewhat similar to pizza. It's made with a yeasted dough that stays soft in the center and goes crispy on the edges, and it's topped with a ground lamb mixture that's absolutely packed with delicious herbs and spices. I know this version is far from authentic, but it's tasty anyway and will suit me just fine until I can get myself to Turkiye for the real thing.
I imagine serving this outdoors on a hot summer night with a big green salad laden with pomegranate seeds and pistachios with pitchers of iced mint tea. These can easily be a main dish in a meal or shared as a starter. Of course, it ceases to be street food once you make it in your house, but they've got that casual vibe to them. This was definitely a successful experiment.
Magical Properties of Allspice
Allspice is one of the many flavorings in this recipe, and carries many magical properties. It's a common misconception the allspice is a blend of all the spices. It's actually it's own little berry from a Pimenta Dioica tree. Call on this spice to boost energy and bring healing, luck, vitality, and money. Ruled by the planet Mars and the element of fire, it will bring big passionate energy to your spells. (Source: The Hearth Witch's Compendium by Anna Franklin)
For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this dish. The full details are in the recipe card below
- Flour - bread flour or strong flour as well as all-purpose or plain flour
- Yeast - instant yeast is awesome
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic - fresh or paste
- Lamb - I bought ground lamb and then blitzed it in the food processor to make it even finer
- Spices - you'll need cayenne, alspice, and cumin
- Tomato puree
- Parsley - flat leaf is best
- Lemon juice
- Butter - salted is fine here, but use whatever you've got
Tips for making Lahmacun
This is a bit time consuming as its made with a yeasted dough, and it's a bit messy, but a joy to make. You'l start by mixing up and kneading your dough and letting it rise as with any bread dough.
To make to topping, you'll sautee your onion and garlic to soften it, then cook the ground lamb along with your spice and tomato puree. Then stir in your parsley and lemon juice and set aside until you're ready to top your lahmacun.
Divide your dough into 8 pieces and roll them out into roughly circular shapes, then top each with evenly with your lamb mixture. Brush the edges of your dough with melted butter, and then bake until slightly puffed around the edges.
Sprinkle more fresh parsley over the top before serving, and dig in.
Experimenting with food can have truly delicious results. Try this Lahmacun recipe, and you'll see what I mean. It's going to be awesome.
Looking for more awesome international recipes? Try this Turkish Pide with Chorizo or a homemade Mitraillette sandwich.
PrintLahmacun
Lahmacun is sort of like a Turkish pizza made with ground lamb and lots of delicious herbs and spices. One thing I know for sure is that it tastes absolutely awesome.
- Prep Time: 40
- Rising time: 60
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 pieces 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup bread or strong flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the topping:
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound (500 grams) ground lamb
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Mix your dough - Add both flours, yeast, and salt to a large mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer. Add the water and oil and stir to form a rough dough. Knead by hand or with the dough hook of your stand mixer until smooth, about 5 minutes.
- Oil your boil and turn the dough over to coat it in oil, then cover the bowl with a clean towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- While your dough is rising, prepare your topping. Start by warming your olive oil in a skillet and sauteeing your onion over low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- If you want to make your ground lamb even more fine, you can blitz it in the food processor while your onion is cooking. Once your onion and garlic have softened, add the ground lamb to the skillet, breaking it up with small pieces with your spoon as it cooks. Sprinkle over the cumin, cayenne, and allspice and stir in the tomato puree as you're cooking the meat. this will take about 10 minutes.
- Once the meat is browned, add the parsley and lemon juice, and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).
- When your dough is risen, remove it from th bowl and divide it into 8 roughly equal pieces. Roll each of these out to a circle that's about 5 inches in diameter. Place them on a greased baking sheet (you may need multiple baking sheets) and cover with a clean towel to rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide your lamb mixture onto your dough circles and gently spread it into a thin layer. Brush the edges of your dough with melted butter.
- Bake your lahmacun for 8-10 minutes. Cover them with a cloth as they're cooling to help keep the dough soft.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
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