Home-baked delight: Mastering the classic lahmacun recipe

Turkish cuisine features many delicacies. However, you don't need to buy plane tickets straight away because these oriental flavours can be recreated at home. One dish worth noting is lahmacun, or Turkish pizza. It's a very thin dough topped with a light layer of spicy meat filling.

Although more than one Italian might express surprise at the comparison of lahmacun to pizza, there is indeed a resemblance. There is dough, there are toppings, but the taste differs so much that even a resident of Italy might express appreciation. The dough is simple, made from flour, water, and yeast.

Traditionally, the filling for Turkish pizza is made with lamb or beef, onions, tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, and parsley. Aromatic spices that are characteristic of Middle Eastern cuisine are also included. There's hot pepper, cumin, and cinnamon, which add an intriguing, spicy aroma. According to Turkish tradition, lahmacun is baked in a hot stone oven to ensure the dough's crispiness. However, at home, a regular oven at a high temperature will suffice.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 255 grams all-purpose flour,
• 150 millilitres lukewarm water,
• 1 teaspoon dry yeast,
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar,
• 1/2 teaspoon salt,
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Filling:

• 280 grams ground lamb or beef,
• 1 large onion,
• 2 medium tomatoes,
• 1 red pepper,
• 2-3 cloves of garlic,
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley,
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste,
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin,
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika,
• 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika,
• Pinch of cinnamon,
• Salt and pepper to taste,
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or water.

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water with sugar. Set it aside for a few minutes until the yeast activates. The mixture should become frothy.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and sugar, then add the yeast mixture.
3. Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook mixer for about 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if it’s too sticky, add some flour.
4. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a cloth, and set it aside in a warm place for about 1-1.5 hours until it doubles in size.
5. Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, garlic, and pepper.
6. Add the chopped vegetables to the ground meat, along with the tomato paste, parsley, and spices.
7. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil or water and thoroughly mix the filling until all ingredients are combined. The mixture should have a paste-like consistency.
8. Take the risen dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 8-10 equal parts.
9. Roll out each dough piece thinly into a round or oval shape with a diameter of about 20-25 centimetres. The dough should be really thin.
10. Place the dough round on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
11. Evenly spread a thin layer of meat filling on the dough, leaving about 1 centimetre of the edge bare.
12. Bake the lahmacun in an oven preheated to 230-250 degrees Celsius for about 5-8 minutes. The dough is ready when the edges are golden brown and the filling is well-cooked.

Serve the finished Turkish pizza flat, cutting it into smaller pieces. You can also wrap it with fresh vegetables like lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Enjoy!