-
1
Make the dough and let it rise
60 minutes
Warm place, about 28°C (82°F)
Stir the yeast (7 g) and sugar (5 g) into the lukewarm water (240 ml) and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. Mix the flour (400 g) with the salt (5 g) in a large bowl, pour in the yeast water and the olive oil (15 ml), and knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled.
If the yeast does not foam, it is dead — start again with fresh yeast rather than hoping the dough will rise.
Done when: Dough smooth, springy and doubled in size.
-
2
Mix the topping
15 minutes
Fridge 4°C (40°F)
Mix the ground beef (300 g) with the chopped tomato (150 g), onion (100 g), red pepper (80 g), parsley (30 g), garlic (9 g), tomato paste (30 g), paprika (3 g), cumin (2 g), pepper flakes (2 g), salt (3 g) and olive oil (10 ml). Knead the mixture with your hands for 2 minutes until it holds together as a soft, spreadable paste. Keep it cold until the dough is ready.
Chop the vegetables very fine — chunky pieces tear the thin dough when you spread the topping.
Done when: A soft, even paste with no dry crumbs and no standing liquid.
-
3
Shape and top the flatbreads
10 minutes
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Heat the oven to its hottest, 250°C (480°F), with a baking tray or pizza stone inside. Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a round about 30 cm across and 2 mm thick. Spread a quarter of the topping over each round right to the edges in a thin, even layer — no thicker than 3 mm.
Roll from the centre outwards and turn the dough a quarter turn after every roll — that is how you get a round, not an oval.
Done when: Rounds thin and even, topping spread edge to edge in a thin layer.
-
4
Bake until crisp
20 minutes
Oven 250°C (480°F)
Slide one flatbread at a time onto the hot tray and bake for 4 to 5 minutes until the edges are browned and crisp and the topping is cooked through and steaming — minced beef must reach 71°C (160°F). Bake the remaining flatbreads the same way, keeping the finished ones warm under a clean cloth.
Do not open the oven door to check in the first 3 minutes — the blast of heat is what crisps the base.
Done when: Edges browned and crisp, topping browned and steaming, base firm enough to lift.
-
5
Roll with salad and lemon
5 minutes
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Lay each lahmacun flat, pile on the sliced tomato (100 g), red onion rings (50 g) and parsley leaves (20 g), and squeeze over the lemon juice (15 ml). Rest for 2 minutes so the steam escapes, then roll up tightly and eat at once.
Roll from the edge nearest you and tuck the filling in as you go, like a wrap, so nothing falls out the far end.
Done when: Flatbread pliable enough to roll without cracking, salad fresh on top.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the lahmacun flat on a plate with the salad and lemon on top, and let everyone roll their own — rolled too early, the crisp base goes soft. Eat it within a few minutes of baking, while the edges still crackle.
Turkey
50m
