Lahmacun – Turkish Meat Flatbread
This Lahmacun - Turkish meat flatbread is a popular authentic recipe, yeast-free & easy to make, on the stove or in the oven. Perfect for Ramadan or any time of the year.
Lahmacun – Turkish Meat Flatbread
Homemade Turkish Flatbread/Pizza
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What Is Lahmacun?
Lahmacun (pronounced ‘laa-ma-june’), is a type of Turkish flatbread, that is topped with a thin layer of a meat & vegetable paste topping. Known by some other names, (such as Lahmajun, or Lahmadjo) in Middle Eastern countries, I am concentrating on the Turkish version in this recipe.
What Is Lahmacun Made Of?
What Is Turkish Flatbread made Of? Well it is made from a very simple yeast free dough for the base (known as Yufka – ‘yoof-ca’). The topping is made from either minced/ground beef or lamb combined with pepper paste & vegetables.
Difference Between Lahmacun & Pizza
Some refer to Lahmacun as a Turkish pizza, however Lahmacun has a much thinner base, and is yeast-free. The topping can be similar, but for Turkish Lahmacun the topping is processed into a thick slightly chunky paste, making it quicker to cook.
Turkey also has Pide, that is more like a pizza, in that the dough is yeast based and toppings are similar. The only difference is that the Pide is oval or boat-shaped’. Here is my recipe for Pide – Turkish Pizza. Another yeast-based Turkish bread is my Ramazan Pidesi. (Both below)
Why Make This Recipe?
Why use my recipe to make Lahmacun over other recipes?
Well many many English recipes are not what I would call ‘authentic’ or ‘traditional’. Turkey is a big country and there are regional variations of many of their dishes.
However, there will not be big differences in them. In other countries, you might not be able to easily source specific ingredients, so in those instances, these recipes should not be described and titled as ‘Traditional’ or ‘Authentic’.
So why my recipe then? Well I have been married to a Turk for 25 years. So when I was teaching myself how to bake, I also learned to successfully make several Turkish meals & bakes. These are based on how my husband likes them, has had them in Turkey and how they have developed over numerous testings! He is tough to please so they can’t be too bad for a Scottish gal!
His Turkish friends have also been willing taste testers for my Turkish bakes. Check out some more of my Turkish recipes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
For the base:
- Flour
- Salt
- Warm Water
For The Topping:
- Minced/Ground Meat
- Bell Peppers
- Onion
- Turkish Peppers
- Garlic
- Pepper/Tomato Paste
- Flat Leaf Parsley
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flour
Plain Flour (All Purpose), Strong (Bread Flour) and even Pasta flour will all work for the Turkish flatbread base. No self-raising flour or yeast, as this is an unleavened bread recipe.
Warm Water
Warm water is used to make the base, instead of cold water, as it helps break down the gluten found in the flour, & hence makes kneading the dough much easier.
Minced/Ground Meat
Turkish Lahmacun is made with either minced/ground beef or lamb. With no need to pre-cook.
Oil
I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but virgin olive oil or olive oil will all work too.
Peppers
This recipe uses red & green bell peppers, as well as hot Turkish peppers (which are a long, mild & hot chilli pepper as seen in the photos). You could substitute with more bell peppers, or use some small chilli peppers. Onions are also used but not in the photo.
Paste
Typically this Turkish version of Lahmacun uses a pepper paste. This can be found in foreign food shops should you need for using in something else, or simply use tomato paste as a good substitute.
Parsley
Like a lot of Turkish recipes, flat leaf parsley is a very popular ingredient. Used in the topping, it is also often used when serving too. Regular parsley can also be used, or dried parsley for the topping mixture if need be.
**Note, the ingredient amounts are listed in the Recipe Card at the end of the post.
Dry-fry Or Bake
I prefer to make these meat topped flatbreads by dry-frying on the stove-top. You can bake several at one time, in an oven, but best with a very high temperature and with a pre-heated pizza stone. The photo collage show one dry-fried and one baked, where the baked is more crispy and harder to roll & wrap.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. You can begin by preparing the topping or start with the base which needs time to rest. However, making the topping first will allow flavours to develop more. You could also make the topping the night before & wrap and store in the fridge.
2. Chop the vegetables enough that you can then place in a food processor or blender. Add the oil, parsley, garlic, pepper/tomato paste & minced/ground meat, before processing to a chunky paste consistency. (See Photo 1). Cover & place in the fridge till ready to use. **If your processor is small, you could do in 2 batches.
3. Prepare the dough for the base of the Lahmacun by adding flour & salt to a stand mixer bowl & mix through.
4. Add all of the warm water to the flour, use the ‘k-mixing’ paddle, and let the stand mixer work in the liquid until you have a dough that is coming together & is just a little sticky. (See Photo 2).
Since different flour, where & how it is milled varies, the amount of liquid it will absorb can be different. Therefore, you might need to add more flour than listed to get the right consistency. See Photo 2 & the video.
5. Next swap over to the kneading attachment and knead for 5 minutes. (I like to knead for 3 minutes, turn the dough over & knead for 2 more minutes). The dough will be much more smooth and in the video you will see me stretch the dough, and how silky it looks. See Photo 3.
6. Flour some baking/parchment paper or a worktop/counter and scrape the dough out of the bowl.
7. Prepare some baking/parchment paper for placing the balls of dough on. I like to place on top of a tray, and I dust flour on top of the paper.
8.Next, flour your hands and divide the dough into 6 pieces. I tend to weigh the dough since I am usually make a LOT of Lahmacun! They will be about 60g/2 oz. (See Photo 4 below).
9. Flour your hands again and roll each piece of dough into a nice tight ball. In the video I demonstrate my technique for this. A kind of pull the ends or corners of the dough under itself, repeat this motion while it tightens the dough and creates tension on the surface, making it a smooth ball of dough. See Photo 4.
10. Repeat for all pieces of dough and place on the floured baking/parchment paper. Then sprinkle some flour on top of the balls of dough & place a damp tea-towel on top before leaving to rest for at least 2 hours. (This allows the gluten to relax but also to make rolling out thin a lot easier). **You also could also have prepared the topping at this stage if you like.**
11. Once the dough has rested, find a plate that is about the same diameter of the frying pan you will use. Lahmacun are usually about 22 – 25cm (9 – 10″) in diameter. (So if you don’t have a large enough frying pan you can oven bake with a pizza stone). We are looking for nearer to a dinner plate size than a side plate. Cut some baking/parchment paper a little wider than the plate and make a crease or fold to make the paper a square shape. See Photo 5 where I have labelled the fold line. This is used as a guide when rolling out the dough and since you will be making more than one, it is very handy to use.
12. Make sure your paper is floured as well as your rolling pin (here I am using a Turkish rolling pin called an Oklava that is longer and much thinner).
13. Place the ball of dough in the centre of the paper and carefully roll out, rotating the dough every so often, as well as lifting, adding more flour and then turning the dough over, before continuing rolling. Roll out to a little smaller than the guide size and you should have a thin dough that is not sticky & easy to move. (See Photo 5).
14. Now add about 3 good tbsp’s worth of the topping to the Lahmacun base and spread out almost to the edges, using a palette knife or butter knife, in a thin layer. See Photo 6.
15. It is ideal to prepare just one Lahmacun at a time if you are dry frying, and working on your own. (If not, have each base on paper ready to go and do not stack them.)
16. Heat your frying pan on a medium heat (no oil needed) and very carefully lift the prepared base onto the pan. There is no simple way to do this. You can try sliding off into the pan, but I found lifting and getting my hands under the base easier (just be careful not to let it stretch too much), and just spreading out neater once in the frying pan. Just be careful not to burn yourself. (See Photo 7).
17. Place a lid on top of the frying pan and leave to cook.
The ends will be crisp and underside will have brown spots. You can use a food thermometer to check that the meat is fully cooked. The safe spot for beef is at temperature of at least 71.1°c (160°f)1. Mine cooked in about 5 – 6 minutes. **If you find the base is ready but not the meat, lower the temperature and make sure you are using a lid that seals well to allow the meat to cook through. (You could also finish off in an air fryer).
18. Use a spatula to remove the Lahmacun from the pan. Place on a plate with a little paper on top, before covering with a clean tea-towel.
19. Cook the rest of the Lahmacun and place the 2nd on top of the 1st one, with meat side down. Then place the rest of them meat side down too, with the tea-towel on top. This keeps them warm and helps them be soft enough to wrap.
20. While the Lahmacun are cooking, you can prepare some filling to have inside them rolled up. Slice some tomatoes, some hot peppers and you can finely slice onion, that you can toss in some Sumac seasoning and lemon juice if you like. Flat leaf parsley is very common in Turkish cooking/baking, so wash some of that and leave to dry.
21. Once ready to eat, serve a Lahmacun as a rolled up wrap, with the tomato & pepper slices, flat leaf parsley and the seasoned onion as prepared above.
22. Simply roll up and enjoy! Turkey’s favourite drinks to accompany such foods is strong sweet tea (Çay – pronounced ‘ch-eye’), or Ayran (‘eye-ran’). You can actually buy this in some Asda stores here in the UK in the foreign food chiller section. Some Asian shops will also sell it. But you can make you own. It is basically a salty, water-downed yoghurt drink. To learn how to make your own, here is a recipe by my Turkish friend Ayla, on her website Cooking Gorgeous with truly authentic Turkish recipes – How To Make Ayran (Turkish Yoghurt Drink).
**See the Ayran carton in the back of this photo**
Storing
Store the homemade Turkish Lahmacun in food bags or a sealed container, once they have cooled down, alternating them so meat sides are facing each other. You can warm just a little in an air fryer for just a minute or two to take the cold edge off it. Will last about 2 days if stored correctly in the fridge.
Variations
Try some tuna sweetcorn mayo as an alternative topping, or replace the meat with some Quorn Mince and process like in the recipe, for a slightly chunky vegetarian/vegan alternative topping.
Recipe Card
Lahmacun – Turkish Meat Flatbread
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Stand-mixer (mixing & dough attachments)
- Chopping board & knife
- Food processor or blender
- Baking/parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Flour for dusting
- Frying Pan/Skillet (medium sized, 22-25cm/9-10" diameter)
- Spatula
- Tea-Towel
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
- 230 grams Plain/A.P. Flour (8 oz, 1¾ rounded cups, or Strong/Bread flour)
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 150 ml Warm Water (7¾ fl oz, ⅔ cup)
Topping Ingredients
- 200 grams Minced/Ground Beef (7 oz, or minced/ground lamb)
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 2 Bell Peppers (red & green)
- 1 Turkish (hot) Pepper (optional*)
- 1 Tomato (medium)
- 1 Clove Minced Garlic (mince/grate or use a garlic press)
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste (Pepper paste more authentic*)
- 50 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1⅔ fl oz, scant ¼ cup, 3½ tbsp)
- Handful Of Flat Leaf Parsley
For An Optional Filling
- Parsley, Tomato, Onion, Pepper (Sumac & lemon juice for onion, optional)
- * Denotes see notes
Instructions
Prepare Topping
- Chop the 1 Onion, 2 Bell Peppers, 1 Turkish (hot) Pepper & 1 Tomato before adding to a food processor or blender, with the 1 Clove Minced Garlic, Handful Of Flat Leaf Parsley, 1 tbsp Tomato Paste & 50 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Process lightly before adding in the 200 grams Minced/Ground Beef. Process to a slightly chunky paste consistency. (See Photo 1 above & video for reference). Cover & pop in the fridge for at least 30minutes or till ready to use. **If your processor is small, do in 2 batches**.
Prepare Base Dough
- Add 230 grams Plain/A.P. Flour & ¼ tsp Salt to a stand mixer bowl & mix together. Add all of the 150 ml Warm Water to the flour & mix together using the ‘k-mixing’ paddle until a dough is coming together & is a little sticky. *Add a little more warm if required.
- Swap for the kneading attachment/Dough Hook & knead for 3 minutes before turning the dough over & kneading another 2 minutes. The dough will be stretchy and smooth now.
- Flour baking/parchment paper or a worktop/counter and scrape the dough out of the bowl. With floury hands, divide the dough into 6 pieces. They will be about 60g/2 oz if you want to weigh them.
- Flour your hands & roll each piece of dough into a tight smooth ball. (In the video I demonstrate my technique for this).
Rest Dough
- Flour a baking/parchment paper before placing the 6 balls of dough down and dust with some more flour, before covering with a damp tea-towel. Rest the dough for at least 2 hours. **You also could also have prepared the topping at this stage.**
Form Flatbread Base
- Roll out one ball of dough on floured paper or worktop/counter, till thin and about 22 – 25cm (9 – 10″) in diameter (but not too big for your frying pan/skillet).
- Add 3 good tbsp’s worth of topping mixture to the Lahmacun base and spread into a thin layer, nearly all the way to the edges.
Cook The Flatbreads
- Warm the frying pan/skillet on medium heat with no oil. Carefully lift the Lahmacun onto the pan and fix in position, being careful not to stretch too much when lifting.
- Place a lid on top and leave to cook for about 5 – 6 minutes until ends are crispy, meat is cooked & the underside has brown spots. (If you want to use a food thermometer, beef/lamb is safe once at least 71.1°c (160°f)1.)
- Transfer to a large plate, cover with a piece of baking/parchment paper & then a clean towel while you prepare & cook the rest. (*Roll out & top the flatbread while one is cooking)
- Alternate stacking the cooked Lahmacun, so that the meat sides are facing each other, & top with the tea-towel to keep warm & soft enough for rolling.
Serving & Storing
- For serving, rolling up the Lahmacun with some extra filling inside is very popular. Slice some Parsley, Tomato, Onion, Pepper and you can also add some Sumac & lemon juice to thin sliced onion if you like.
- Add to the centre of the flatbread, roll up & enjoy with hot sweet tea (Çay), or popular Turkish drink Ayran (a salty watered-down yoghurt drink). Check out this recipe fo Homemade Ayran.
- Store the Turkish flatbreads in food bags or in foil first, (alternating the stacking so meat sides are facing each other), & they will be fine for up to 2 days in the fridge. You can warm just a little in an air fryer for just a minute or two to take the cold edge off it.
Video
Notes
Oil – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, with virgin olive oil or olive oil as an alternative.
Peppers – red & green bell peppers used as well as Turkish peppers, but you can use any hot pepper you can source. Or omit for lest spicy topping & add one more bell pepper or tomato.
Paste – pepper taste is traditional but tomato paste also works well.
Parsley – flat leaf parsley is used. Regular parsley can also be used, or dried parsley for the topping mixture.
Nutritional Information – is approximate & based on making 6 equal sized Lahmacun from the ingredients listed above. Make smaller or bigger & values will change. All information from website MyFitnessPal.com
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Happy Learning & Baking!
Caro x
Lahmacun – Turkish Meat Flatbread
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Reference:
- Minced/Ground beef or lamb safely cooked temperature, taken from AskUSDA @ https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-are-cooking-times-for-lamb ↩︎
What a great new recipe – I loved testing it for you. We all enjoyed it.