Lahmacun

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 360 g flour
• 240 ml water
• 20 ml olive oil
• 2 g fresh yeast
• 6 g salt
• 500 g minced beef
• 300 g tomatoes, pureed
• 1 red bell pepper(s), cut into small cubes
• 3 tbsp paprika paste
• 1 large onion(s), cut into small cubes
• 2 clove(s) garlic, squeezed
• e.g. Paprika powder, sweet and hot
• e.g. cumin
• salt and pepper
• 80 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp parsley, frozen or fresh

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 55 minutes

For the dough, combine the first 5 ingredients and knead until a dry and smooth dough forms. Let the dough rise for at least 1 hour. In the meantime, prepare the topping. To do this, mix all ingredients from the ground beef together in a bowl. Season to taste. If you like it spicier, use more pepper and hot paprika. Be careful with the cumin; it’s best not to add too much. I use about 1 teaspoon of each spice. Knead the mixture a little more and then refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 270°C (525°F) or as high as your oven allows. Once the dough has rested sufficiently, divide it into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a rectangle or oval. The shape doesn’t have to be perfect. The important thing is that the dough is rolled out really thinly, so it will be easier to roll out later. The dough will rise a little more in the oven. I bake the lahmacun on a baking sheet brushed with olive oil. Once the dough is rolled out, place it on the baking sheet and spread with 1/4 of the minced meat mixture. I try not to leave any edges, as otherwise they will just get unnecessarily hard. Place it in the oven and bake on the middle rack for about 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes, remove the lahmacun and the baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes. This softens the dough and makes it easier to roll. Once the dough has softened a bit, I carefully roll it up (I simply break through any hard spots with my index finger while rolling). Then I wrap the lahmacun roll again in aluminum foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. After that, it is wonderfully soft and incredibly delicious! Do the same with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.