Rolls & BunsLevantineMedium

Lamb Sfiha Buns

Name: Lamb Sfiha Buns
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 1 h 12 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Levantine
Ingredients: 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus extra for dusting; 2¼ tsp (7 g) instant yeast; 1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar; 1½ tsp (9 g) fine sea salt; ½ cup (120 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature; 0.88 cup (200 ml) water, lukewarm (about 105°F / 40°C); ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for greasing the bowl; 1 lb (450 g) ground lamb, cold; 2 medium (300 g) ripe medium tomatoes, halved, seeds scooped out, flesh cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice; 1 medium (150 g) yellow onion, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater; 3 cloves (9 g) garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 tbsp (32 g) tomato paste; 2 tbsp (30 ml) pomegranate molasses; 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt, divided: ½ tsp for the tomatoes, ½ tsp for the meat; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; ½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice; ¼ tsp (0.6 g) ground cinnamon; 1 tsp (2 g) Aleppo pepper flakes; ¼ cup (35 g) pine nuts; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Soft, yogurt-enriched little buns topped with spiced ground lamb, juicy tomato, and a tangy swipe of pomegranate molasses, then scattered with toasted pine nuts. Open-faced, savory-sweet, and ideal for a crowd.

Prep: 55 min
Cook: 17 min
Wait: 1 hr 25 min
Total: 2 hr 37 min
Makes: 12 open-faced buns (about 4 inches / 10 cm each)

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the dough
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus extra for dusting
2¼ tsp (7 g) instant yeast
1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar
1½ tsp (9 g) fine sea salt
½ cup (120 g) plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature
1 cup (200 ml) water, lukewarm (about 105°F / 40°C)
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for greasing the bowl
For the topping
1 lb (450 g) ground lamb, cold
2 medium (300 g) ripe medium tomatoes, halved, seeds scooped out, flesh cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice
1 medium (150 g) yellow onion, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater
3 cloves (9 g) garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp (32 g) tomato paste
2 tbsp (30 ml) pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp (6 g) fine sea salt, divided: ½ tsp for the tomatoes, ½ tsp for the meat
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice
¼ tsp (0.6 g) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (2 g) Aleppo pepper flakes
To finish
¼ cup (35 g) pine nuts
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

Equipment (9)

Large mixing bowl
Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
Box grater
Fine-mesh sieve
Small skillet for toasting pine nuts
2 large rimmed baking sheets (about 13×18 inches / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Read the timeline: the dough needs about 1 hour to rise, so make the topping while it rises.
Use lukewarm water (about 105°F / 40°C). Hot water can kill the yeast.
Buy ground lamb with some fat (80–85% lean). Very lean lamb makes a dry topping.
Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds, and line two large baking sheets with parchment.

1
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, and dough salt.
- Add the yogurt, lukewarm water, and ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or the dough hook on low until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: No dry flour left; dough is shaggy and sticky.
Tip: Keep the yeast away from the salt until the flour is added so they don't touch directly.
2
Knead until smooth
- Knead on low speed with the dough hook for 7 minutes, or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes.
- Dust with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time if it sticks badly.
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Ready when: Dough is soft, smooth, and slightly tacky, and springs back slowly when poked.
Tip: A slightly tacky dough gives tender buns. Too much added flour makes them dense.
3
Let dough rise
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl brushed lightly with olive oil, turning once to coat.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and leave in a warm spot (75–80°F / 24–27°C) while you make the topping.
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Ready when: Dough has doubled and a poked finger leaves a dent that fills back in slowly.
Tip: In a cool kitchen, set the bowl in the oven with only the light on.
4
Prep the tomato and onion
- Toss the diced tomatoes with ½ tsp of the topping salt and tip into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.
- Let drain for 15 minutes, pressing gently now and then.
- Meanwhile grate the onion, then squeeze it in your hands or a clean towel to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Grate the garlic.
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Ready when: Tomatoes look moist but not wet, with about 3–4 tbsp liquid drained off; onion is a damp pulp.
Tip: Skipping the draining makes a watery topping that soaks the dough.
5
Toast the pine nuts
- Set a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the pine nuts and toast, shaking the pan often, for 3 minutes.
- Tip onto a plate right away to stop cooking.
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Ready when: Nuts are light golden and smell nutty.
Tip: Pine nuts go from golden to burnt in seconds, so don't walk away.
6
Mix the topping
- In a bowl, combine the lamb, drained tomatoes, squeezed onion, garlic, tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, 1 tbsp olive oil, the remaining ½ tsp salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, and Aleppo pepper.
- Mix with your hands for about 1 minute, just until evenly combined.
- Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to top the buns, and stir in half of the toasted pine nuts.
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Ready when: Mixture is evenly red-brown and spreadable, not soupy.
Tip: Don't overmix, which makes the meat tough and pasty.
7
Divide and shape
- Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 pieces of about 78 g each.
- Roll each into a ball, then flatten and roll into a 4-inch (10 cm) round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Place 6 rounds on each sheet, 1½ inches (4 cm) apart.
- Pinch the edge of each round slightly to form a low rim.
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Ready when: Rounds are even in size with a slightly raised rim.
Tip: If dough springs back while rolling, cover the rounds and rest them 5 minutes.
8
Rest and preheatOven 450°F / 230°C
- Cover the shaped rounds loosely with a clean towel and let them rest 20 minutes.
- About 15 minutes in, set the racks in the upper and lower thirds and preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
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Ready when: Rounds look puffy and a fingertip dent springs back slowly.
9
Top the buns
- Dimple each round all over with your fingertips.
- Spoon about 3 tablespoons (60–65 g) of topping onto each, spreading it out to the rim in an even layer.
- Press it down gently so it sticks.
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Ready when: Topping covers the dough fully, with a thin border of plain dough at the edge.
Tip: Wet fingers keep the meat from sticking as you spread.
10
Bake the bunsOven 450°F / 230°C
- Bake both sheets for 13–15 minutes, swapping their positions and rotating them front to back at the halfway point.
- Check that the lamb reads 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
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Ready when: Edges are golden brown, the bottoms are browned, and the topping is sizzling and reads 160°F (71°C).
Tip: Pull them as soon as the edges are golden. Overbaking dries out the lamb.
11
Finish and serve
- Let the buns cool on the sheets for 5 minutes.
- Scatter with the remaining toasted pine nuts and the parsley, then sprinkle with the lemon juice.
- Serve warm.
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Ready when: Topping no longer slides when a bun is lifted.
Tip: Add the lemon juice just before serving to keep the parsley bright green.

Good to know

Tips

Squeezing the onion and draining the tomatoes are what keep the buns from getting soggy.
Weigh the dough pieces for evenly sized buns that bake at the same rate.
For extra-crisp bottoms, preheat the baking sheets and slide the parchment with the buns onto them.
For a party, shape smaller 2½-inch (6 cm) rounds and bake for 9–11 minutes.

Make ahead

"Make the topping up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate it covered (add the pine nuts just before using). The dough can rise in the fridge overnight, covered; let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: airtight, up to 3 days. Freezer: baked and cooled, wrapped individually, up to 2 months. Reheat from fridge or frozen on a baking sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes (12–15 minutes from frozen), until hot in the center."

Substitutions

ground lamb → ground beef (80% lean) or a half-and-half mix of beef and lamb. Milder flavor; cook to the same 160°F (71°C).
pomegranate molasses → 1 tbsp lemon juice plus 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar. Gives a similar sweet-tart effect, though less fruity.
pine nuts → slivered almonds. Toast them the same way; slightly milder and less buttery.
Aleppo pepper flakes → ½ tsp sweet paprika plus ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Approximates the mild heat and fruity color.

baked buns lamb levantine party-food pine-nuts pomegranate sfiha

Steps

Mix the dough

Knead until smooth

Let dough rise

Prep the tomato and onion

Toast the pine nuts

Mix the topping

Divide and shape

Rest and preheatOven 450°F / 230°C

Top the buns

Bake the bunsOven 450°F / 230°C

Finish and serve

Good to know

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