Sourdough Lahmacun (Turkish Lamb Flatbread)

Name: Sourdough Lahmacun (Turkish Lamb Flatbread)
Prep time: 59 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 19 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 3⅓ cups (450 g) bread flour, plus extra for dusting; 1⅛ cups (270 ml) water, lukewarm, about 85°F (30°C); 7 tablespoons (90 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), fed 4–6 hours ago, bubbly and at its peak; 1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt; 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 10½ ounces (300 g) ground lamb, cold, 15–20% fat; 2 medium (about 9 oz) (250 g) ripe medium tomatoes, halved and coarsely grated on a box grater, skins discarded; 1 small (about 3½ oz) (100 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely grated; 1 cup, packed (30 g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems very finely chopped; 3 cloves (12 g) garlic, finely grated; 2 tablespoons (40 g) Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), hot or mild; 1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato paste; 1 teaspoon (2 g) Aleppo pepper (pul biber); 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cumin; 1 teaspoon (2 g) sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon (6 g) fine sea salt, plus a pinch for the tomatoes; ¼ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pomegranate molasses (optional); 1 large (100 g) lemon, cut into 8 wedges; ½ small (about 2 oz) (55 g) red onion, very thinly sliced; ½ cup, loosely packed (15 g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked; 1 teaspoon (3 g) sumac (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Thin, pliable sourdough rounds topped with a spiced mixture of lamb, tomato, parsley and Turkish pepper paste, baked fast in a very hot oven. The long-fermented crust is tangy, chewy and blistered, and the topping stays juicy under a squeeze of lemon.

Prep: 59 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 6 hr 25 min
Total: 7 hr 44 min
Makes: 8 lahmacun (8-inch / 20 cm rounds), serving 4 as a meal

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the dough
3⅓ cups (450 g) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1⅛ cups (270 ml) water, lukewarm, about 85°F (30°C)
7 tablespoons (90 g) active sourdough starter (100% hydration), fed 4–6 hours ago, bubbly and at its peak
1½ teaspoons (9 g) fine sea salt
1½ tablespoons (22 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
For the topping
10½ ounces (300 g) ground lamb, cold, 15–20% fat
2 medium (about 9 oz) (250 g) ripe medium tomatoes, halved and coarsely grated on a box grater, skins discarded
1 small (about 3½ oz) (100 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely grated
1 cup, packed (30 g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems very finely chopped
3 cloves (12 g) garlic, finely grated
2 tablespoons (40 g) Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), hot or mild
1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato paste
1 teaspoon (2 g) Aleppo pepper (pul biber)
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (2 g) sweet paprika
1 teaspoon (6 g) fine sea salt, plus a pinch for the tomatoes
¼ teaspoon (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pomegranate molasses (optional)
To serve
1 large (100 g) lemon, cut into 8 wedges
½ small (about 2 oz) (55 g) red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup, loosely packed (15 g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 teaspoon (3 g) sumac (optional)

Equipment (10)

Large mixing bowl (4 qt / 4 L)
Kitchen scale
Pizza stone, baking steel or 2 heavy baking sheets (about 13×18 inches / 33×46 cm)
Rolling pin
Box grater
Fine-mesh sieve
Bench scraper
Pizza peel or flat baking sheet for sliding rounds into the oven
Parchment paper
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Feed your sourdough starter 4–6 hours before mixing so it is bubbly, domed and at its peak. A spoonful should float in water.
Plan for about 7.5 hours from start to finish, most of it hands-off. The dough ferments at room temperature (about 75°F / 24°C); in a cooler kitchen allow extra time.
Use a pizza stone or baking steel if you have one. Otherwise, turn two heavy rimless or inverted baking sheets upside down for baking.
Ask the butcher for ground lamb with some fat (15–20%); lean lamb gives a dry topping. Ground beef works too.

1
Mix and rest dough
- In a large bowl, stir the lukewarm water and starter with a fork until the starter mostly dissolves and the water looks milky.
- Add the bread flour and mix with wet hands until no dry flour remains and the dough looks shaggy.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest.
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Ready when: No dry flour patches remain; dough is shaggy and sticky
Tip: Don't add the salt yet. It slows hydration and makes mixing harder.
2
Add salt and oil
- Sprinkle the 1½ teaspoons salt and drizzle the olive oil over the dough.
- Squeeze and fold the dough with wet hands for about 2 minutes to work them in.
- Then do a set of stretch and folds: grab one edge, stretch it up and fold it over the center, turn the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat 4 times.
- Cover.
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Ready when: Dough looks smoother and resists slightly when stretched
Tip: Wet your hands to stop the dough sticking.
3
Two more folds
- After the 30-minute rest, do another set of 4 stretch and folds, then cover.
- Repeat once more after 30 more minutes (3 sets total including step 2).
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Ready when: Dough is smooth, elastic and slightly domed, and holds its shape when folded
4
Bulk fermentation
- Leave the covered dough undisturbed at about 75°F (24°C) for about 3½ more hours (about 5 hours since mixing the starter in), until it has grown by 50–75% and shows bubbles on the surface and along the sides of the bowl.
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Ready when: Dough has grown 50–75%, is jiggly and domed, with bubbles visible; it should smell mildly sour, not boozy
Tip: In a cool kitchen, this can take up to 2 hours longer. Judge by the dough, not the clock.
5
Make the topping
- Put the grated tomatoes in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and let drain 10 minutes, pressing gently; discard the liquid.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the lamb, drained tomatoes, grated onion, parsley, garlic, pepper paste, tomato paste, Aleppo pepper, cumin, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper and pomegranate molasses, if using.
- Mix with your hands for about 1 minute until it forms a thick, spreadable paste.
- Cover and refrigerate until needed.
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Ready when: Topping is a uniform, thick, spreadable paste, not soupy
Tip: Make this during the last hour of bulk fermentation. A watery topping makes the crust soggy.
6
Divide, shape, preheatOven 500°F / 260°C
- Place a pizza stone or baking steel (or two upside-down baking sheets) on the upper-middle oven rack and preheat to 500°F (260°C).
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 pieces of about 105 g (3¾ oz) each.
- Shape each into a tight ball by tucking the edges underneath.
- Place on a floured tray, cover with a damp towel and rest 45 minutes (the oven preheats during this time).
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Ready when: Balls look puffy and spring back slowly when poked
Tip: Don't skip the long preheat. A fully hot stone gives blistered bottoms in minutes.
7
Roll and top
- Cut 4 pieces of parchment to about 9 inches (23 cm).
- Working with 2 balls at a time, roll each on a lightly floured surface into a very thin 8-inch (20 cm) round, about 2 mm thick, and set on parchment.
- Spread about 3 tablespoons (85 g) of topping in a very thin, even layer over each, leaving a ¼-inch (6 mm) border.
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Ready when: Dough is thin enough to see your hand faintly through; topping covers it in a thin layer
Tip: Keep the other dough balls covered while you work so they don't dry out. Spread topping with the back of a spoon or damp fingers.
8
Bake in batchesOven 500°F / 260°C
- Slide 2 topped rounds, parchment and all, onto the hot stone at 500°F (260°C).
- Bake 4–5 minutes.
- The edges should be golden with brown spots, and the topping should be sizzling and set.
- Remove with the peel; the lamb should read 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
- Repeat with remaining rounds in 3 more batches, rolling and topping the next pair while the previous bake.
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Ready when: Edges golden with dark spots, topping sizzling and no longer pink, lahmacun still bendable at the center
Tip: Don't over-bake; lahmacun should stay pliable enough to roll. If it's browning too fast, move it to a lower rack.
9
Garnish and serve
- Toss the sliced red onion with the picked parsley and sumac, if using.
- Pile a little on each hot lahmacun, squeeze lemon over, and serve right away, rolled up or folded in half.
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Tip: Garnish just before eating so the herbs stay fresh and crisp.

Good to know

Tips

Roll the dough much thinner than you think; it puffs in the oven and thick dough makes the topping slide off.
Spread the topping thinly and evenly. Too much makes the center soggy and slows cooking.
To roll up, stack a little salad in the middle, squeeze lemon on it, and roll like a wrap.
No stone? Preheat inverted baking sheets for the full 45 minutes; cold sheets give pale, soft bottoms.

Make ahead

"Mix the topping up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate covered. For deeper flavor, after step 3 refrigerate the dough in a covered bowl for up to 24 hours instead of the room-temperature bulk rise; bring it to room temperature for 1 hour, then divide and rest as in step 6."

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: wrap cooled lahmacun well and keep up to 3 days. Freezer: stack with parchment between rounds, wrap airtight and freeze up to 2 months. Reheat from fridge or frozen in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side, or in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 4–6 minutes, until hot and the edges crisp slightly.

Substitutions

ground lamb → ground beef (80/20). Milder flavor but works well; keep the same weight and cook to 160°F (71°C).
Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), hot or mild → 1 tablespoon tomato paste plus 1 teaspoon extra paprika and ½ teaspoon chili flakes. Less depth than biber salçası but close in color and heat.
bread flour → all-purpose flour. The crust will be slightly softer and less chewy; reduce water by 1–2 tablespoons if the dough feels slack.
Aleppo pepper (pul biber) → ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus ½ teaspoon paprika. Aleppo is fruity and mild; this approximates it.