Lahmacun

Why this recipe works Lahmacun is a meat pie found in Armenian and Turkish cuisines and is unlike any other flatbread we’ve tasted. The base is very thin and delightfully doughy—it flops over when picked up—with a crisp, spottily charred edge; the topping features ground lamb (and sometimes beef), warm spices, hot pepper paste, and aromatics. Lahmacun is typically served alongside a yogurt soda that’s popular across the Middle East and that’s called tan in Armenia and ayran in Turkey, but we love it served with a dollop of Greek yogurt, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs. You can cut the flatbreads into wedges and serve them as an appetizer or use them as the wrap for a grilled vegetable roll-up. Lahmacun is traditionally cooked on a saj, a metal domed cooking surface, which achieves the perfect harmony of a doughy middle and crisp edges, all while simultaneously cooking the meat topping. To replicate this, we started by cooking ours in a cast-iron skillet over low heat. The bottom of the dough cooked perfectly, but the meat topping remained raw and steamed the dough directly beneath it. Next we tried putting the flatbreads on a hot baking stone in a 500-degree oven. The resulting pies were crisp and crunchy from edge to center, rather than supple and malleable, so we ditched the stone, dropped the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and placed the flatbreads on baking sheets. Baked this way, the flatbreads remained soft while the lamb cooked 90 percent of the way through. To crisp the edges and finish cooking the topping, we ran the flatbreads under the broiler. You can find Turkish hot pepper paste in the international foods section of your supermarket or at Middle Eastern markets. If you cannot fit two flatbreads on a single baking sheet, bake and broil the flatbreads in batches.

MAKES: four 9-inch flatbreads

RESTING TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes

RISING TIME: 24 hours

COOKING TIME: 14 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 26½ hours, plus 5 minutes cooling time

KEY EQUIPMENT: food processor, 2 rimmed baking sheets, rolling pin

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE DOUGH

• 1¾ cups (9⅔ ounces) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• ¾ cup (6 ounces) ice water
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE TOPPING

• 3 tablespoons Turkish hot pepper paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¾ teaspoon smoked hot paprika
• ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
• ⅔ cup coarsely chopped onion
• 4 ounces ground lamb
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and yeast until combined, about 5 pulses. With the processor running, slowly add ice water and process until the dough is just combined and there are no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
2. Add oil and salt to the dough and process until the dough forms a satiny, sticky ball that clears the sides of the bowl, for 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, for about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
3. Press down on the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter, divide it into quarters, and cover each piece loosely with greased plastic wrap. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keeping the remaining pieces covered), form it into a rough ball by stretching the dough around your thumbs and pinching the edges together so that the top is smooth. Space the balls 3 inches apart, cover them loosely with greased plastic wrap, and let them rest for 1 hour.
4. In a clean, dry food processor workbowl, process pepper paste, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, allspice, and salt until well combined, about 20 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add bell pepper and onion and pulse until finely ground, about 10 pulses. Add lamb and parsley and pulse until well combined, about 8 pulses.
5. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two rimmed baking sheets. Generously coat one dough ball with flour and place it on a well-floured counter. Press and roll it into a 9-inch round.
6. Arrange the round on the prepared sheet, with the edges fit snugly into one corner of the sheet, and reshape it as needed. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, arranging two rounds on each sheet in opposite corners.
7. Using the back of a spoon, spread one-quarter of the topping in a thin layer over the surface of each dough round, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edge.
8. Bake until the edges of the flatbreads are set but still pale, for 10 to 12 minutes, switching and rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Remove the flatbreads from the oven and heat the broiler.
9. Return one sheet to the upper rack and broil until the edges of the flatbreads are crisp and spotty brown and the filling is set, for 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the flatbreads to a wire rack with a metal spatula and let them cool for 5 minutes before serving. Repeat the broiling with the remaining flatbreads.