The secret behind the amazing taste is that the meat is cooked inside the dough. The original recipe calls for whole meat of lamb ribs, but in the United States it may be easier to find ground lamb.
MAKES: 25 PIECES
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH
- About 1 cup (225 g) butter
- About 8 cups (1 kg) flour
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 3 cups (710 ml) water
FILLING
- 1 pound (450 g) lamb meat from the ribs, or ground lamb
- 1 pound (450 g) tomatoes, diced
- 1 ½ yellow onions, chopped
- Optional: ½-1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
- Optional: ⅖ cup (12 g) chopped flat-leaf parsley, or 2 tablespoons tahini
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a bowl, crumble the butter into the flour and add the dry yeast. Pour the mixture onto a work surface and make a hole in the middle.
- Heat the water to 125°F (50°C), then pour it into the hole in the flour mixture. Work the ingredients together to form a smooth dough.
- Place the dough in a warm place and cover it with a damp baking towel. Allow it to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
- Finely chop the lamb meat if using ribs or skip this step if using ground lamb. Mix the lamb with diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and optional finely chopped chili pepper and parsley or tahini.
- Squeeze the air out of the dough and roll it out. Cut out circles from the dough, approximately 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each dough circle. Press the dough around the filling and pinch the edges at four corners.
- Bake the pies at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough turns golden brown.
- Serve the pies hot or cold.
