Turkish Lahmajoun Wrap Recipe
There’s nothing more delicious than Turkish Lahmajoun Wrap Recipe also known as Lahm Bi Ajeen in Lebanon or Lahmacun in Armenia. With a mixture of juicy meat, veggies, savory spices, and seasonings dressed in a thin and crispy flatbread, you can make a delicious meat and veggie pizza. It’s easy to make at home and can be served as an appetizer or a meal. The best part is that you can customize it to your preferences and make it as spicy or mild as you like.
An Absolute Delight
What Is Lahmajoun and Where Does It Come From?
Flatbreads have long been popular throughout the Mediterranean, from Italian pizza to Levantine za’atar manaqish and Lahmacun, an Armenian specialty that has made its way to Turkey.
The term “lahmacun,” which means “dough with meat,” comes from the Arabic “lahma bi’ajeen,” which means “meat dough.” Think of lahmacun as a thin, crispier pizza (or flatbread) topped with a spiced minced meat mixture. It’s a popular street food in the Middle East.
As well as meat pies, there are also meat pizza variations in the Middle East, such as manaqish and sfiha. There are many names for lahmacun, including Armenian pizza, Turkish pizza, Lebanese pizza, Arab pizza, etc…
Unique and Irresistible!
Lahmajoun Wrap Recipe Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- all-purpose flour
- lukewarm water
- salt
- oil: You can use olive oil or vegetable oil.
- instant yeast: If you are using active dry yeast, active the yeast in water and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for 5-10 minutes
Topping Ingredients
- white onion
- garlic
- tomato
- green pepper
- red pepper
- fresh flat-leaf parsley or Italian parsley about 1/2 bunch
- tomato paste
- mild red pepper paste
- ground beef I used 80/20 ground beef. if you are using lean ground beef, Add 1/4 cup oil to the mixture.
- salt
- black pepper
- Aleppo pepper or Turkish red pepper flakes
See the recipe card for quantities.
Easily Customizable
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, yeast, salt, oil, and water.
- Attach the dough hook and start kneading on medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Place it in a warm place to prove for one hour until doubled in size.
To Make the Topping:
- In a blender, combine onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, green pepper, and red pepper. Pulse until combined and the mixture is well blended.
- Add the mixture to a large mixing bowl, followed by ground beef, tomato paste, pepper paste, black pepper, salt, and Aleppo pepper. Mix it by hand until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Assembly:
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal pieces (or 12 small portions). Cover the dough balls with plastic wraps.
- To assemble, lightly flour one dough ball, then roll it into a thin round. Place the round on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Smear the meat topping evenly all over the top of each dough in a thin layer.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.
- Bake in preheated oven at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
- To make Lahmajoun on the stove: Place the dough round in the pan, and gently smear the topping. Cover the pan with the lid and cook on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until you see some brown spots at the bottom.
- To serve: Top warm lahmajoun with fresh herbs, parsley, tomatoes, sumac, slices of red onions, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Fan-freaking Fantastic!
Lahmajoun Wrap Recipe Substitutions
- Dough: You can use ready-made pizza dough as a shortcut for this recipe, but I prefer to make the dough from scratch to get authentic texture and flavor.
- Bell Pepper: Italian or Anaheim green peppers would taste great in this recipe.
- Spices: The combination of meat and veggies is already tasty, but you can add other spices if you like such as cumin, and pul biber.
Variations
- Spicy: Many people like to sprinkle Aleppo pepper (pul biber) on top of lahmacun wraps, and if you like chili, make sure it’s on the table as well.
- Deluxe: If you like pickles, those are great with lahmacun.
- Peymacun: If you are a cheese lover, try peymacun, which is lahmacun topped with kasar and feta cheese.
- Tortilla lahmacun: If you are in a hurry and don’t feel like making dough then Feel free to use Fresca Tortillas. Spread the filling very thinly on the Tortillas and bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes or until golden on the edges.
Equipment
For the lahmajoun wrap recipe, you will need a stand mixer, a blender, and a rolling pin.
Bite and Enjoy!
Storage
When you decide to try this recipe, make a large batch because you can freeze it and use it whenever you want!
- Making Ahead: You can make the mince filling ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container until needed. The same goes for the dough. Before dividing and rolling out the dough, bring it to room temperature.
- Freezing: When the baked Lahmajoun has completely cooled, place it on wax paper in a tray and place it in the freezer to enjoy for the next 3 months. Add additional layers of wax paper as needed.
- Reheating: After removing them from the freezer, heat them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until heated. If you’re in a hurry, simply microwave them until heated.
A Must Try!
Top Tips
- Use the best quality meat you can afford and try to buy it fresh on the day of preparation.
- It is best to chill the lahmacun topping for at least an hour. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. The topping can be refrigerated for one hour to twelve hours.
- It is important to roll out the dough very thinly. The dough is even thinner than pizza dough, and each dough ball can be rolled into a 10-12-inch wide circle.
- When spreading the meat mixture on the dough, poke the meat with your fingertips to make small indents all over. This ensures that the meat adheres to the dough and does not peel off during baking. Also, avoid using an overly thick meat layer.
- Try to use ripe and fresh tomatoes.
- Make a large batch and freeze it for later by doubling the ingredients to fit your needs.
- When Lahm bi Ajeen or Lahmacun comes out of the oven, cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them soft and moist.
Serve your Lahmacun wraps with Quick Pickled Red Onions Without Sugar or Old Fashioned Pickled Beets (No Sugar) Quick Pickled Beets, or Quick Middle Eastern Turnip Pickles Without Sugar.
Crispy and Bursting with Flavor
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Lahmacun is considered healthy because it contains a moderate amount of calories and is high in vitamins A, C, and Manganese. It is also thought to be a good source of protein.
Sfiha, also known as lahmacun (pronounced lahmajoun) in the Mediterranean, is a pizza-like dish. It is also referred to as Armenian pizza, Turkish pizza, and Arab pizza. It is crisp around the edges and softens toward the center.
Lahmacun is circular, while pide is boat-shaped. It is typically thinner than pide. The difference between pide and lahmacun is that pide is sliced, while lahmacun is usually rolled and served with lemon juice.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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Turkish Lahmajoun Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast If you are using active dry yeast, active the yeast in water and 1/2 tsp of sugar for 5-10 minutes
Topping
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tomato
- ½ green pepper
- ½ red pepper
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley or Italian parsley about 1/2 bunch
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons mild pepper paste
- ½ pound ground beef I used 80/20 ground beef. if you are using lean ground beef, Add 1/4 cup oil to the mixture.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or Turkish red pepper flakes
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, yeast, salt, oil, and water.
- Attach the dough hook and start kneading on medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Place it in a warm place to prove for one hour until doubled in size.
To Make the Topping:
- In a blender, combine onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, green pepper, and red pepper. Pulse until combined and the mixture is well blended.
- Add the mixture to a bowl, followed by ground beef, tomato paste, pepper paste, black pepper, salt, and Aleppo pepper. Mix it by hand until everything is well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Assembley:
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal dough balls (or 12 small portions). Cover the dough balls with plastic wraps.
- To assemble, lightly flour one dough ball, then roll it into a thin round. Place the round on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Smear the topping evenly all over the dough round in a thin layer.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.
- Bake in preheated oven at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
- To make Lahmajoun on the stove: Place the dough round in the pan, and gently smear the topping. Cover the pan with the lid and cook on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes or until you see some brown spots at the bottom.
- To serve: Top warm lahmajoun with fresh parsley, tomatoes, sumac onions, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
