Lahmacun Recipe
- Daniel
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 8
Lahmacun (pronounced lah-ma-joon) is often lovingly called “Turkish pizza,” but it’s really in a class of its own. Originating from the southeastern regions of Turkey, especially cities like Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, lahmacun has made its way across the Middle East, the Balkans, and into homes and street stalls everywhere.
Unlike Western pizza, lahmacun is ultra-thin, crisp around the edges, and topped with a flavorful blend of spiced minced meat, often lamb, without any cheese. It’s then rolled up, typically with a fresh salad or herb mix inside, and eaten by hand.
Making lahmacun at home might seem intimidating at first glance, but if you already have the components prepped, like my go-to Middle Eastern Dough, Minced Lamb Mixture, and Piyaz, it’s as simple as assembling, baking, and rolling.
The dough crisps up beautifully on a hot pizza stone or inverted tray, and the spiced lamb turns aromatic and sizzling in minutes. Once you try your first homemade lahmacun, you’ll see why this dish is so beloved. It’s satisfying, loaded with flavor, and incredibly fun to eat.
I encourage you to give this a go, especially if you enjoy hands-on meals that bring people together. There’s something grounding and honest about rolling up warm flatbread with your fingers and biting into a balance of savory lamb and bright, herby salad. This is a dish best shared, but I wouldn’t blame you if you ended up keeping it all to yourself.
Ingredients:
(Make 5 lahmacun)
Equipment:
Oven
Pizza Stone / Baking Steel / Inverted Baking Tray
Directions:
Please visit my "My Versatile All-Purpose Middle Eastern Minced Lamb" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "Multi-Purpose Middle Eastern Dough" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "Piyaz" page for the recipe.
Prep Your Ingredients
Make sure your dough, lamb mixture, and piyaz are ready beforehand.
Preheat your oven as high as it will go. If you’re using a pizza stone, baking steel, or an inverted tray, place it on the middle rack while the oven heats up.
Shape the Dough
Lightly flour your work surface.
Take a dough ball and stretch or roll it out to about 8 inches wide, aim for as thin as possible without tearing.
Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper for easy transfer later.
Top with Lamb
Spread a thin layer of the lamb mixture over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
Press it down lightly so it adheres to the surface, not too thick, not too thin.
Bake
Slide the parchment with the dough onto a cutting board.
Then carefully slide the parchment and dough onto your preheated stone or tray.
Bake until the edges are slightly puffed and the bottom is crisp and lightly charred. The lamb should be cooked through.
If the toppings cook faster than the dough, shift the tray or stone to the lowest rack.
Finish and Serve
Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly.
Top with piyaz or your preferred salad/herbs.
Roll it up and enjoy it warm.
Party in the mouth...
Craving for the next bite...
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