Lahmacun is often described as “Turkish pizza” but that really doesn’t do it justice. This Turkish street food is so much lighter, fresher and more flavoursome, with the addition of the delicious spiced meat and various fresh garnishes. Traditionally, lahmacun is cooked in a wood-fired oven, but making this in your home oven couldn’t be easier. I travel to turkiye quite alot and i have a lahmacun pretty much every day!
In today’s recipe, I’m going to run you through how to make really good lahmacun at home, starting with a super quick and simple recipe for the dough, through to the spiced meat filling + all the garnishes.
The only special tools you need if you don’t have a pizza oven is a pizza stone or baking steel. This is what you need for the home oven method to get it super crisp! A pizza peel (those padel-shaped things you see chefs putting the pizza into the oven with) is also useful for placing the lahmacun onto the steel or stone.
Now then, let’s get into it.
A few things to know before you start:
Meat: Lahmacun is typically made using ground lamb, but you can use beef too. Either grab some ground meat or ask your butcher for a couple of specific cuts. More on the meat and what to get later.
Keep the topping light: The meat layer should be thin and spreadable, not piled on thick – this is what gives you a super light and delicious result. Trust the process.
Baking: A pizza oven is ideal. If not, use a baking steel or pizza stone in your regular oven.
Oven temp: This is crucial for a nicely blistered, crispy base. Get your oven nice and hot.
Finishing: Lahmacun is to be rolled not sliced. Place all your garnishes in the centre, squeeze over some fresh lemon juice, then roll it up and eat. This is the only way.
Makes around 6–8 lahmacun, depending on dough size
