Lahmacun (Turkish Meat Pies)
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Learn how to make this Lahmacun Turkish Meat Pies recipe with my simple step-by-step guide and how to video. This popular street food is big in flavor yet so basic to throw together!
If you’ve never enjoyed lahmacun, you’re missing out! The perfectly crisp edges and a center loaded with the most flavorful meat mixture is to die for. It’s delicious to enjoy just as is, or you can load it up with some fresh toppings like I did. I know they look intimidating complete with a homemade dough, but with my step-by-step instructions this surprisingly easy treat will come out perfect every time.
What Is Lahmacun?
To start off, I’ll show you how to pronounce lahmacun: “lah-MAH-joon”. It’s very similar to pizza or flatbread! In fact, some may say this is the Turkish version of a pizza pie. The dough is rolled out nice and thin, then spread with a meat mixture loaded with fresh veggies, flavorful spices, and herbs. It really is incredible.
The lahmacun is baked at a very high temperature. This will give you a perfectly browned and crisp crust! It’s enjoyed widely in Turkey as a popular street food that they will actually roll up like a burrito and enjoy with a few fresh toppings such as lemon juice, tomatoes, and parsley. To die for!
Ingredients in Lahmacun
For the dough:
- Milk – Any type of milk will work; I used 1%. Make sure it’s lukewarm to the touch but not too hot. If the milk is too hot it will kill the yeast.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar will work best. We just need a little bit to feed the yeast.
- Yeast – I used active dry yeast. Store jars of yeast in the freezer so they’ll last longer.
- All purpose flour – If you use whole wheat flour you’ll have to use only 3 3/4 cups.
- Salt – I know it seems like a lot of salt, but it’s a big batch of dough. I promise it’s perfectly salted!
- Vegetable oil – We need a little bit of oil to oil the dough so it doesn’t dry out as it rises.
For the meat mixture:
- Bell peppers – I used green and yellow peppers but, of course, you can use any type you like best.
- Tomatoes – Any type of tomatoes will work.
- Onion – I like to use white onion for this recipe because it has a more mild flavor. You can use a yellow or red onion if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garlic – The more garlic the merrier! Feel free to use more or less as you please.
- Paprika – I always use smoked paprika! It’s my secret weapon in the kitchen.
- Chili flakes – You can use more or less depending on how spicy you’d like your lahmacun to be.
- Cumin – If you don’t have cumin you can use chili powder instead.
- Parsley – Make sure to use fresh parsley.
How to Make Lahmacun
- Make the dough: Whisk the milk, sugar and yeast together and allow the mixture to froth up. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your mixer. Use the dough hook on low speed to give everything a quick mix. Pour in the yeast mixture in, and mix on low until a loose ball begins to form. Increase the speed and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size.
- Make the meat mixture: Add everything but the meat to your food processor and pulse until everything is pureed. Pour the mixture over your ground meat and combine everything using either a spoon or your hands.
- Assemble the lahmacun: Preheat the oven to 550F degrees, or as high as your oven will go. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll out until around 12″ in diameter and 2mm thick. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Spread 1/8 of the meat mixture evenly over the dough leaving about a 1/2″ border around the edges. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until the edges brown. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve warm drizzled with a bit of lemon juice. If preferred, garnish with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, parsley and feta cheese.
Do I Have to Use Homemade Dough?
Looking to save some time? You can actually take a shortcut and make this recipe with store-bought pizza dough! The main difference is that you may end up with a slightly thicker crust, but I promise it will still taste amazing.
Some Tips
- The milk should be warm to the touch- not hot.
- Make sure the yeast froths up well in the milk. If it doesn’t, the dough will not work! You’ll need to buy a new jar. Store the yeast in the freezer for a longer shelf life.
- Roll the dough out at thin as possible! We’re talking about 2mm thick.
- Set your oven as high as it will go to get the best results.
- Keep a close eye on the lahmacun as it bakes. They cook up fast!
How to Serve
This popular street food is typically topped with lettuce, fresh lemon juice, parsley, and tomatoes, then rolled up like a burrito. We added some feta as well and it tasted so good! You can also cut slices like a pizza for easier serving.
Lahmacun is really taken to the next level with these simple fresh toppings. You can get creative and top it with your favorite fresh veggies, or you can even leave it plain. Either way I know you will love it!
Looking for some dips to serve with your lahmacun? Try these!
Leftovers
Store your leftovers in an airtight container or large freezer bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave, but like pizza, you’ll lose the crispiness of the edges. You can also reheat your lahmacun in a 400F oven for 5-7 minutes to crisp it back up.
Freezing
Freezing cooked lahmacun works best. After baking them, stack each lahmacun with a sheet of parchment paper between each one to prevent sticking. Thoroughly wrap the stack with aluminum foil or store in an airtight container if you have one big enough. They will last 2 months frozen.
To reheat, set your oven to 425F and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through.
More Great Recipes To Try
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Lahmacun
Video
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar (granulated)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for oiling the bowl)
For meat mixture
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper (roughly chopped)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (roughly chopped)
- 2 large tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- 1 large onion (roughly chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
- 1 handful parsley
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the milk, sugar and yeast together and allow the mixture to froth up. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of your mixer. Use the dough hook on low speed to give everything a quick mix. Pour in the yeast mixture in, and mix on low until a loose ball begins to form. Increase the speed and knead until the dough is soft and elastic. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size.
- Make the meat mixture: Add everything but the meat to your food processor and pulse until everything is pureed. Pour the mixture over your ground meat and combine everything using either a spoon or your hands.
- Assemble the lahmacun: Preheat the oven to 550F degrees, or as high as your oven will go. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch the dough down and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll out until around 12" in diameter and 2mm thick. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Spread 1/8 of the meat mixture evenly over the dough leaving about a 1/2" border around the edges. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until the edges brown. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve warm drizzled with a bit of lemon juice. If preferred, garnish with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, parsley and feta cheese.
Notes
- Tip: To help your dough rise faster, heat up your oven to 200 F degrees, then turn off the oven. Place your dough in the oven, close the door and let the dough rise in peace for about 30 minutes.
- The milk should be warm to the touch- not hot.
- Make sure the yeast froths up well in the milk. If it doesn’t, the dough will not work! You’ll need to buy a new jar. Store the yeast in the freezer for a longer shelf life.
- Roll the dough out at thin as possible! We’re talking about 2mm thick.
- Set your oven as high as it will go to get the best results.
- Keep a close eye on the lahmacun as it bakes. They cook up fast!
- Store your leftovers in an airtight container or large freezer bag in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave, but like pizza, you’ll lose the crispiness of the edges. You can also reheat your lahmacun in a 400F oven for 5-7 minutes to crisp it back up.
- Freezing cooked lahmacun works best. After baking them, stack each lahmacun with a sheet of parchment paper between each one to prevent sticking. Thoroughly wrap the stack with aluminum foil or store in an airtight container if you have one big enough. They will last 2 months frozen. To reheat, set your oven to 425F and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
We have made this several times and absolutely love it. However, when we make the dough it is always extremely sticky and difficult to work with. We follow the instructions exactly as directed, and use exact measurements for the dough ingredients. I am wondering if we should add more flour? Any suggestions?
Thanks
Yes, if the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Dear Jo I , I am from Costa Rica and married with a turkish guy. I saw your recipe of Lahmacun and I decided to give a try. My husband was so impressed! He told me that he felt he was walking in Istambul while eating it! Thanks, Thanks, thanks! Definitely is a keeper in mi kitchen ! So easy and so tasty !
Oh I’m so happy to hear this! It makes my day! 🙂
I made the recipe with the initial photo that is on here, but is this the same recipe? Did the photos just get updated?
Yes it’s the exact same recipe! Updated better photos 🙂
So easy to make. We absolutely love it!
It’s my first time trying this recipe.. while I was making the dough .. I felt it was kinda hard .. will it still double in size if it’s hard
If your yeast is good, yes it should.
Do you have a book that I can purchase I want to prints all these recipes all of them lol I would make a binder if you don’t have a book
Thanx
Venus
Hi there, I don’t have a book yet, working on one at the moment. 🙂
I just made this and it was really good, but I had some trouble with the dough… was it supposed to be light and fluffy? and flexible after baking? Because mine was hard to the touch when raw and turned cracker like when baked.
Well it depends on how thin you rolled out the dough, though it should be flexible, because the way these are normally eaten are rolled up like a wrap.
Do you brown the ground beef first?
Hi Jessica,
No you don’t, no need to, it will cook as it bakes. Give them a try, they’re awesome.
These are so good!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi, Miss Jo! I am making it right now, sorry can’t wait for tonight. I will be making my ever-favorite Magic Chocolate Cake too for dessert. I will tell you which one was devoured fast since your chocolate magic cake always disappears at the dining table in 15 minutes flat, thanks for another delicious recipe. God bless you always.
Miss Jo, hi! I’m going to make this tonight! I’ll tell you what exactly my Salwa say about this. Can’t wait to try them, they look so delicious! Thanks!
Looks too easy NOT to make!
They are! 🙂
I just about hurt my finger clicking over here as fast as I could! I grew up on lahmacun (my family’s Armenian) and I LOVE them. Yours look absolutely perfect. We use half lamb and half beef, Now I’m drooling and wishing I had the ingredients to make this! Love, love, love.
Lol, I hope your finger is ok. 🙂 I know, aren’t these pies the best!!
Wow I plan to make a veggie way pie thanks to you.
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