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Ana Sortun’s Lahmajoun

12 5-inch lahmajoun

2¼ hours 1 hour active

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An aficionado of the food and cooking of the Mediterranean, Ana Sortun, cookbook author and award-winning chef at Oleana, Sarma and Sofra, all in the Boston area, has a deep knowledge of Turkish cuisine. She taught us her way of making lahmajoun, a Turkish flatbread topped with ground meat (typically lamb, though beef works, too) seasoned with tomatoes, bell pepper and spices. Though lahmajoun often is very thin, hers are thicker and more substantial, with a soft yet chewy crust; the generous topping melds with the dough during baking. Sortun prefers to hand-chop the ingredients for the topping, combining them on the cutting board and running a knife over them until they’re well integrated; this method yields a rustic texture. If, however, you favor speed, the topping can be made in a food processor; see the instructions below. The common way to eat lahmajoun is to squeeze on some juice from a lemon wedge and roll up the flatbread. This recipe makes smallish lahmajoun with thicker-than-typical crusts, so feel free to cut them for serving or simply fold them in half for easier eating, but be sure to offer lemon wedges on the side.

12

5-inch lahmajoun

Tip

Don’t compact the topping into a patty when flattening the dough. Keep the meat mixture loose and distribute it as evenly as possible on the round. When dimpling the rounds with your fingers, don’t be afraid to push some of the topping into the dough so the meat mixture fuses with the bread during baking.

2¼ hours

1 hour active

For the dough:

  • 293

    grams (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Directions

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Reviews
Stacey D.
January 29, 2024
Really nice way to fix lamb
We really enjoyed this meal. I have to admit I didn’t have enough time to make the bread that goes with. So I cheated and used flour tortillas. I put the tortillas on a cookie sheet with the meat mixture spread over the top. I used the same time and temp as the recipe. It was lovely. I can imagine if I had made the bread too, it would have been that much better. This will be on our regular rotation in our home!
Sharon S.
January 26, 2024
Excellent dish!
This was a big hit with my family--It was a little labor intensive but I doubled the topping so we had it two nights in a row with leftovers. I made triple the bread dough and had a little extra which was wonderful shaped as for the meat then topped with olive oil and za'atar seasoning (which I used because I couldn't find sumac). Really enjoyed it! Reheats in the toaster beautifully!