Equipment
Ingredients
Quick Yogurt Dough
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 250 g full-fat greek yogurt, room temperature
- 3 g fine sea salt
Spiced Mince Topping
- 300 g lamb mince
- 1 yellow onion, finely grated
- 2 garlic, minced
- 30 g tomato paste
- 15 ml olive oil
- 4 g ground cumin
- 3 g smoked paprika
- 2 g sumac
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 15 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Mint Yogurt
- 150 g full-fat greek yogurt
- 10 g fresh mint, finely chopped
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g fine sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 590 kcal
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbohydrates
- 56 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1796 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 68 mg
- Potassium
- 645 mg
- Calcium
- 344 mg
- Iron
- 6.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 75 mg
- Phosphorus
- 688 mg
- Zinc
- 4.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 48 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 11 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 67 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.58 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.74 mg
- Niacin
- 8.2 mg
- Folate
- 198 mcg
- Water
- 171 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 240C/465F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, 250g of Greek yogurt, and 3g of salt. Mix together until a rough, shaggy dough begins to form.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough rests, prepare the topping. In a separate bowl, combine the lamb mince, grated onion with its juices, minced garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, cumin, paprika, sumac, 4g salt, and chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly by hand until it forms a cohesive paste.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 150g of Greek yogurt, chopped mint, lemon juice, and 2g of salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Divide the rested dough into four equal portions. Using a rolling pin, roll each portion on a lightly floured surface into a thin oval shape, about 3 to 4 millimeters thick.
Divide the meat mixture into four portions. Using your fingers, press and spread a thin, even layer of the meat paste over each rolled flatbread, extending it all the way to the edges.
Carefully transfer the topped flatbreads onto the preheated baking sheet in the oven. Bake in batches for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough edges are puffed, blistered, and golden brown. Ensure the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 74C/165F and is fully cooked with no pink remaining.
Remove the flatbreads from the oven. Serve immediately while hot, topped with generous spoonfuls of the chilled mint yogurt.
Chef's Notes
- Grating the onion rather than chopping it is crucial; it creates a wet paste that adds necessary moisture, allowing the meat to fuse with the dough and spread easily.
- Using a preheated baking sheet or pizza stone mimics the intense bottom heat of a traditional wood-fired oven, giving you a characteristic crisp base.
- Do not be afraid to spread the meat mixture thinner than you think is correct. It should almost look sparse; this allows the meat to cook rapidly before the flatbread burns.
- If your self-raising flour is older than six months, the baking powder within it may have degraded. You can add an extra 2g of baking powder to ensure a good rise.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store flatbreads and yogurt sauce in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze baked flatbreads without the yogurt sauce. Reheat directly from frozen.
Reheating: Reheat flatbreads in a 200C oven for 5 minutes until crispy before adding fresh yogurt.
Troubleshooting
Dough is too sticky to roll out properly
Cause: The Greek yogurt used was too watery or the measuring was inaccurate
Fix: Knead in an additional 10-15g of flour until the dough becomes manageable
Prevention: Use strained, thick, full-fat Greek yogurt
Flatbread base is pale and soggy
Cause: Oven was not hot enough or baking sheet was not preheated
Fix: Transfer the flatbreads to a dry, hot skillet on the stovetop for 2 minutes to crisp the bottom
Prevention: Allow the oven and baking tray to preheat completely at the maximum temperature setting
Meat clumped together and didn't cover the dough
Cause: Meat mixture was too dry or spread too thickly
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but ensure subsequent batches are spread thinner
Prevention: Ensure you include the onion juices and spread the raw meat very thinly, pressing firmly into the dough
Cultural Context
This recipe is highly inspired by Lahmacun, an iconic street food found throughout Turkey and the Levant. Often nicknamed 'Turkish pizza', traditional Lahmacun features an incredibly thin, unleavened yeast dough topped with a heavily spiced, juicy minced meat paste. It is typically baked at blistering temperatures in wood-fired ovens and served rolled up tightly around fresh herbs and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
