Lahmacun offers something rather special: a thin, crisp flatbread, alive with spice and freshness, and a welcome departure from the bog-standard pepperoni.
At Olives Et Al, everything begins with curiosity. It always has. From the early journeys through Mediterranean markets and kitchens that started it all back in 1993, to the flavours we continue to explore today, there has been a constant thread — a desire to taste, to learn, to bring something home and make it our own. You could describe our food as Mediterranean, with a Dorset accent — rooted in tradition, certainly, but never bound by it.
This Lahmacun feels like a natural extension of that idea. Familiar, but not fixed. A dish that invites you to experiment, to adapt, to enjoy.
It is a dish with deep roots. Often labelled ‘Turkish pizza’, Lahmacun actually stretches far beyond, with origins which lie across the Eastern Mediterranean, where lahm bi ajin – ‘meat with dough’ – has long been prepared as a quick, nourishing staple. A whisper-thin base, spread with spiced meat, baked fast in fierce heat, then lifted, folded, and eaten without ceremony.
What sets it apart is its lightness. There is no cheese, and no heavy layering. Just heat, herbs, citrus … and a dough that crackles gently at the edges.
Unlike an Italian pizza base, this dough is not stretched – instead, a rolling pin presses it into submission, thinning it evenly, removing any temptation for puff or chew. The result is something altogether more delicate: a base that crisps rather than bubbles, that supports its topping, and that can be rolled around its filling once baked. It is a small act, but one that defines the whole experience.
Cooked quickly, eaten immediately, shared without fuss. And, perhaps most importantly, far more interesting than pepperoni.
Ingredients
(makes 6-8)
For the dough:
- 500g strong white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- 300ml warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the topping:
- 400g lamb mince
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Olives Et Al Harissa
- 1 tsp Olives Et Al Adana Spice Blend
- Small handful of parsley, finely chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and black pepper
- To serve:
- Fresh parsley or mint
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Lemon wedges
Method
- Combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl, then add the warm water and olive oil. Bring it together into a soft dough, turning it out onto a floured surface to knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave it somewhere warm until doubled in size, about an hour.
- While the dough rises, place the lamb, onion, garlic, tomato purée, harissa and adana spice into a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth, spreadable paste. Spoon it into a bowl, stir through the parsley and lemon juice, and season well.
- When the dough is ready, divide it into small balls — roughly the size of a golf ball — and roll each one out very thinly. You’re aiming for something almost translucent, a base that will crisp in seconds when it meets heat.
- Spread a thin layer of the lamb mixture over each round, pressing it gently into the surface so it clings rather than sits.
- To the oven: whether wood-fired or your kitchen stove at its hottest setting, heat is your friend. Slide the Lahmacun onto a hot stone or baking tray and bake for just a few minutes, until the edges are crisp and lightly charred, and the topping is cooked through.
- Lift them out, scatter with your herbs, add a tangle of onion, and a generous squeeze of lemon. Then, while still warm, roll or fold and eat as you are – no cutlery required.
