Turkish flatbreads with venison (lahmacun)

Lahmacun (pronounced lah-mah-juhn) is a popular street food in Turkey. Some describe it as a cheeseless pizza. A spiced mince is spread onto a thin base and cooked in a very hot oven. The resulting crispy flatbreads are often eaten rolled up or folded and served with lemon wedges, fresh herbs and red onion. We make ours with venison mince for a high-protein, iron-rich meal.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Resting time 30

Total Time 1 15

Course Appetiser, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings people

Equipment

pizza stone

Ingredients

Flatbread base

2 cups flour plus extra for kneading and rolling
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp Olivado extra virgin olive oil
½ cup warm water

Flatbread topping

200 g New Zealand Farm Raised Venison mince
2 tbsp Chantal Organics tomato paste
2 garlic cloves crushed
½ onion grated
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp chilli flakes optional
salt and pepper

To serve

½ red onion thinly sliced
1 lemon cut into wedges
½ cup Super Herb Italian parsley and mint leaves
Greek yoghurt optional
tomatoes sliced, optional

Instructions

Whisk yeast into warm water. Set aside. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead the dough in the bowl then turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until soft. Place dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile make the topping. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix to combine well. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 250°C. Place a pizza stone or oven tray high in the oven to heat. (Be very careful with these and use oven mitts when handling.)
Divide the pizza dough into four portions and roll out into very thin flatbreads on pieces of non-stick baking paper. Spread toppings onto flatbreads then very carefully place on the heated pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake each flatbread for 7-10 minutes or until crisp and cooked.
Serve flatbreads while hot topped with red onion, parsley, mint, yoghurt and tomatoes (if using). Squeeze lemon juice on and enjoy!