Lahm bi ajeen
Flat bread with crispy crust and juicy topping
Ingredients
for the dough
- 500 g flour
- 2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 250 ml lukewarm water/ plus 25 ml
for the topping
- 500 g minced beef
- 4 tomatoes 400 g tomatoes, rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion 125 g peeled and finely chopped
- 1 green pepper 150 g rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley 30 g, leaves rinsed, drained and finely chopped/ or 3 tablespoons chopped parsely
- ¼ teaspoon crushed dried mint
- 2 small garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ Teaspoon of coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 5 drops of Tabasco or to taste
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- For the dough: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and water and mix well until the dough gathers into a ball, adding a little extra flour if it is sticky or a drizzle of water if dry. Knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and pliable. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
- For the topping: Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl a few minutes before starting working your dough. You don’t want the tomatoes to lose water, do you?
- Line 3 to 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to 2 mm thickness. Cut out the dough into rounds using a 10-cm round-shaped pastry cutter. Place circles on the sheet; press your fingers lightly onto the dough and spread with 1-heaped tablespoonful of the topping. Repeat procedure.
- Preheat oven (220°C, 425°F). Bake on second lower for about 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or lukewarm with Lebanese pickles.
Notes
All text and images © Copyright Dina Bayoud Kohl