Lahmajoun

Ingredientes

For the dough:

241 grams (1¾ cups) bread flour, plus more for dusting

1½ teaspoons instant yeast

¾ teaspoon table salt

¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon honey

For shaping and topping:

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

¼ cup chopped drained roasted red peppers

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

8 ounces 80 percent lean ground beef or ground lamb

¼ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

Semolina flour, for dusting the pizza peel

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups (1 ounce) lightly packed baby arugula

Instruções

1. To make the dough, in a food processor, combine the flour, yeast and salt; process until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the yogurt, honey and ¼ cup water. Process until the mixture forms a ball, about 30 seconds; the dough should be tacky to the touch and should stick slightly to the sides of the bowl. If it feels too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until incorporated. Continue to process until the dough is shiny and elastic, about 1 minute.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter. Flour your hands and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a taut ball by rolling it against the counter in a circular motion under a cupped hand. Space the balls about 6 inches apart on a lightly floured counter, then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in volume, 1 to 1½ hours.

3. Meanwhile, to make the topping, in a food processor, pulse the onion until finely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add the roasted peppers, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, pepper flakes, ½ teaspon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the beef and pulse just until incorporated, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and 1 tablespoon water, adding more water as needed to thin to drizzling consistency. Cover both bowls and refrigerate until needed.

4. About 1 hour before shaping the dough, heat the oven to 500°F with a baking steel or stone on the upper-middle rack. Working one at a time, gently stretch each dough ball on a lightly floured counter to an oval approximately 6 inches wide and 12 inches long.

5. Dust a baking peel, inverted baking sheet or rimless cookie sheet with semolina. Transfer one shaped dough to the peel and, if needed, reshape into an oval. Brush the entire surface with 1 tablespoon of oil. Using a spatula, spread half the meat mixture on the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. Slide the dough onto the baking steel and bake until well browned, 9 to 12 minutes.

6. Using the peel, transfer the flatbread to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, oil and meat mixture. After the second flatbread has cooled on the rack for a couple minutes, top both with the arugula. Drizzle with yogurt, then serve.

Notas

Don’t undermix the dough in the food processor; it needs a full minute of processing to build structure and strength. The dough may be warm to the touch when done; this is normal. But when processing the meat mixture, don’t overdo it or the protein may get tough. Pulse only three or four times, just until combined.

Lahmajoun (also spelled lahmacun) is a meat-topped flatbread common in the Levant, as well as in Turkey and Armenia. Arugula and a drizzle of yogurt are unusual finishes for lahmajoun, but they add fresh, peppery flavor and a creamy coolness that complement the spiced meat topping. For convenience, the dough can be made a day in advance. After dividing the dough in half and forming each piece into a round, place each portion in a quart-size zip-close bag that’s been misted with cooking spray, seal well and refrigerate overnight. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before shaping.