Armenia 2023 Recipes

Lahmacun recipe by Barbara Ghazarian, from Simply Armenian

INGREDIENTS:
The Dough:
1 package ¼ ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 105 degrees)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for greasing bowl and baking sheets
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2¼ cups white bread flour, plus additional for rolling

The Topping:
1 pound ground lamb
1 can (14½ ounces) tomatoes, peeled, diced, and drained well
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Fresh lemon juice

Special Equipment:
Tabletop mixer with dough hook (optional)
Food processor or blender
Heavy rolling pin

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. To prepare the dough, dissolve the yeast in water in the bowl of the tabletop mixer. Stir in the 1 tablespoon olive oil, sugar, salt, and 1½ cups flour. Mix the dough with a dough hook until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Knead in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. This will take about 10 minutes by machine, 20 minutes by hand.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl greased with olive oil. Turn the ball once to coat it completely with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let stand in a warm place for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
3. While waiting for the dough to rise, combine all of the topping ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and pulse until just smooth. Set aside.
4. When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured work surface and punch it down. Knead the dough into the shape of a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces. Then roll each piece out into a 7-inch circle.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
6. Lightly grease 2 to 4 baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange the circles on the prepared baking sheets. Allow the dough to rest and rise slightly, about 15 minutes. Then, spread the meat mixture evenly over the entire surface of each round.
7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the pizzas on a wire rack.
8. Serve warm with a splash of fresh lemon juice for a quick lunch or snack.

More recipes and information:
Alternative recipes
https://thearmeniankitchen.com/hungry-for-lahmajoun-take-shortcut/
https://www.momsnotes.me/recipe/armenian-lahmajun

Recipe from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/armenian-pizza-comfort-food-you-didnt-know- you-were-missing-recipe-180967676.