Month: March 2016

Meat Topping Ingredients

500g lean ground beef or lamb or a mix of both
1 large red onion finely chopped
1 large ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
15g of finely chopped Parsley leaves
2 tsp of 7-spices (see below)
1-2 tsp of salt
a dash of cayenne pepper

Dough Ingredients

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp instant yeast
1.5 yspsugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil (corn, sunflower or canola)

Lebanese 7-spice mixture

1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground Ginger

Mix all the spices and store in a hermetically sealed container away from both heat and light.

Prepare the dough

Mix the warm water with the sugar and instant yeast. Set aside until yeast grows and forms a foamy top layer.

In a large bowl we mix the flour and salt. Add the oil and rub in your fingers with the flour mixture.

Add the water and yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix. Mix first with a spoon and then start kneading the dough. Knead the dough on a flat surface vigorously for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep kneading the dough until it is soft and elastic. To test if dough is ready, take a small piece of dough and stretch it between your fingers as you would a gum to make a balloon. If the dough breaks easily you need to knead it more, but if it stretches and forms a thin dough layer, the dough is ready.

Grease the inside of the bowl with 1 teaspoon oil, and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with the damp towel and place it in a warm place. Set the dough aside to rest and rise (doubles its size). It is very important that we give the dough enough time to rise. To check if the dough is ready, press your thumb in the dough and remove it. If the dough springs back quickly then it needs more time to rest, if the hole made by your figure doesn’t fade, then your dough is ready.

After the dough has risen, we knead again for about one minute, and leave it in a warm place to rest and rise again. The resting period this time is much shorter. After the dough has risen the second time it is ready.

Prepare the meat topping

Heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Sauté onions until soft (before it changes its color). When onions are soft, add the minced meat and spices. Mix and toss until the meat is cooked.

When the meat is cooked and most of the meat juices evaporate (as the meat cooks it releases a lot of juices), add the chopped tomatoes. Mix well and simmer over medium heat until half the tomato water evaporates. Be careful not to cook it to the point that all the tomato water evaporates, as when the meat filling cools it will condense, and we want there to be enough water that when the filling cools it remains slightly moist.

Close the fire, then add the chopped parsley. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 225C

Once dough is ready, make it into rounds of 6 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place dough on baking tray that has had some flour sprinkled on.

Spread 3-4 tablespoons of meat topping evenly on every dough.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until dough turns golden.

Serve hot along with any of the following side toppings: additional cayenne pepper, freshly squeezed lemon juice or Tabasco sauce

Update: my first attempt was a solid 7/10. The dough gave me issues, but this blog exert will help for next time:

It sounds to me as though you may not be using enough liquid.   Try increasing the hydration.  Are you weighing your ingredients?  The flour should be sifted and spooned into the  dry-measure cup, then leveled with a straight edge blade, if you are measuring by volume.  (1 cup weighs 4 1/4 oz)

Are you scooping the flour out of the bag (container) with the measuring cup or are you sifting it into the cup?  In the first case the flour could weigh as much as 5 oz. per cup in the second case it will weigh about 4 1/4 oz/cup.

I scooped the flour, so my ratio was probably way off. I could feel the dough not kneading properly. It rose OK, and tastes fine. Next time though, I need to roll/stretch it out thinner.