Adana Lahmacunu
Adana Lahmacun in a Pizza Oven
Adana, Southern Anatolia
Adana's lahmacun is for heat seekers. The topping gets a double dose of spice: hot pul biber and red pepper paste (biber salçası) both mixed into the meat. A small amount of sumac goes directly into the paste rather than saved for serving, giving the topping a background tartness that balances the heat. Fattier lamb is used because the spices need fat to bloom and carry their flavor through the bake.
What sets it apart — More pul biber than any other version, plus red pepper paste — this one is genuinely hot. Sumac in the paste adds tartness from the inside rather than only as a garnish.
How many lahmacuns?
makes 4 × 85g rounds
340 g total dough
340 g total dough
The dough · baker’s %
- Flourstrong white / 00210 g
- Water58% hydration125 g
- Salt4.2 g
- Instant yeast×1.25 active-dry · ×3 fresh1.1 g
Bake
Roll thin, spread edge to edge. The red pepper paste gives a vivid color that deepens at the edges — pull when the rim just starts to char.
Serving ritual
Rolled with lemon and parsley; the sumac onion is essential to cool the heat. Cold ayran is not optional.
Topping — scaled for 4
- Ground lamb (25% fat)240 g
- Pul biber, hot variety20 g
- Red pepper paste (biber salçası)40 g
- Onion, grated and drained60 g
- Tomato, grated and drained60 g
- Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped20 g
- Sumac8 g
- Cumin, salt, black pepperto taste
Hot pul biber and pepper paste mince
Mix the pul biber and pepper paste into the meat first so the fat blooms the spices. Then add the vegetables. The paste will be bright red. Rest 5 minutes; the salt will firm it slightly before spreading.Ferment & prep: Same dough. Bulk-ferment 1–1.5 h, ball, rest 20 min.