Homemade Lahmacun Recipe (Turkish Pizza)

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1. 1Step 1: Place the water, olive oil, and salt in a bowl and mix them until combined. Use a stand mixer if you prefer.
2. 2Step 2: Add the flour gradually and knead the dough. Use the dough hook if you are using your stand mixer. Add enough flour to have the dough come together and form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
3. 3Step 3: Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until it is elastic, smooth, and not sticky anymore.
4. 4Step 4: Once the dough is smooth, divide it into 6 balls (approximately 3 oz/90 grams each) and place them on a lightly floured tray or worktop.
5. 5Step 5: Cover the dough balls with a clean kitchen towel or cling film and let them rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This step is necessary for the dough to relax and makes it easier to roll out.
6. 6Step 6: Prepare lahmacun filling while the dough is resting.
7. 7Step 7: Place onion, peppers (both green and red), tomatoes, garlic, and chili (if using fresh) in a food processor and finely chop them using the pulse function. Be careful at this stage not to turn them into pure. Alternatively, finely chop them using a knife.
8. 8Step 8: Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and add the ground meat, tomato paste, pepper paste (you can replace it with tomato paste if you don't have it in your fridge), finely chopped parsley, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, and salt.
9. 9Step 9: Mix well until all combined into a smooth mixture that is easy to spread.
10. 10Step 10: Preheat the oven to 230° C (450° F) and then line a large sheet tray with parchment paper. Set it aside.
11. 11Step 11: Heat a large non-stick pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Ideally, the pan should be 26 cm (10")Ø or bigger.
12. 12Step 12: Roll out a dough ball into a thin circle size of 25 cm (9 ½") Ø. If your pan is smaller than that, roll the dough ball small enough to fit in it.
13. 13Step 13: Gently place the dough circle in the hot pan.
14. 14Step 14: Divide your mixture into 6 and spread ⅙ of the mixture on a dough circle evenly and thinly, including the edges.
15. 15Step 15: Gently press on the filling to make sure it sticks to the dough.
16. 16Step 16: Cook it for 4-5 minutes or until you see some brown spots at the bottom.
17. 17Step 17: Transfer the lahmacun to your prepared baking sheet.
18. 18Step 18: Bake them in the preheated oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until they are crispy on the outside and the filling is thoroughly cooked.
19. 19Step 19: Transfer them to a large plate and then cover them with tin foil or a clean kitchen towel while the rest of the lahmacuns are baking. Covering them will help to keep the lahmacuns warm, and it will soften them enough for you to be able to roll them into wraps.
20. 20Step 20: You can prepare the second dough ball while the first one is baking. Repeat with the remaining dough balls and filling.