Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350
I didn't take a pic of the ingredients for the dough.
3 cups plus 1 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsps yeast
1 cup warm water
3 tbsp olive oil
Dissolve the yeast in a half cup of the warm water. Let it sit for five minutes until it's frothy. Mix the 3 cups of flour and salt together. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Pour in the other half cup of water and mix well. Knead with your hands for 3-5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. The recipe says the dough can get sticky so you can pour in the additional tablespoon and flour to help with that. I didn't have this happen. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with cling film. Let it rest for an hour in a warm place so it can double in size.
For the filling
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
14 oz ground beef, lamb, or mixture. I used lamb.
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced. I didn't have tomatoes so I used 2 tbsps tomato paste.
1 tbsp lemon juice. I didn't have any lemons so I just eliminated it.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg plus 1 tbsp olive oil to brush on the bread
S&P to taste
Saute the olives and peppers until soft. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and S&P. Turn off the heat. Mix the veggies with the meat in a bowl.
After the dough has risen, place it on a lightly floured surface and knead for another minute. Divide the dough into two rolled balls. Roll each ball into an oval shape of about 8"x16" and .2" thick. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the ovals on the tray. I used two trays and you want to put the dough on the tray before putting in the filling. It's hard to transport onto a tray after the fact. Spread the filling evenly onto each oval and leave about a 2 cm at the edges without filling. Fold in the sides to keep the filling intact and squeeze the ends together to make a point. Brush the edges with the egg/oil mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
These were a lot tastier than I expected! The crust was really light, which surprised me because I guess I was expecting something like greasy, pizza dough. It was also crispy and not too thick. The filling was great, too. I think it would have tasted gamier had I used fresh tomatoes but the tomato paste offset that flavor. I had to plan this meal a little more because of the amount of time it took to let the dough rise but this would be good on a night when I have more time. I think it would be just as good with beef and definitely more accessible.
The girls ate hot dogs and yogurt.
