Sfiha is a minced meat flatbread popular in Lebanon and all over the Arab region. It's made with homemade dough, spiced minced meat, and then baked to perfection. In some Middle Eastern countries, the dish is also known as lahm bi ajeen which is derived from the Arabic words for meat (lahme) and dough (3ajeen).
What I Love About This Recipe
Sfiha, or lahm bi 3ajeen, is all kinds of oven-baked delicious. It takes a little bit of time to prepare, however, once baked the meat pies can be stored in the freezer and reheated. The spiced meat mixture on top of homemade flatbread dough goes well with cucumber mint yogurt, homemade yogurt, or labneh.
Ajeen Dough Ingredients
- Warm water: The water's temperature is key because it activates the yeast to help the dough rise. When using active dry yeast, the ideal temperature of the water is between 110 ℉ to 115 ℉ (43 ℃- 46 ℃) when dissolving the yeast directly in water (as recommended in this recipe). If you don't have a thermometer, mix ⅓ part boiling water with ⅔ part room temperature water.
- Flour: For this recipe, all-purpose flour is recommended. Unbleached flour and wheat flour are appropriate substitutes as well.
- Active dry yeast: This usually comes in small tins and has a granular texture. Instant dry yeast is different than active dry yeast in that it can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients without needing to be dissolved into the water first. If using instant dry yeast and adding it directly to the other dry ingredients, make sure to use water with a bit higher temperature between 120 ℉ and 130 ℉ (49 ℃ - 54 ℃).
- Olive oil: Adds a fragrant taste to the dough and is the preferred choice over butter or vegetable oil.
- Dry powdered milk: I add just a little bit to balance out the flavor. Regular milk is not an appropriate substitute. If you do not have dry powdered milk on hand, skip this ingredient.
- Sugar: It might sound weird but trust me this teeny bit of sugar makes a huge difference when it comes to taste. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, or cane sugar.
Spiced Meat Mixture Ingredients
- Ground meat: You can use all ground beef, or all ground lamb, or an equal mixture of ground lamb and ground beef. Ground lamb has a higher fat content typically than ground beef, which gets absorbed by the dough.
- Tomatoes: They add an incredible acidic kick to this recipe.
- Onions: Prepare the onions by pulsing them with a little bit of salt. Alternatively, you can hand chop the onions finely.
- Pomegranate molasses: A Middle Eastern staple made of juiced pomegranates, this ingredient is the highlight of this dish.
- Seven spices: This is a very common mixture of ground spices used in Lebanese cuisine. Seven spices is a ground mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, fenugreek, allspice, pepper, and cloves.
- Cinnamon: You can a little more ground cinnamon.
- Salt: Because there's nothing like a well-seasoned piece of sfiha right?
How To Make Lahm Bi Ajeen
Lahm bi ajeen, or sfiha, is comprised of a meat mixture and homemade dough.
Prepare the Ajeen Dough
In a bowl, combine half a cup of warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir the mixture and let stand for a few minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, dry milk, and salt. Form a well in the mixture. Pour the yeast, water, and sugar combination into the well. Knead with your hands, or alternatively, use a standing mixer.
As you knead the dough, slowly add the remaining half cup of warm water, kneading in between each little bit of water added. Keep kneading until you form a ball of dough. Pat the ball of dough with olive oil, cover it with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for an hour.
Make the Spiced Meat Mixture
Using a food processor, pulse the onion and salt for a minute. Add the tomatoes, spices, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and meat to the food processor. Pulse until all of the ingredients are combined.
Make The Minced Meat Pies
Heat the oven to 350 ℉ or 180 ℃. Split the dough into 10 round balls. Flour a surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin circle. Transfer the dough to a greased oven baking dish or parchment paper.
Spread the meat mixture in a thin layer. Evenly space out the meat pies on the baking sheet.
Bake at 350 ℉ or 180 ℃ for about 35 minutes until the dough and meat topping is cooked through. Serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks
The dough is a vital part of this recipe, so here are a few tips that'll guarantee it'll turn out perfect every single time:
- Make sure to let the dough rest for a good amount of time (usually 2-3 hours).
- Before the dough is completely rested, knead it with your hands for a bit and let it rest some more.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or cloth rather than cling film because that allows a little bit of air in.
- Let the dough rest in a slightly warm (not too hot) area of the kitchen.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe uses tomatoes and onions but you can certainly add more veggies. Green peppers, carrots, and even diced eggplants could work great with the recipe. Get creative with it and make it your own. If using other vegetables, make sure to mince the veggies finely and to choose vegetables low in water content (so the dough doesn't get too soggy while baking).
You can add a few more spices to the meat mixture. A pinch of red chili flakes to add some heat or even maybe a dash of cumin to balance things out.
Is Sfiha a Kind of Pizza?
This is a frequently asked question and the answer to it is both a yes and a no. This lahm bi ajeen recipe is often compared to pizza because of its shape and the fact that it's made up of oven-baked dough and toppings. However, it's quite different from the Italian favorite when it comes to the texture of its dough and the fact that it doesn't include a melted cheesy topping.
Equipment
- A rolling pin
- A good food processor
- A knife
- A chopping board
- 1 large or two medium-sized baking trays
Storage
Store baked sfiha in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just bake in the oven at 350 ℉ or 180 ℃ for 8 to 10 minutes or until heated. Alternatively, store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Perfect Pairings for This Dish
Sfiha goes amazingly well with some yogurt cucumber salad or a side of fattoush. In Lebanon, we like to drizzle it with some lemon juice and eat it alongside a bowl of chopped veggies. Some people like to pair this dish with homemade labneh. Others also serve it with a popular Arab yogurt drink called laban ayran.
Delicious Lebanese Recipes
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Lahm Bi Ajeen (Sfiha) Minced Meat Pie
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups flour you can use wholewheat, all-purpose or baking flour
- 2 tablespoons dry powdered milk
- 2 teaspoons active yeast dry granules
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Meat Topping
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses debes remman
- 1 teaspoon seven spices
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional
- ¼ cup of pine nuts
Instructions
To make the dough:
- In a large bowl (or bowl of a dough mixer if using) combine half a cup of the warm water (save the remainder) yeast and sugar. Stir the mixture and let it sit out while you prep the other ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, dry milk, and salt. Form a well in the mixture.
- Pour in the yeast, water and sugar combination and start kneading with your hands (you can also use a dough kneader for this step).
- As you knead, slowly add the remaining cup of water, kneading in between each addition.
- Keep kneading until you are able to form the dough into a ball.
- Pat the dough ball with a little bit of olive oil. Cover it with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for a minimum of an hour (the more it rests the better).
To make the meat topping:
- Put the onion and salt in a food processor and pulse for a minute or two.
- Add in the tomatoes, spices, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and meat.
- Pulse until all the ingredients are well combined.
To make the pies:
- Heat your oven to 350 ℉ or 180 ℃.
- Form the rested dough into small round balls (around 10).
- Flour a surface in your kitchen and use a rolling pin to shape a thin round circle out of each piece.
- Transfer the pie dough pieces to a greased oven baking dish or baking dish with a parchment paper.
- Top each with a spoon of the meat mixture.
- Place the tray in the oven for around 35 minutes or until both the dough and meat topping are cooked through.
Notes
- Serve hot.
- Drizzle with lemon juice or more pomegranate molasses for added flavor.
- The meat pies keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days if kept in an airtight container.
- The total time is reflecting the minimum set time for the dough.
S. Andrew
It looks delicious I loved it Thanks for sharing