Middle Eastern Turkey Flatbreads

I am not ashamed to say that I ate one of these flatbreads by myself (yes the entire thing). They are that addicting and delicious! My boyfriend also ate his entire flatbread (I of course made 2, one for each of us, as I do not like sharing my food). In my opinion it does not get much better than perfectly spiced ground meat piled on top of homemade flatbread (and topped with homemade hummus, not pictured but highly recommended).

This flatbread came out crispy, slightly nutty from whole wheat flour and somewhat sweet from the addition of cinnamon in the topping. Cinnamon may seem odd to some of you to add to a savory dish, but it works so well in this recipe, do not leave it out!

This flatbread recipe is definitely going onto my "make again and again" list. The recipe for the flatbread makes about 10-12 small balls that can be frozen. I froze most of them and left a couple in the refrigerator to bake throughout the week and dip in the hummus I made from this blogger's recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/classic-hummus/. Great hummus recipe by the way! And delicious drizzled on top of this flatbread. 

Now onto the recipe!

Middle Eastern Turkey Flatbreads:

(recipe slightly adapted from: Food Network Kitchen)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 cups white whole wheat flour
• One 1/4 ounce packet instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• cornmeal, for dusting

Topping:

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. In a glass measuring cup mix together the water and olive oil. Stir the water into the flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy ball forms.
2. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until a smooth ball forms. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, coat the dough in the oil and place in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and put in a warm place to rise for an hour, until the dough doubles in size.
3. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Put a large baking sheet into the oven so that it gets extremely hot.
4. Transfer the dough to a work surface and punch it down. Divide it into 12 equal balls and set aside while you make the topping.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let warm for about 30 seconds. Add in the onion and red pepper and saute for 5 minutes, until softened.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add in the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, ground turkey, cinnamon, cumin, red chili flakes and salt. Let cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for one more minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt and lemon juice, let cool.
7. Roll the dough out into thin rounds (about 1/8 inch thick). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle with a thin layer of cornmeal. Put two of the flatbreads onto the baking sheet at a time and bake for about 3-4 minutes, until puffed up. Bake off as many flatbreads as you will need. The extra dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer.
8. Top each flatbread with 1/4 cup of the topping and return to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes, until the edges of the flatbreads are crispy. Serve hot topped with hummus, more Greek yogurt, minced parsley, flaked sea salt or an extra sprinkling of chili flakes. Enjoy!