Small, open dough rounds from Baalbek get a generous topping of juicy tomato, parsley and spiced ground lamb. Bake them on a hot baking sheet: this helps the bases brown quickly while the meat cooks in a thin layer.
Sfiha is a well-known Levantine family of savoury baked dough dishes, with a variety of shapes and toppings. This Baalbekieh-style version from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley is made here as a small, open round: not an enclosed pie, but a thin base topped with a layer of spiced ground meat. Tomato is a full-fledged part of the filling. It brings freshness and moisture to the lamb, while onion and parsley add bite and a green, herby note.
Ripe, firm tomatoes work best. Dice them finely and let them drain briefly; that way their flavour stays in the topping, but less liquid runs onto the dough. Tomatoes are often juicier and more fragrant in summer, but a firm shop-bought tomato works well out of season, too. Avoid very watery ones. The mixture doesn’t need to be dry: it should remain spreadable and sit in a thin layer on the dough bases.
Allspice and a little cinnamon warm up the ground lamb without overpowering the tomato. Sumac brings a dry, lemony freshness; pomegranate molasses adds a mildly sweet-and-sour note. Both are common ingredients in the region, but if pomegranate molasses is hard to find, leave it out rather than replacing it with a sweet sauce. A pinch of extra sumac can boost the fresh note. If possible, use ground lamb with some fat, so the topping stays tender as it bakes.
A hot oven and a preheated baking sheet matter more than a thick base. The small rounds cook quickly, giving them a crisp underside before the tomato juices soften the dough. So keep the topping thin and bake the sfiha in batches; add the topping just before they go into the oven. A baking stone or pizza stone is handy, but a heavy metal baking sheet that has been thoroughly preheated works, too. The exact baking time depends on your oven and the thickness of the dough.
Serve the sfiha warm as a sharing starter, with cucumber, radishes and a little extra parsley on the side, for example. They’re best straight from the oven, when the edges are crisp and the filling is still juicy. Feel free to make the bases ahead and keep them covered in the fridge while they rise; keep the meat-and-tomato topping chilled and mix it just before topping the dough. This prevents the dough from getting damp while it waits.
Mix the flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the water and olive oil and knead for 8–10 minutes, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until the dough has roughly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 250 °C (or its highest setting), with a heavy baking sheet, baking stone or pizza stone inside. Dice the tomatoes finely and leave them to drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Don’t press them dry; it’s fine if some juice remains.
In a bowl, mix the drained tomatoes with the onion, ground lamb, parsley, tomato paste, allspice, cinnamon, sumac, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
Divide the risen dough into 12 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into a round about 9 cm across. Place them on baking paper and spread a thin, even layer of topping over the rounds, almost to the edges.
Slide a batch of sfiha, still on the baking paper, onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for 7–9 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the ground meat is cooked through. Bake the rest in batches, letting the baking sheet get thoroughly hot again in between. Serve warm.
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