Recipe 29 ➺ Haikal Raji
Kafta Manouche
Every city has a handful of places that become bigger than the food they serve. A1 Bakery is one of them. Since 1992, Haikal Raji and his family have been turning out wood-fired breads, za'atar-laden manoush and Lebanese pastries at a frankly ridiculous rate. What began as a small family bakery in Brunswick is now part of Melbourne's collective appetite. The queues are constant, the recipes remain largely unchanged and the food still delivers the same thing it always has: comfort, generosity and the feeling that somebody's mum has made sure you've eaten properly. Some things are worth lining up for.
Ingredients & Method
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Kafta
1 kg finely minced (ground) lamb ( leaner mince but still with enough fat to give it flavour)
100 g parsley, finely chopped
½ onion finely chopped
1½ teaspoons Lebanese seven spice
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Dough
1 kg 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons fine salt
2 tablespoons dried yeast
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
550–650 ml lukewarm water
150 ml vegetable oil
INGREDIENTS
Kafta
1 kg finely minced (ground) lamb ( leaner mince but still with enough fat to give it flavour)
100 g parsley, finely chopped
½ onion finely chopped
1½ teaspoons Lebanese seven spice
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Dough
1 kg 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ teaspoons fine salt
2 tablespoons dried yeast
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
550–650 ml lukewarm water
150 ml vegetable oil
METHOD
For the dough, combine all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix on low speed. Mix the honey with 125 ml of the lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Add the honey mixture and oil to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add enough of the remaining water to form a smooth, soft dough. If you don't have a stand mixer, the dough can also be made by hand.
Shape the dough into a loose ball, place back in the bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the kafta topping. Combine the lamb, parsley, onion, seven spice, cinnamon, paprika, salt, nutmeg and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and cut into eight equal portions. Shape the portions into balls, place on a lightly floured tray, cover with a cloth and leave for another 15–20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 250°C fan-forced.
Roll out each dough portion on a lightly floured surface into a 25 cm round. Working in batches, place on baking trays lined with baking paper.
Using your hands, spread a thin, even layer of the kafta mixture over each round, leaving a 1–2 cm border around the edge. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the base is golden and crisp and the lamb is cooked through.
Any leftover kafta mixture can be rolled into meatballs and pan-fried, or shaped onto skewers and barbecued.
Serve warm with sides like pickles, labne or fresh herbs.
For the dough, combine all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix on low speed. Mix the honey with 125 ml of the lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Add the honey mixture and oil to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add enough of the remaining water to form a smooth, soft dough. If you don't have a stand mixer, the dough can also be made by hand.
Shape the dough into a loose ball, place back in the bowl, then cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the kafta topping. Combine the lamb, parsley, onion, seven spice, cinnamon, paprika, salt, nutmeg and black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour and cut into eight equal portions. Shape the portions into balls, place on a lightly floured tray, cover with a cloth and leave for another 15–20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 250°C fan-forced.
Roll out each dough portion on a lightly floured surface into a 25 cm round. Working in batches, place on baking trays lined with baking paper.
Using your hands, spread a thin, even layer of the kafta mixture over each round, leaving a 1–2 cm border around the edge. Bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the base is golden and crisp and the lamb is cooked through.
Any leftover kafta mixture can be rolled into meatballs and pan-fried, or shaped onto skewers and barbecued.
Serve warm with sides like pickles, labne or fresh herbs.
WINE PAIRINGS
Spiced lamb, sweet onion and plenty of parsley call for wines with freshness and enough character to stand up to the warming spices. Petilia's Fiano d'Avellino is a natural place to start, bringing floral aromatics, orchard fruit and a savoury, nutty edge that sits beautifully alongside the cinnamon, nutmeg and seven spice. If you'd rather lean red, Brash Higgins' benchmark Nero d'Avola feels right at home here too. Its vibrant mix of herbs, orange peel and spice mirrors the Mediterranean flavours of the dish while keeping things bright and energetic. For something a little more playful, reach for Alpha Box & Dice Ancient Youth Gamay. Serve it with a slight chill and let its juicy fruit, crunchy acidity and gentle tannins cut through the richness of the lamb while lifting all those fragrant herbs.