Recipes, Lamb Recipes, Sausage Recipes

Lamb merguez flatbread

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Swaledale Butchers’ wonderfully spiced and complex Lamb Merguez Sausage Meat transforms this Lamb Merguez Flatbread into a beautifully airy delight. Made from a dough that rises slowly for added depth, it’s not quite a pizza, but almost. This recipe is deeply satisfying to master – bread-making itself is a gratifying process. There’s something special about appreciating each step, knowing every part contributes to the final outcome, and that slight trepidation over whether the dough will yield good bread. Only when you break into it do you know you’ve succeeded. This recipe leans on the easier side of bread-making, but it’s no less satisfying, especially as the merguez fat seeps into the soft, spongy bread.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Bread

For the Toppings

Method

Start with the Bread:

  1. Pour the yeast into a small jug or bowl, add about 50ml of the water, stir well, and set aside for 5-minutes to activate.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, semolina, the remaining water, and the yeast mixture. Mix everything together with your hands to form a rough dough. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20-minutes.
  3. Add the salt water mixture to the dough, mixing again with your hands until fully incorporated. Re-cover with the damp cloth and leave for 30-minutes.
  4. Begin the process of folding the dough: Wet your hands slightly to prevent sticking, take the dough from one side of the bowl, and gently stretch it upward without tearing. Fold it over onto the main body of the dough. Rotate the bowl 90°, and repeat the folding process, turning the bowl a full 360° by dividing it into quarters.
  5. Cover with the damp cloth and leave for another 30-minutes.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you’ve completed the folding process four times in total.
  7. After the final fold, cover the dough with the cloth and leave it to rest for an additional 30-minutes.
  8. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a dough scraper, portion the dough into 90g pieces. For each portion, shape it into a tight ball by cupping your hands and using a scooping motion to create tension on the surface of the dough. Place each ball on a lightly floured tray.
  9. Repeat until all dough portions are shaped into tight balls. Cover the tray with a damp cloth, place it in the fridge, and leave overnight.

The Next Day:

  1. Slice the shallot into rings about the thickness of a 20-pence piece. Place in a bowl, season with sea salt, and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon.
  2. In another bowl, combine the yoghurt with a good pinch of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well.
  3. Preheat your oven grill to its hottest setting, positioning an oven shelf as close to the grill as possible.
  4. Heat a frying pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat.
  5. Take a ball of dough from the fridge and place it on a well-floured work surface. Use your hands or a rolling pin to stretch the dough to about the thickness of a 50-pence piece.
  6. Scatter small pieces of the merguez sausage meat over the dough, leaving space around the edges to form a crust.
  7. Slide the dough onto a pizza paddle, then carefully transfer it from the paddle to the hot pan, aiming to mimic the intense heat of a wood-fired oven.
  8. Transfer the skillet to the oven shelf under the grill. Cook for about 2-minutes.
  9. Remove the skillet from the oven and slide the flatbread onto a chopping board. Add a few spoonfuls of the seasoned yoghurt, scatter over some shallot rings, a pinch of mint and coriander, a sprinkle of chilli flakes, a tiny squeeze of lemon, and a small pinch of salt.
  10. Cut into quarters and enjoy.
  11. Repeat the process with the remaining dough or until you’re satisfied!

Shop the ingredients

For 15 years George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and had a 5-year stint as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. George earned rave reviews for his simple, thoughtful cookery, his dishes were firmly rooted in the classics, and always paid homage to the produce. In 2021 George realised a long-held ambition and released his first cookbook entitled, A Year In The Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, taking readers on a journey through the British seasons, showcasing native produce, and inspiring year round creativity. In 2022 George left London behind, and moved back home to Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cookery and reverence of quality British ingredients proved that for George, home is where the heart is. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, he’s open to new opportunities, and always following his heart.