Healthy Sfiha / Laham Bi Ajeen (صفيحة‎)

Healthy Sfiha or sfeeha. Also known as Arabic Pizza. Sfiha is a homemade crispy dough topped with a flavorful beef and spices. It is sometimes called Laham Bi Ajeen, which literally translates to meat ("lah-am") with ("bi") dough ("3ajeen") in Arabic.

How to pronounce Sfiha: "sfee- hha"

Sfiha in Arabic: صفيحة‎

My Healthy Sfiha Recipe is:

• Super delicious and full of flavor!
• Authentic Arabic recipe
• Gluten free option
• Healthy option with whole wheat flour

WHAT IS SFIHA?

Sfiha, also called laham bi ajeen, Arabic pizza, and lahmacun (in Turkey), is a popular street food throughout the Middle East. Sfiha is a thin meat pie topped with a flavorful meat mixture of ground beef and/or lamb with tomatoes, pepper, parsley, cumin, and paprika. There are many different spice and ingredient variations of the sfiha meat topping depending on which region of the Middle East you are in. But where ever you are in the Middle East, definitely don't miss out on this popular Arabic street food! Eat sfiha with your hands or roll it up.

FATAYER VS SFIHA

There are so many delicious Arabic flatbread recipes and sometimes they're easy to mix up! Especially when different regions have different names for the same exact thing! Two really popular Arabic meat pies are called "sfiha" and "fatayer."

Sfiha is a dough topped with a meat mixture. Sfiha is generally much larger and flatter than fatayer. Some people roll the dough thinner for a crispy sfiha. Some people roll the dough thicker for a chewy sfiha.

Fatayer is a dough filled with meat or cheese. Fatayer dough is made much smaller and thicker. After filling, fatayer is either pinched at the sides for an open version, or the filling is completely sealed in.

SFIHA NUTRITION FACTS

Traditional sfiha is made with a white flour dough, which is not very healthy. But, I made my sfiha dough with wheat flour and high quality meat so it it actually good for you! Let's look at the ingredients.

Dough: Whole wheat flour (or white wheat, or gluten free flour), pink sea salt, water

• Whole wheat flour: contains the entire wheat grain. It is high in fiber, protein, iron, and magnesium (essential for good sleep health).
• Pink sea salt: unbleached and unrefined. It has its natural minerals in tact so salt can work properly in your body for fluid balance.
• Water: make sure to use filtered water.

Filling: organic local halal ground beef, yellow onions, tomato, parsley, red pepper paste, pink salt, black pepper, water, vinegar, spices.

• Ground beef: choose local and organic beef without chemicals or hormones. Our bodies have evolved to absorb nutrients like protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium, niacin, and vitamin B6 better from meat. Beef also has connective tissues that contain collagen, which is essential for joint, gut, and skin health.
• Yellow onions: high in vitamin C, which helps absorb iron in your body. Vitamin C also helps collagen work properly.
• Tomato: high in antioxidants.
• Parsley: Make sure to always choose organic fresh herbs. Herbs can pull toxins from the soil, and if you don't eat organic herbs, which are grown in non contaminated soil, you will be eating those toxins (like lead and mercury). Parsley is super high in vitamin C and, surprisingly, iron.
• Red pepper paste: high in antioxidants and vitamin C.
• Vinegar: can help control blood glucose spike.
• Spices (cumin, paprika, black pepper): help increase antioxidant uptake in your gut.

TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST SFIHA EVER

MAKE DOUGH FIRST. Prepare dough first so there will be no waiting time after the spiced meat is ready. There is no rising needed for sfiha dough.

CHOP VEGETABLES BEFORE YOU ADD THEM TO THE FOOD PROCESSOR. This helps to combine all the flavors and ingredients much better.

USE MILD OR HOT RED PEPPER PASTE. Depending on how hot and spicy you like sfiha, use either mild or hot red pepper paste. Or, you can use tomato paste plus some extra cayenne pepper to add heat.

USE HIGH QUALITY SPICES. High quality ingredients will give you the most flavorful sfiha.

ROLL DOUGH VERY THIN SO YOU CAN SEE YOUR FINGERS THROUGH IT. Or, roll thick for chewy sfiha.

SPREAD MEAT TOPPING ALL THE WAY TO THE EDGES. Make sure to spread the ground beef all the way to the edges to prevent the edges from burning and getting too crispy.

USE YOUR FINGERS TO ADD SPACE (AIR POCKETS) BETWEEN MEAT TOPPING. Space the meat mixture out a little bit so that it doesn't make the bread underneath soggy.

ADD PINE NUTS BEFORE BAKING. So pine nuts will toast while sfiha bakes.

FAQ'S

Frequently asked questions about my authentic Arabic sfiha recipe.

HOW DO I MAKE THICK SFIHA?

All you need to do to make a thick and chewy sfiha, is roll your dough less! Pinch along the edges for a pie-like sfiha.

IS SFIHA HEALTHY?

Traditional sfiha is made with refined white flour, so it is not healthy. But, the topping is simply ground beef (excellent source of iron and protein for your body), onion, tomato, and spices! Sfiha can definitely be healthy by simply replacing the white flour in the dough with whole wheat flour!

HOW TO MAKE SFIHA WITH WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

Whole wheat flour sfiha is a super easy substitute.

How to make Sfiha Dough Healthy: Simply replace the white flour with whole wheat flour. Or, use half white and half whole wheat flour. White wheat flour is also a great healthy flour option for Arabic flatbread. For gluten free Sfiha Dough, use 1:1 gluten free flour in place of white flour.

HOW DO I MAKE GLUTEN FREE SFIHA?

Gluten free flour is a great healthy alternative to white flour even if you're not gluten intolerant. To make gluten free sfiha, simply replace the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free flour.

DO I MAKE SFIHA WITH TAHINI SAUCE?

Since it's a hand held Arabic street food, sfiha is traditionally eaten on its own. You can definitely make a tahini sauce to dip in it. My favorite tahini dipping sauce is a mixture of tahini, greek yogurt, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil .

HOW DO I MAKE LAMB SFIHA?

Lamb sfiha is super easy to make! All you need to do is substitute the ground beef with ground lamb.

WATCH HOW I MADE PALESTINIAN PIZZA (SIFHA/ LAHM BI AJEEN)

HOW TO MAKE THIN CRISPY SFIHA

SFIHA INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for the Sfiha Dough Recipe:

• 3 cups flour (all-purpose, white wheat, whole wheat, 1:1 gluten free, or a combination depending on how healthy you want the dough)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups room temperature water

Ingredients for the Sfiha Meat Topping Recipe:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 large yellow onions
• ½ cup tomatoes (about 1 vine tomato)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons red pepper paste
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water

Popular Sfiha Toppings:

• Pine nuts
• Fresh parsley

STEP 1: MAKE THE SFIHA DOUGH

First, make the sfiha dough. In the bowl of a standing mixer add the 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 1 ¼ cups of room temperature water.

Keep your mixer running on low until the dough comes together into a ball.

Use your hands to smooth any large cracks from the surface of the dough.

Cut dough into 10 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

Rest dough on the counter while you make the meat topping.

STEP 2: MAKE THE MEAT TOPPING

In a food processor, add 1 pound of ground beef.

Next, add the 2 chopped yellow onions. Pulse the food processor to work the onions into the ground beef.

Add the remaining ingredients to your food processor: ½ cup fresh tomatoes, ¼ cup fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons red pepper paste, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water.

Food process until totally pureed and there are no chunks of onions left.

**Note, if you like to have crunchy onions in sfiha, don't completely puree the meat topping.

STEP 3: ROLL DOUGH AND TOP

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees while you roll the dough.

Using a rolling pin, roll each ball very thin on a floured countertop.

Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Spread about ⅓ cup of spiced meat mixture onto the dough. Spread the meat out to the very edges with your fingers. Next, use your fingers to create a little space between the meat so that the air can circulate in the oven and not make your dough soggy.

Sprinkle the sfiha with pine nuts.

STEP 4: BAKE SFIHA

Bake for about 7-8 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

HOW TO EAT ARABIC SFIHA

Arabic pizza is eaten just as you see it with your hands. I like to roll mine up and eat it that way. I love dipping it in labne or yogurt but it tastes good on its own too!

HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER SFIHA

Sfiha is best reheated in the oven or in the toaster oven.

If you reheat leftover sfiha in the microwave it will come out soggy.

More Authentic Arabic Recipes with Meat:

1. Galayet Bandora
2. Jordanian Maqluba
3. Jordanian Ouzi with Roast Chicken
4. Ouzi Lamb
5. Palestinian Musakhan
6. Chicken Kabsa
7. Shorbat Adas
8. Arabic Chopped Salad
9. Dwali (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
10. Sfiha

Looking to make some Arabic dessert? Try my Arabic Walnut Baklava!

If you try my Arabic Sfiha Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!