Armenian Cracker Bread Recipes

LAVASH

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Sift the salt, baking powder,and sugar into the flour. Stir well.
• Add the melted butter and MOST of the water.
• Mix well until a dough forms. If the dough seems too dry, add some of the remaining water and continue to mix.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
• Divide the dough into 6 balls.
• Roll one ball of dough at a time into a rectangle shape that will fit on a 16"x12" baking sheet.
• Fold the rectangle-shaped dough into thirds, then in thirds again, creating a little bundle.
• Re-roll each bundle into a large rectangle again. (This process helps to create flaky layers.) Place rolled dough on an ungreased 16"x12" baking sheet.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash.
• Bake on the lower oven rack for about 15 minutes, or until bottom starts to brown.
• Move the tray to the upper oven rack for about another 5 to 10, or until the top becomes a golden brown.
• Remove from oven. Cool completely. Carefully cut each 'loaf' into 12 or 16 pieces.
• Continue this process until all balls of dough have been shaped and baked. NOTE: Depending on how thick or thin the dough is rolled out, will determine whether the lavash will be chewy or -crispy. Either way, it's great!
• Store in an airtight container.
• Serve lavash with cheese, fruit, and your favorite coffee or tea!

ARMENIAN CRACKER BREAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast into warm water in large bowl and stir until dissolved.
• Add salt.
• Combine all-purpose and whole wheat flours and add enough to yeast mixture to make stiff dough.
• Turn out on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Shape into ball.
• Place in greased bowl and turn to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
• Punch down and let rise again until doubled, about 30 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each out on lightly floured surface to very thin circle about 9 inches in diameter.
• Place, one at a time, on baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake at 400F 5 to 6 minutes, or until bread appears dry, lightly browned and blistered.
• Run palest side under hot broiler until lightly browned. Cool and.
• store in dry place.

LAVASH ARMENIAN CRACKER BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup of flour(s) with water, yeast and salt and mix until well combined.
• Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing well.
• Add in the oil and honey, adding more water at this time if the dough is too dry, or more flour if the dough is too sticky. The dough is supposed to be very stiff.
• Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes (see below), until a stiff, firm ball has formed.
• Allow the dough to rise until doubled in a covered bowl. Time will vary depending on room temperature, but should take approximately 2 hours.
• Knead the dough a second time and roll out until extremely thin.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Spread the dough over a baking sheet and bake at 500 degrees for 3 minutes until the dough is brown.
• NOTE: You can mix knead the bread or use your food processor to knead dough for both kneading stages.

ARMENIAN-STYLE POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Transfer sliced potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by a couple of inches. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt and 2 ½ teaspoons dried mint. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until tender, about 15 minutes, checking every 5 to 6 minutes for doneness. Drain well.
• Transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly.
• While potatoes cool, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook and stir for just 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining dried mint.
• Drizzle freshly squeezed lemon juice into potatoes and toss gently with a spatula. Add green onions, red onion mixture, remaining olive oil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, salt to taste, black pepper, chili flakes, and cayenne. Mix with a spatula until combined.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and flavors have melded, 3 to 4 hours.
• Unwrap; stir, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed to personal tastes. The salad almost always needs more salt stirred in once it's tasted after being chilled. Serve.

LAVASH CRACKER BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the water, whole wheat flour, and yeast until moistened. Mix in the salt and 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Gradually mix in the rest of the flour using a mixer with a dough hook attachment or wooden spoon.
• When the dough comes together, knead in your mixer or on a floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes to make an elastic ball. Add more flour or water if needed to keep dough from getting sticky or too stiff. Pour a little bit of oil in the bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and divide into 30 pieces about the size of small walnuts. Rolling the dough into a long log helps to divide it evenly. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a damp kitchen towel for 30 minutes to rest.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a baking sheet on the center rack of the oven so it can preheat at the same time. Do not grease.
• Roll each ball into a circle about 8 inches across. The dough should be paper thin, almost translucent. If they are too thick, they will bubble up like pita breads.
• Pull out the oven shelf and place as many crackers on your baking sheet as you can fit, 2 or 3. Close the oven and bake for about 3 minutes. The crackers should be lightly browned on the top with small bubbles. You may have to adjust your thickness for the next batch.