Caucasian Thin Bread Lavash Recipes

LAVASH FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
• In a smaller bowl, beat together the water, egg, and 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil until well mixed.
• Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with flour and mix well. Knead with your hands until the dough comes together, but don't overdo it as the end result will be tough. If too wet, add a teaspoon of flour at a time until the dough comes together.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Split the dough into 2 balls. Let the balls of dough rest, covered, for at least as long as it takes for the oven to heat, or ideally for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Lightly grease 2 un-rimmed cookie sheets with some of the remaining olive oil. Place the cookie sheets on a flat surface with a towel underneath so they don't slip. Place one ball of dough on each cookie sheet and roll the dough out as thin as possible, the thinner the dough, the crispier the flatbread.
• Brush each flatbread with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flatbread is lightly browned and crispy.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.
• Enjoy.

LAVASH ARMENIAN THIN BREAD

Steps:

• Place the tepid water in your electric mixing bowl and add the olive oil, sugar, and yeast. Using the batter blade let the electric mixer blend these very well.
• It will take about 5 minutes on low speed.
• Stir in the salt. Gradually add 2 cups of the flour and beat on low speed until a thick and smooth batter forms.
• Change the blade to a bread dough hook and knead in the additional 2 cups of flour.
• If you do not have a heavy mixer such as a KitchenAid, incorporate the flour with a wooden spoon and finish the kneading by hand.
• Kneading should take about 10 minutes in the machine, 20 minutes by hand.
• Place the dough on a plastic countertop and cover with a large stainless-steel bowl.
• Allow the dough to rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and divide into 8 pieces.
• Let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
• Roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch-diameter circle. Working with 2 pieces of dough at a time, arrange breads on ungreased baking sheets.
• Brush with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds over tops.
• Pierce with a fork many times, all over.
• Bake on the lowest racks in the oven, at 375F, for 8-10 minutes, or until light brown.
• Rotate the pans in the oven from top to bottom, to insure even browning.
• Serve dry or wet. (To wet, hold the cracker under running water until lightly moistened all over, and then wrap in a moist towel for 10-15 minutes.) If the cracker is too dry to roll, it will crack.
• Sprinkle with a little more water and let stand a few minutes.
• If it is too wet, cover with a dry towel and let it stand.

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.

CAUCASIAN THIN BREAD (LAVASH)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt.
• Add 3 ¼ cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition with a wooden spoon.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining flour to prevent sticking. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with the melted butter and turn to coat with the butter. Cover with a cotton cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and divide into six pieces. Shape each into a ball and flatten into 1 inch thick rounds. Cover with a cloth and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a large, heavy-duty baking sheet in the oven to heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out one of the pieces of dough into a 12 X 10 inch rectangle. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven. Drape the rolled-out dough over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the baking sheet. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the bread is slightly bubbly and browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to the work surface, sprinkle with cold water, and cover with a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the dough. When all the breads are baked, wrap in aluminum foil and let stand for 30 minutes.
• If you like crispy breads, don't sprinkle with water or wrap in foil. Let the breads cool on a wire rack.