Caucasianthinbreadlavash Recipes

LAVASH

Steps:

• Place 2 tablespoons warm water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand until the yeast is dissolved and foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the center and pour the remaining 1 cup warm water into the well. Add the yeast mixture, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, and the butter and stir with a spoon until blended and a dough forms. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Shape the dough into a smooth ball.
• Clean the mixing bowl and grease with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Punch down the dough and separate into 4 or more equal-size pieces with your hands. Place a piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, and cover the remaining pieces with plastic wrap. Lightly flour the dough piece and roll it out with light strokes from the center, rotating the dough a little after each stroke. Shape the dough as desired, into a long, very thin, irregular, free-form strip or a neat rectangle. Cut the rectangle into triangles with a pizza cutter. Place the triangles or the irregular strip on an ungreased baking sheet. Mist the dough with water and prick all over with a fork.
• Repeat with another piece of dough and bake until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the crackers over if they are not cooked through (it will depend on how thick they are) and bake 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Repeat with remaining dough. While the crackers bake, roll out remaining dough, making only enough crackers to bake immediately after rolling.Nutritional information is based on 1 cracker

LAVASH

Steps:

• To make the old dough, using your hands or a rubber spatula, squish together the flour, water, and yeast in a bowl until it forms a thick paste. Scrape the paste into a small, lightly oiled container, cover, and let it sit out for 1½ to 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature for at least 2 hours before using. When ready, the ball will have doubled in volume.
• To make the dough in a stand mixer:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the old dough, water, oil, and salt. Squish the old dough with your hands to break it up in the water; it doesn't have to be perfectly mixed in.
• Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add a third of the flour. Mix on low speed until the dough looks like pancake batter. Add the remaining flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Remove the paddle attachment, pulling off any dough stuck to it. If there is flour at the base of the bowl, use your hands to press the dough into the flour. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough sit for 20 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate.
• Remove the towel and attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Mix the dough on medium speed until the dough releases from the sides of the bowl without sticking and feels smooth to the touch, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and reposition the dough to the center of the bowl if it seems to get stuck on one side of the bowl.
• To make the dough by hand:
• Combine the old dough, water, oil, and salt in a large bowl and mix together, squishing the old dough into the water with your hands. Stir in the flour gradually with your fingers until a crumbly dough forms, then knead it a few times in the bowl by folding the dough over itself and pressing it down into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Dust the counter lightly with flour and place the dough on top. Begin kneading by stretching and folding the dough over itself until it is smooth to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.
• To finish and shape the dough:
• Lightly oil an 8 cup [2 L] glass Pyrex or a large glass bowl and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with a lid, a plate, or plastic wrap, and let it rest for 3 hours or until doubled in volume. Or refrigerate overnight and let the dough come to room temperature for at least 2 hours before portioning.
• To portion and shape the dough, dust the counter lightly with flour and place the dough on top. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough into eight pieces about 3.5 oz [100 g] each.
• To shape the dough, cup the palm of your hand over one portion at a time and move your hand in a circle. The friction from the counter will help form the dough into a ball. If there is too much flour on the surface and the dough is sliding around, give the counter a spritz of water and try again. Lightly oil a rimmed tray and place the dough on the tray, ensuring that the portions are not touching. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap lightly coated with oil. Leave out for 1 to 1½ hours, or until puffy, or refrigerate for up to 3 days. If you refrigerate the dough, use plastic wrap to cover it and expect it to take an hour or two to return to room temperature before it is ready to be rolled out.
• Dust the counter lightly with flour. Pat a portion of dough into an oval with your fingertips. Using a rolling pin and moving back and forth, roll the dough as thinly as possible into an oval about 13 by 9 in [33 by 23 cm]. If the dough resists stretching, let it relax and start working on another portion before returning to it. You can also gently stretch the dough with your hands to correct the shape. It doesn't have to look perfect.
• To griddle lavash on overturned wok:
• Place a carbon-steel wok upside down over a burner. Have a pair of tongs handy.
• Heat the wok over high heat for 1 minute or until a sprinkle of water instantly evaporates.
• Drape the dough over the wok. Cook for 1 minute or until you can lift it easily from the wok with tongs and it has puffed slightly and blistered. Turn the dough over to briefly cook the other side, no more than 30 seconds. For extra browning, flip it over for another 30 seconds.
• Transfer the lavash to a half-sheet pan and cover with a dry kitchen towel while you cook the rest of the dough. In between batches, turn off the burner. The wok heats up quickly, and it will get too hot if the burner is left on.
• To griddle lavash on cast-iron griddle:
• Place a 20 in [50 cm] cast-iron griddle over two burners. Heat the griddle over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until a sprinkle of water instantly evaporates.
• Drape the dough over the griddle. Cook for 1 minute or until you can lift the dough easily with tongs and it has puffed slightly and blistered. Turn the dough over to briefly cook the other side, no more than 30 seconds. For extra browning, flip it over for 30 more seconds.
• Transfer the lavash to a half-sheet pan and cover with a dry kitchen towel while you cook the rest of the dough. In between batches, keep the griddle turned on, but monitor its heat so it doesn't get too hot.
• To grill lavash:
• Have tongs, a pastry brush, a small bowl of vegetable oil, and 2 half-sheet pans ready. Coat one of the pans lightly with oil.
• Heat a gas grill over medium-high heat or prepare a charcoal grill for direct-heat cooking. Ensure that the grill grates are clean. The grill should be hot enough that you can only hold your hand over the grates for 3 to 5 seconds. Place a sheet of dough onto the oiled pan and brush oil on top. Drape the oiled dough over the grill. Cover the grill and cook for 25 seconds. Uncover the grill. Using tongs, turn the lavash over and let it cook for another 25 seconds, uncovered, or until evenly blistered and puffed in parts.
• Transfer to the clean half-sheet pan and cover with a dry kitchen towel while you cook the rest of the dough.
• Eat the lavash soon after making it or store it in plastic bags to keep the bread pliable. It's okay if it dries out and turns brittle; just rehydrate it by misting the lavash with water and covering it with a towel to let it soften. Soon after, it should be pliable enough to roll up without cracking. If it's still cracking, mist with more water.

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.