Lavash Crackers

Lavash Crackers © kvalifood.com

Armenian-style crackers with paper-thin dough that bakes into snappy shards. The key is rolling the dough as thin as possible; the resulting crackers are perfect for breadbaskets or served as crunchy appetizers.

Ingredients

Directions

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, honey, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full ½ cup water, but be prepared to use it all if needed. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77°–81°F (27°C). The dough should be firmer than French bread dough but not quite as firm as bagel dough, satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. Alternatively, retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading.

Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper-thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough, alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc. Be careful with spices; a little goes a long way. If you want precut crackers, use a pizza cutter and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top. The time depends on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Notes

• Hand kneading preferred: This stiff dough is easier to knead by hand than in a machine.
• Soft variation: Roll the dough a little thicker and slightly underbake it so that the cracker is stiff but not crackly crisp. When ready to make roll-ups, mist the cracker with water and it will soften within 3 to 5 minutes, becoming as workable as a flour tortilla.
• Pita bread variation: Roll out 6 oz pieces of the finished dough into 8-inch-diameter circles slightly less than ¼ inch thick, and bake them in a 500°F (260°C) oven on a baking stone or sheet pan just until they inflate and form a pocket. Remove before they brown and crisp, and they can be cut in half for pocket sandwiches when cooled.

• Artisan-Bread
• Baking
• Bread
• Recipe
• Vegetarian
• Yeast Bread