Lavash Armenian Cracker Bread Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• In small bowl, stir together yeast, water and sugar.
• Let sit about 10 minutes to proof.
• Add oil.
• Combine flour and salt in food processor.
• With motor running, add yeast mixture through feed tube and process for 20 seconds.
• Stop to scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then continue processing to form stiff ball.
• Turn dough out onto work surface and knead for a few minutes until dough is smooth.
• Place dough in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in draft-free place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine sesame and poppy seeds in small bowl.
• Turn dough out onto work surface, flatten into rectangle and divide into 16 roughly equal pieces.
• Cover pieces you are not working with plastic wrap.
• On unfloured surface, roll each piece as thin as possible.
• Lift it up.
• Flip it over.
• And roll again until paper thin.
• You should have rectangle about 8 by 3 inches.
• Peel dough off work top and place on ungreased baking sheet.
• Prick holes in dough with fork.
• Brush lightly with water and sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon seeds.
• Repeat with remaining pieces of dough and fit as many pieces as possible on baking sheet without touching.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes, and cool completely on wire racks.
• Repeat until all dough is baked.

Steps:

• Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and mix one minute until ingredients are uniformly distributed.
• Place in an oiled 2 cup measuring cup and cover. Let rest for 10 minutes and begin kneading on a lightly floured surface.
• Knead for 5 minutes (it's a stiff dough) and place back into the cup and cover.
• in 20 minutes, remove the dough, stretch into a rectangle as large as possible without tearing and fold letter-style, top to bottom third and bottom to top third. Do this from sides as well. Replace into measuring cup and cover.
• In 20 minutes, do another stretch and fold and replace into cup. Let rest in a warm place until doubled in volume. This make take another hour to hour and 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F A baking stone can be used if desired.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal halves and roll one half out on a lightly floured surface until it resists rolling. Do the same with the other half. Return to the first dough piece and continue to roll out until each piece is a 12" x 15" rectangle or a 15" diameter circle. Lift the doughs occasionally and return to the surface and re-flour lightly as needed.
• Cover each dough with a thin towel or plastic wrap lightly to prevent sticking (can use flour or oil to prevent sticking but not usually necessary). Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Lift the dough and place onto a half size baking sheet (12" x 16" or so) that has been fitted with parchment paper or silpat pad.
• Spray the doughs with water lightly and sprinkle toppings (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt, Italian seasonings and/or paprika). Lightly press or roll the toppings into the dough. Instead of water, an egg wash or milk wash can be applied.
• Using a fork, press holes into the dough to reduce the bubbling that flatbreads all do.
• Bake for 4 minutes and rotate pan or pans and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the crackers are uniformly browned lightly and crispy. Remove and cool on the pan, counter or rack.

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.