Don’t be intimidated by the length of this lavash cracker recipe, or the ingredient list.  The process is a bit involved and definitely requires more time than a sandwich but the effort is well worth it. With a little attention, even novice bakers will be able to make this a staple in their pantries.  Add the spices and seeds you like, and make it your own creation.

Recipe

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dry (instant) yeast. If you have sourdough or wet yeast, that works too, we use it all the time instead of yeast.
• 4 tbs honey.  If you like it sweeter (we do), add a little extra.
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 3 cups of unbleached flour
• 3/4 – 1 cup water
• Assorted spices and seeds
  • Sweet curry
  • Paprika
  • Cummin seeds
  • Garam masala
  • Dukkah
  • Rajma masala
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Sesamy seeds
  • Fennel seeds
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • or any other seeds or spices you like. Experiment, and live a little.
• Parmesan cheese

Making the Dough

Mix the yeast and salt in half a cup of warm water, making sure they dissolve completely. Add honey and vegetable oil and flour. This will make the dough a bit dry, so while you mix, slowly add the rest of the water , one tbs at a time, until the dough can be formed into a ball.  You might have some water left over.

Sprinkle flour on the countertop, or large cutting board,  and very importantly, knead for at least 10 minutes. Don’t skimp on the kneading, and don’t use a mixer (well you can, but then you might over-knead, something that’s almost impossible to do by hand). Knead until the dough passes what bakers call the window pane test i.e. a small ball of the dough can be pulled apart forming a thin translucent membrane without breaking.  Basically, this means that the gluten in the dough is well developed and the dough is ready to rise.

Mist a medium sized bowl with oil and place the dough inside.  Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about 60-90 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. You can use the rising time to get all your toppings ready and start heating the baking stone. Preheat the oven to 350F and place a baking stone on the middle rack.

When the dough is ready, divide into 4-6 equal sized portions.  Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into an extremely thin layer.  It’s best toroll the dough on parchment paper to make it easier to transfer to the oven.  You may have to stop for a few minutes if the dough becomes a bit resistant.   Don’t despair. Just wait a few minutes and then continue rolling.   You should be able to barely see the texture of your work-surface through the dough. It takes me about 3-5 minutes plus breaks to roll out each sheet. With the recipe above, you should be able to make 4-6 sheets, so lots of crackers coming up.

When the dough has been rolled out, mist it with cold water. This will make it easier for the spices stick.

Now the fun begins. As shown in the next pictures, start spreading thin rows of spices and seeds across the dough. Anything you like really. My favorites  are sweet curry, paprika, rajma masala and pumpkin and sesame seeds.

This one here has paprika (red), curry (yellow) sesame seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds, and I’ll sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese on top.

You can see I’m adding the spices in stripes.   This allows me to cut the crackers into strips so that each strip is topped with layers of each of the toppings.  Use a sharp knife to score the dough into 1 inch wide strips.  The score lines will make it easier to break apart when baked.

Your lavash is now ready for breaking. Lift the  parchment paper, with the dough in place, and transfer to the baking stone in the oven.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven). The easiest is to simply keep a close eye on it.  The cracker is done when it has a golden brown color. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.   Allow the cracker to cool and then, AND ONLY THEN, break apart along the scoring lines.  If the scoring was done deep enough, they should break apart into nice long, unbroken strips. If not, don’t worry the crackers will still taste great.

Now that you’re an expert, you can use the rest of the dough to try different combinations of toppings.

These crackers keep well in an air-tight container.  I love eating them with a side salad, a cup of soup or just by themselves.  I think they can last for about a week but have never been able to keep them around long enough to verify this.