Today kept trying to be one of ‘those’ days. There was nothing really all that bad about it, just a series of distractions and frustrations.
First I was all set to make this recipe when I realised we didn’t have any fennel seeds in the pantry, which I love using in this bread. Then it came over all horribly cloudy and as a very amateur photographer I’m solely dependant on decent natural light for my pictures (don’t ask me what I plan to do in winter!).
Next I had just mixed the dry ingredients and had the butter on to melt when I answered the phone to an old friend who no one will deny is a talker so that set me back a good half an hour. The baby fell asleep in the car on the way home from the shops which any parent will understand can spell disaster for the afternoon nap, otherwise known as baking/writing time, and then I had just finished hanging out the worlds largest ever load of washing as I felt the first few spits of rain. By mid-afternoon I was over it. But I pushed on. And I’m happy to say I think I’ve turned it around. This bread turned out spectacularly.
For us, the menu for any family gathering is often the most important thing. It takes us longer to discuss and decide who is bringing what than it does to find a date that works for all four family groups we’re trying to co-ordinate. Mum often finds herself assigned to preparing the pre-dinner snacks because she’s legendary with her dips, pates and accompaniments. She and my brother-in-law have a bit of a friendly rivalry when it comes this lavash bread. His is usually crisper but Mum’s is often more adventurous with how she flavours the bread. But after todays eventual success, I may just overtake both of them as the family appointed lavash provider.
I think what worked so well with this bread was actually the result of my final hiccup. When trying to roll the dough between two sheets of greaseproof paper, which I won’t deny is a bit of a messy job, I realised I’d forgotten to spread oil on the top of it so it stuck horribly to the top sheet of greaseproof paper. Rather than one beautifully thin and flat spread of dough with a nice oily top, I ended up with two pretty patchy, sticky sheets of paper.
But I’d come this far so I decided I’d bake them anyway. And the result was two sheets of superbly crisp, wafer thin, nicely browned lavash that I could then break into cracker sized pieces. It was the thinest I’ve ever managed to get it, and therefore the crispiest! Not that this recipe is bad when its a little softer, but its oh so much better crisp. I will forever more make it this way.
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 25g butter, melted
- 150ml milk
- flaky sea salt
- sumac
To flavour choose any combination of these that appeal or choose your own: - 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds and 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- Place the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add chosen flavours.
- Combine the butter with the milk and stir into the flour. The dough will be very wet and sticky.
- Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Take the bowl out of the fridge. Preheat the oven to 180C. Lay a large sheet of greaseproof paper onto a baking tray. Rub your hands with a little oil. Take the dough out of the bowl and, using your fingers, spread it thinly on to the greaseproof paper. It will be very sticky and this is quite a messy job.
- Cover the dough with a second sheet of greaseproof paper and use a rolling pin to roll or push it out as thin as possible. Ideally the dough needs to be only 1-2mm thick. Peel back the top sheet of greaseproof paper. You should be left with two sheets of paper fairly well coated with dough. If its a bit patchy and there are a few holes, don't worry because this only helps the bread cook nice and evenly. Gently press down any lumpy bits with your fingertips.
- Sprinkle the dough with a little flaky sea salt and sumac. Bake the sheets one at a time for 8-10 minutes until almost golden all over. Don't be tempted to remove them from the oven too soon otherwise the centre won't be completely cooked and the bread will be chewy.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then gently snap into rough rectangles or whatever shape you prefer. If you would rather a more uniform shape, the dough can be quickly cut as soon as it comes out of the oven - cutting shapes before baking doesn't really work because the dough is too sticky. Serve with your favourite cheese, dip or pate. Or simply enjoy them as a snack.
This bread stores very well in an airtight container in the pantry so you can always have some on hand for unexpected visitors. Its a superb alternative to crackers or crostini on a cheese board or antipasto platter, and its so much more flavoursome. Also very flexible you can add, or omit, whatever flavourings you have on hand or to suit how you wish to serve it (no fennel seeds wasn’t the disaster I thought it would be). With hummus or baba ganoush its delicious with sumac, poppy seeds and fennel seeds, but with a cheese board its perfect with dried rosemary, sesame seeds and sea salt.
However you choose to flavour it, you won’t ever need to buy another box of crackers. Make your own lavash today!
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