Crackling Spicy Lavash Crackers

I love playing hostess. It gives me a high when guests leave my home, happy, well fed and promising to come back as they enjoyed their meal so much. When the thanking continues over Twitter, Facebook and even text messages you know you really hit the nail at the right place. Just to get the conversation going, I always want something that the guests find irresistible and love to munch over their glasses of wine and other drinks. So I turned to this incredible bread baking book for inspiration – The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. Peter Reinhart is such a craftsman that you feel his precision when you leaf through the pages of this massive book.  He demystified a lot of my bread baking myths with pictures and instructions that carefully consider every single step that is involved. I like such precision and attention to detail. So I was tempted to try these Armenian Lavash Crackers that looked so beautiful and appetizing. I did not feel the weight of the actual work involved because of the thorough instructions.

A little about Lavash Crackers – Typically, Lavash is called Armenian flatbread and is eaten all around the Middle East. They are very similar to the Mannaeesh which is a Lebanese bread or a pita which is  a Turkish flat bread. The main difference between these breads is either how thick or thin the dough is rolled out or the type of oven in which they are baked.

The key to getting extremely crisp Lavash,  is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The Lavash dough sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation, in my opinion and Peter Reinhart’s too.

Recipe for Lavash Crackers

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups  Unbleached bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/3 to 1/2 cup water , at room temperature

Poppy seeds ( I left this out), sesame seeds; white and black, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, paprika, for topping.

Preparation

1. 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 1/2 cup water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. 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 Window Pane test which is a reliable method to determine when the gluten development is sufficient. This can be done by cutting off a piece ( a small one) off the dough and gently stretch. Keep stretching, pulling and turning it to see if it will hold a paper-thin translucent membrane and that is why it is also called a Membrane Test. If you hold it against a light source you should easily see through the translucent membrane. But if the stretched dough tears, then you need to add some more flour and keep working on it till you pass the window pane test. Do not worry about over kneading the dough, as there is zero chance of that happening. So knead away.

3.  The dough that you end up with should be medium-firm dough; satiny to touch and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil the bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.

4. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes or until the dough doubles in size. ( Alternately you can  also rest the dough overnight in a refrigerator immediately after kneading)

5. I chose to ferment the dough since I wanted my crackers that very evening. So I sprayed the kitchen counter lightly with oil and transferred the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough 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, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or a plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 mins. 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 of the excess with scissors.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F with the over rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds and spices on the dough ( such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, Paprika, caraway seeds, etc)

A) if you want to cut it straight away do it before you tuck it in the oven at this juncture. You do not need to separate the pieces right now since they will snap on their own after they have been baked.

B) If you want to make shards like I did, the bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

6. Bake for 15-20 mins, or until the crackers being to brown evenly across the top ( time would depend on how thinly you have rolled the dough)

7. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 mins. You can then snap them apart or snap off the shards and serve.

I served these appetizing snack with basil flavoured home-made hummus. The guests enjoyed these so much that there weren’t even any crumbs left and I am not exaggerating.

The fantastic part about using Peter Reinhart’s recipes is there are never any leftovers because

1. They taste scrummy

2. The portions are just right for my little family and a few guests.

These crackers would taste delish with hummus, salsa and all sorts of dips and they are very healthy. Next time I would try them with wholemeal bread flour and see how they come out.