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Two Peas and Their Pod: Lavash Crackers

Monday, December 29, 2008

Lavash Crackers



We are finally home! We got back to Utah late on Saturday night. We had a wonderful time in Illinois. We spent a lot of time with the family, it was fun just hanging out. We did a lot of baking, eating, relaxing, watching sports, movies, etc. The vacation went too fast, even though we were there for ten days.

Sorry I have been slacking on my blog posts. This week I will try to update you on some of the tasty things we made while we were in Illinois. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen!

We made Lavash Crackers with my dad.
He has made them before, but it was a first for us. The Daring Bakers made these crackers awhile ago...I have been wanting to make them ever since. I am glad we found the time. They were excellent!

You can top the crackers with whatever toppings you like. We kept it simple with kosher salt and paprika. The crackers were thin, crisp, and deliciou
s! We were going to serve them with some hummus, cheese, etc. but we ate them too fast. They were too good plain!!

I was surprised at how easy these were to make. Homemade crackers
are so much better than store bought. I am sure we will be making these often!



Lavash Crackers

from The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

The key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper-thin. The sheet can be cut into crackers in advance or snapped into shards after baking. The shards make a nice presentation when arranged in baskets.


Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 Tb. sugar
1 Tb vegetable oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperat
ure
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings (we used kosher salt and some paprika)

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of 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 windowpane test and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit
(You can use your Kitchenaid mixer for this step. Use the dough hook and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed). 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 the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or un
til the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. 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 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 t
imes, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and 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.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 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 (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut di
amonds 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.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you 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 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Here are a couple pictures from Christmas day!!

Labels:

26 Comments:

Blogger Mary Bergfeld said...

I'm glad you enjoyed your stay in Illinois. The crackers look great. Enjoy the rest of the holiday.

12:44 PM  
Blogger Barbara Bakes said...

I was just thinking about making these crackers again yesterday. They really are wonderful!

1:27 PM  
Blogger Shelby said...

These crackers were very good! Your's look great and I totally agree, they are so much better than store bought!

I'm glad you are home safely now! We were pretty close to each other when you were in Illinois! I'm in Indiapolis until tomorrow - then I head back East myself! :)

P.S. I have to tell you that you look so much like my former SIL's daughter! You are a beautiful young lady! I kept looking at your photo thinking I knew who you were and this afternoon it hit me who you reminded me of!

1:42 PM  
Blogger NKP said...

I love the crackers! I did them with the DBs but yours are so much more professional looking.
Welcome home!

1:56 PM  
Blogger Cathy said...

Glad that you had a great trip and that you made it home safely! These crackers look great -- I noticed them when DB did them and have been intrigued by them ever since. Glad to hear that they have your thumbs up -- I will have to give them a try!

2:03 PM  
Blogger Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What delicious looking crackers! You are a daring baker ;-P...

Nice pictures of you two!

Cheers,

Rosa

2:14 PM  
Blogger Suburban Monkey said...

glad you guys had a good time and made it back safe!

2:31 PM  
Blogger Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I loved it when the Daring bakers made lavash crackers. They were delicious and we were able to get away rom sweets. Glad you had a wonderful holiday season!!!!!

3:28 PM  
Blogger Culinary Wannabe said...

Nice pics! I see a 2009 Christmas card. :)

3:40 PM  
Blogger Erica said...

Girl- your hair is just gorgeous! Love the Christmas pics! The crackers sound really yummy! Another to put on the list to make once I'm in the house and have all my kitchen tools back!!

4:09 PM  
Blogger Pam said...

I've made lavash crackers once and really enjoyed making and eating them. Yours look fantastic.

Cute pictures - glad you had a nice holiday.

4:23 PM  
Blogger Meg said...

The crackers look great! Love the pics!

4:39 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

love those crackers!! glad you had a wonderful christmas :)

5:51 PM  
Blogger Jaime said...

you did a great job w/these. you and your hubby make a great couple too :) hope you had a merry christmas!

happy 2009!

6:07 PM  
Blogger The Blonde Duck said...

Ya'll are so cute! Your hair is gorgeous!

7:57 PM  
Blogger Sara said...

I made these crackers a while back, with all the different seeds like it's pictured in the book - they were great!

8:05 PM  
Blogger anudivya said...

I have been meaning to bake these ever since I saw it at the Daring baker's challenge.
You are a pretty gal.!
Happy New Year!

9:06 PM  
Blogger Liz said...

Merry Christmas! Glad you had such a good holiday. I loved these crackers with hummus when we made them with DB--glad you got to enjoy them. :)

9:32 PM  
Blogger Sharon said...

You guys look great and so do the crackers. The lavash look professional and probably taste even better than they look!

9:39 PM  
Blogger Veron said...

Looks like you had a fantastic time! Have a Happy New Year!

5:37 AM  
Blogger Darius T. Williams said...

Great photos and LOVE the crackers!

-Darius
www.everydaycookin.com

5:38 AM  
Blogger grace said...

thanks for sharing your pictures, maria--ya'll are quite a photogenic bunch!
great crackers, too. forget keebler and nabisco. :)

11:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

SO CUTE!! Merry Christmas and happy New Year, Maria!

5:08 AM  
Blogger Peter M said...

I see Lavash crackers as part of my NYE menu tonight where we're going out.

Now I must try these in the New Year...yours look fab!

Thanks for sharing some famil moments too.

8:58 AM  
Blogger Olga said...

So funny how you ate the crackers before you had the chance to add some toppings to them :)

Thanks for visiting my blog.
happy 2009

7:08 PM  
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12:29 PM  

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