eat make read

This month’s Food and Wine magazine is full of features and stories that got me really excited about being in the kitchen. One was that brussels sprouts recipe I tried last week, another is an article about a company based here in New York called Hot Bread Kitchen. The company was founded by a former United Nations immigration-policy expert who wanted to improve the lives of immigrant women in the United States. She did that by opening a bakery that teaches women culinary skills while also focusing on and teaching eachother about the breads of their homelands. Such an awesome idea, and let me tell you, the breads are fantastic! My favorite has always been the lavash, a large crispy cracker that is perfect for an afternoon snack or with a little cheese at the park.

Bread, in all it’s forms, always amazes me. I mean just think about it, if you’ve got some yeast, water and flour, you can make bread. Lavash has the addition of olive oil and honey, which heightens the flavor and helps make it nice and crispy. Because this bread is meant to be crispy, the rising times are much shorter (15 minutes) than other breads. I rolled out my little balls of dough until they were nice and thin, then cut them into big squares, sprinkled them with salt and popped them in the oven. Getting the temperature right makes a big difference. Because my oven is a little wonky and I’m a little lazy, the first batch was baked at 350° and they turned out good, but very golden. I turned the heat down to 325° for the next batch and they turned out perfect.

This recipe makes a lot, so it would be perfect for a party. The lavash turned out nice and crispy, very much like a hearty cracker. I’d love to experiment with different herbs and spices on top, but until next time, salt is the perfect foil for the floury dough.

lavash
from hot bread kitchen in food and wine november 2009

1 envelope active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil, for rubbing
1 tablespoon each of za’atar, sesame seeds and poppy seeds for sprinkling, optional

1
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, combine the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the water and let stand until moistened.
2
Add the flour, olive oil, honey, 2 teaspoons of salt and the remaining water. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on medium-low until a firm, supple dough forms, 15 minutes.
3
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut into thirds; let stand for 15 minutes.
4
Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly coat the underside of three 12-by-15-inch rimmed sheet pans with vegetable oil.
5
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to rectangles slightly larger than the sheet pans, a scant 1/8 inch thick; if the dough springs back, let rest for a few minutes before rolling again. Drape each rectangle over the underside of each sheet pan so it hangs over the edge.
6
Sprinkle each rectangle with water, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon each of the za’atar and sesame and poppy seeds (1 flavor per tray). Leave the dough whole or, using a pastry wheel, cut it into twelve 3-by-5-inch pieces.
7
If you have 3 racks in your oven, bake 1 pan of lavash on each rack for 40 minutes, until browned and crisp; shift the pans halfway through baking. If you have 2 racks, bake the lavash in shifts for 35 minutes per batch. Transfer the lavash to racks and let cool. Break the lavash as desired and serve.