Last month when I shared the final Daring kitchen challenge, I told you that I was planning on taking on the challenges that I missed or the ones that had happened before I joined the daring kitchen. Once a month, I will make one of the old challenge recipes and post it on the 27th of the month for old times sake (because the 27th was our assigned reveal date when the daring kitchen was active)

If you’d like to join me on this daring adventure, leave me a comment or email me and we can agree on next month’s challenge 🙂 You don’t have to be a blogger or have a blog. You just need to be daring and into trying something new 🙂

As you already know from the title, I chose to make lavash crackers (Sep 2008 challenge). I am addicted to lavash crackers especially the rosemary and sea salt ones and the cinnamon sugar and spice ones. I always buy them whenever I find them (usually at the farmer’s market and sometimes at IKEA). They are always super expensive, especially considering the fact that the ingredients that go into them are so cheap and readily available.

Whenever I buy lavash crackers, I promise myself to find a great recipe and start making these at home but I never seemed to find the time to do it, until this month! When I went through the extensive Daring kitchen archive to pick a recipe, I came across the lavash crackers challenge and knew that THIS IS THE ONE!

The recipe did not disappoint , the crackers were crisp, flavorful and completely addictive!! I stuck to the original recipe with two exceptions :

I replaced half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat

I added chopped rosemary to the dough during kneading

The smell while these lavash crackers were baking was simply heavenly and the kids could not wait for them to cool down, snipping little pieces off the edges every time I turned my back! I should have taken a picture of their expressions when I told them that they can’t eat the crackers until I take the pictures!

Lavash Crackers

Recipe source: Daring bakers Sept 2008 challenge, adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

3/4 cup (3.37 oz) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (3.37 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (.13 oz) salt
1/2 teaspoon (.055 oz) instant yeast
1 Tablespoon (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
1 Tablespoon (.5 oz) olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped

Toppings
Sea salt
Seeds :Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds
Spices: Paprika
Spice blends: dukkah

Directions

In the bowl of your stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt,  yeast, agave/ sugar, and oil

Add the water slowly while kneading. You want to add just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. The dough should pass the windowpane test, should be somewhat firm (firmer than regular fatayer dough) yet it should form a smooth ball .You may not need the full amount of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

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.

Place the dough in a warm place and allow it enough time to double in size, my dough took around 90 minutes. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing if you want, the next morning just take it out of the fridge and allow it enough time to come to room temperature and double in size).

Once the dough has doubled, divide it in half and roll each half into a rough oval (0 38 x 30 cm ). 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 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.

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C / Gas Mark 4 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,  pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt – a little goes a long way.

Note: I have found that using the rolling pin on the dough after sprinkling the seeds helps them stick to the dough
If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds 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.

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).

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.

Note: If the crackers are not crunchy enough you can heat the oven to 180 C for 5 minutes, turn it off, place the crackers in the oven, close it and leave it till the oven cools down completely.

Notes:

The key to a crisp lavash is to roll out the dough paper-thin (You need to almost see through it).

You can cut the lavash into small crackers before baking or you can simply snap them into shards after baking. I think the shards make a nice presentation especially when arranged in baskets.

مقرمشات خبز اللافاش

3/4 كوب من طحين القمح الكامل

3/4 كوب طحين ابيض

1/2 ملعقة صغيرة من الملح

1/2 ملعقة صغيرة من الخميرة الفورية

1 ملعقة طعام سكر

1 ملعقة كبيرة  زيت الزيتون

1/3 إلى 1/2 كوب + 2 ملعقه كبيره من الماء، في درجة حرارة الغرفة

1 ملعقة صغيرة من إكليل الجبل الطازج المفروم

للوجه

ملح البحر

البذور: بذور الخشخاش، بذور السمسم، بذور الكمون، بذور شيا، بذور الكتان

البهارات والتوابل: الفلفل الحلو (بابريكا)

خلطات التوابل: دقه او زعتر

الطريقة

في وعاء العجانه أو في وعاء عادي نخلط معا الطحين والملح والخميرة والسكر، وزيت الزيتون

يضاف الماء ببطء بينما نقوم بالعجن. الهدف في هذه الوصفه هو الحصول على عجينه ملساء و لكنها جامده نوعا ما..اذا قارناها بعجينه الفطائر فهذه العجينه يجب ان تكون اشد قواما. قد لا تحتاجون الى كميه الماء كامله..اضيفوا الماء ببطء حتلا تصلوا للقوام المطلوب و قوموا بعجن العجين 10 دقائق كحد ادنى و هذا مهم جدا في هذه الوصفه

ندهن وعاء بالزيت و نضع العجين فيه و نقوم بتغطية الوعاء بغلاف بلاستيكى.

نضع العجينة في مكان دافئ ونتركها ما يكفي من الوقت حتى تتضاعف في الحجم، استغرق معي حوالي 90 دقيقة.

بعد ان يتضاعف العجين، ونقسمه إلى نصفين و نفرد كل نصف على حده على شكل مستطيل او بيضوي بحيث لا يتجاوز سمك العجين بعد الفرد 2-3 مم

نسخن الفرن إلى 350 درجة فهرنهايت / 175 ° C مع وضع رف الفرن على الرف الأوسط. نرش سطح العجين المفرود بالماء و نرش البذور أو التوابل على العجين

بامكانكم استخدام قطاعه البيتزا لتقطيع العجين الى مستطيلات او معينات او بامكاتكم تركها قطعه واحده ثم تكسيرها بشكل عشوائي بعد الخبز.

تخبز لمدة 15 إلى 20 دقيقة، أو حتى تبدأ اطراف العجين بالتحول للون الذهبي

نخرج الخبز من الفرن و نتركه ليبرد قبل تكسيره بالشكل الذي نحب

اذا وجدتم ان الخبز ليس مقرمشا بما يكفي سخنوا الفرن الى 180 مئويه لمده 5 دقائق ثم اطفئوا الفرن و ضعوا الخبز فيها لمده 15-20 دقيقه او حتى يبرد الفرن ستلاحظون انه سيصبح مقرمشا