If like me, you’ve ever paid $4 for a little pack of lavosh before, you’re probably wondering what’s in them, which some time ago really got me thinking about making my own. The answer, as it turns out, is not much – flour, water and whatever else you want to chuck into the mix. For something that has a bit of a fancy name, lavosh or lavash is a Middle Eastern flatbread. In the Middle East lavash is served as a soft bread for wraps, but in Australia we tend to think of it more as a cracker to be eaten with cheese and dips.
Making your own lavosh takes a bit of time, but it’s dead set easy. Foolproof even. You can roll the dough out by hand (it’s a bit more work, but definitely worth it!), or use a pasta maker if you have one. It’s a great homemade staple that has endless possibilities for tweaking to taste – make it with wholewheat or plain flour, add in a sprinkle of rosemary and sea salt – it’s all delicious.
Looking back, I’m kicking myself for not whipping this up on a MasterChef mystery box challenge.
It’s great as a snack, in lunch boxes, topped with avocado, served with hummus, or as part of a cheese board. In all honesty though, if you can’t be bothered, try chopping up pita and toasting it instead.
This dough is a little sticky, so make sure to dust it with a little flour. The plain version is, if anything, a little easier to work with as the wholemeal pieces do have a tendency to tear small holes in the dough sheets. The wholemeal version also needs to bake a little longer to take on a golden brown colour.
- 270g flour (I used half plain and half coarsely ground wholemeal)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar (optional)
- 25g melted butter (or olive oil)
- 120ml water, you might need a a tbsp more - I've found it more accurate to use a scale rather than a jug
- 1 tbsp seeded mustard
- Preheat oven to 160C. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment, stir together the flour, salt and sugar.
- Mix the butter, water and mustard together then make a well in the centre and add to the dry ingredients, kneading until the dough comes together. Depending on the weather and the mixture of flours used, you might need to add a bit more water or flour to help the dough come together. Aim for a dense dough that is only just slightly sticky when pressed between fingers.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Take one piece, dust it in flour, then roll out using a pasta machine. Repeat on a thinner setting until the dough is at the desired thickness (about a 5 on the KitchenAid pasta attachment). If doing the rolling by hand, make sure to flour your bench and lift the dough periodically to stop it sticking to the bench - aim for pieces that measure roughly 30 x 10 cm.
- Transfer to a baking tray and place into oven. Repeat with the other pieces on a separate baking tray, rotating the trays through the oven as they are cooked. Continue until all the dough is used.
- Bake until crisp and light golden – about 9 mins for plan flour and 12 mins for plain/wholemeal mix. Allow to cool fully then store in an airtight container.
Variations –
- Dukkah
- Cracked pepper
- Rosemary and sea salt
- Sesame seeds
- Poppy seeds
- Dried oregano
I love lavosh but have never tried making my own. I reckon you have convinced me to give it a try. Great pix, too.
Thank you – I think once you try it, you’ll find it becomes a staple in your pantry! Do let me know how it goes 🙂
Ha! I always knew these weren’t worth what I was paying for them (Rs.70 – roughly 1USD – for a 100gm pack doesn’t sound like much money, but in India Rs.70 can also buy you a kilo of organic whole wheat flour) Making a batch this weekend. Thank you, Tash!
100G! That’s like six crackers?
Recipe states “stir together the flour, salt and sugar”, but there is no sugar in the ingredient list. Can you please revise so I can make this, it looks great. Thanks!
Sorry about that and thanks for bringing it to my attention – I’ve updated it now.