What is Lavash Bread
On a recent trip to our local grocery store I saw some Lavash Bread on the clearance rack and I picked up a package of it thinking we could use it for pizza crust. I brought it home and put it away like I did the rest of the groceries. Three days later my husband (who does the majority of our cooking) decides to use this bread. He made us a Mediterranean Lavash Wrap with homemade Tzatziki sauce and it was so amazing that I have to share the recipes. But I felt like before I could do that, I had to learn more about Lavash Bread. After researching and reading about it I cannot wait to try to make our own Lavash Bread. Here are a few things that I learned about Lavash Bread and its history.
What is Lavash Bread?
Lavash bread has a rich tradition of a soft, thin flatbread essential in Armenian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Because it is so versatile and can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. In Armenian cuisine the fresh lavash bread is most commonly used for wraps. It is not uncommon practice to let the lavash dry out and then they are stacked high to be used at a later time. Then lavash is either broken into pieces and at which point they’re often broken up in pieces and used with stews or the dried lavash can also be rehydrated and made softer again by sprinkling it with water. It's a perfect accompaniment to dips like hummus and Tzatziki, or as a base for pizzas and flatbread sandwiches. Its simplicity and adaptability have made it a beloved bread in many cultures around the world.
What is it made from?
Lavash is made from simple ingredients most people already have in their pantries like flour, water, a little yeast and salt. You can also customize this recipe by adding poppyseeds or sesame seeds to it before you bake it. Some recipes I saw added honey or milk to the dough.
How is Lavash cooked?
Lavash bread is traditionally baked in tandoor ovens (which is a cylinder-shaped clay or metal oven). Today people cook their lavash bread on a metal griddle on in a skillet. It's a staple in many Middle Eastern and Caucasian cuisines, particularly in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran.
The dough is rolled out into large, thin sheets before being slapped against the hot walls of the clay oven (tandoor), where it bakes quickly, often in just a minute or two. The result is a soft, pliable bread that can be used in a variety of ways. It can be eaten fresh, used as a wrap for meats and vegetables, for making pizzas or even dried to be stored for later use, at which point it becomes crisp and cracker-like.
Click on the links below for recipes that we have made using Lavash Bread.