Lavoush

I bought a Middle Eastern cook book two Christmas ago and had a quick look at it. So recently I decided to have a look at it again and found this recipe. It was easy enough to make and it sounded tasty. I was looking for a snack or  tea time treat. This recipe is just nice as it can be served as a nibble before food or as a snack in tea time or as a biscuit for after dinner in place of a dessert.

I have tried this 3 times and each time it turns out right.

Lavoush is a thin flat bread baked with various toppings. It is so moreish that you would probably finish eating eat it before you have the chance to serve it. I used various toppings like white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, coarse sea salt, spices and even my left-over spiced sugar for my monkey bread.

In the first try, I rolled the dough long-ish and placed it diagonally across an upturn baking tin. It actually went over and the dough sheet hung over the tin. Later on I figured that it is better to roll the sheet to fit the baking tin.

The first time I made it, I ran out of plain strong white flour, so I used strong wholemeal flour and some plain flour. The 2nd round I made using strong white flour and another batch of wholemeal flour. I made 2 batches as I wanted to give it as a gift to my friend Liza who had given birth to a bouncy baby boy. Liza described it as ‘Seriously Sedap’, meaning, seriously tasty.

Lavoush can be served as it is (as described earlier) or it can be served with hummus dips in place of bread sticks or tortilla chips. I find it rather tasty when served with chutney.

So enjoy making it and eating it.

Let me know how you got on with your toppings. Let me know your unique combinations.

Note: The recipe is adapted from Honey & Co- Food from the Middle East. I have changed the recipe as I like round numbers.

Quick Info:

Serves:        4-6
Difficulty:  easy
Cost:           £
Time:          Approx. 90 min excluding standing time

Ingredients:

200g    Strong white flour ( or strong wholemeal flour)
15g        Butter
½ tsp   Salt
¼ tsp   Sugar
80-120 ml  Water
1            Egg, beaten

Toppings of your choice: e.g.,

White sesame
Black sesame
Cumin
Chili flakes
Coarse sea salt

 Method:

1. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients (not the toppings) and add in the water to get a stiff dough. Mix with your hands and bring all the dough together. The dough should be quite hard and not soft and pliable.  Gently knead it and form into a ball and wrap in cling film and leave it in the fridge to stand for about an hour.
2. Divide the dough into four. Take a quarter and roll out with a rolling pin to as thin as you can. You will not need to use extra flour. But if you need to, you will only need it during the first few rolling. After that it should not stick to the table or the rolling pin.
3. Lift it onto a large baking sheet. If you only have baking tins, turn the tins upside down and spray or grease the tin. Place the dough sheet on top.
4. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with some coarse salt. Then sprinkle with the toppings of your choice.
5. Bake in a pre- heated oven Gas Mk 5 ,190C for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
7. Repeat until you finish the rest of the dough.
8. Store in an air- tight container.

To serve:

Just break it in long-ish pieces and serve with hummus dips or chutney. Or just enjoy them on its own. That is how I like it.

The long pieces look beautiful when served.

Do let me know how you got on with the toppings. I used sugar, garlic powder, chilli flakes, paprika and even coconut!

Enjoy.

Note: the dough can keep for 2 days in the fridge.