Lavash Crackers

Today's task: lavash crackers. I decided to try these because (a) my time was limited (2 hours and 35 minutes from start to finish) and (b) I had a bread topping mix on hand. The Bread Baker's Apprentice (BBA) informed me that lavash is a style of flat bread enjoyed in Armenia and elsewhere in the Middle East.

First, I mixed the dry ingredients with a touch of honey, vegetable oil, and water. The BBA said to use a stand mixer to bring the dough together and then knead it by hand for 10 minutes. I was hoping I'd be able to use the mixer for the kneading, too, but the dough didn't cling to the dough hook properly. So I turned the dough out onto the counter and learned that 10 minutes feels like a long time when you're kneading firm dough by hand.

Next, I went through the indicators that the dough was ready:
1. The windowpane test: passed with a C+. I had to finagle a bit to see the "translucent membrane."
2. Temperature of 77-81 degrees Fahrenheit: 81 degrees - check!
3. Firmer than French bread dough but not quite as firm as bagel dough: ...uh...I haven't made either of those.
4. Satiny not tacky and stretchy when pulled: okay!

The fermentation stage was supposed to take 90 minutes, but I increased the time because the dough had not doubled in size. Perhaps it took longer because the temperature in the kitchen was a bit cool.

According to the BBA, the key to crisp lavash is rolling out the dough paper thin. The dough was easy to work with, and I rolled it out to the recommended dimensions. It just fit inside my biggest cookie sheet. For the topping, I alternated lines of ground kosher salt and paprika with a mix of flax, toasted sesame, black caraway, midget sunflower, anise, and poppy seeds. (No drug tests for me anytime soon.) To finish it off, I used a pizza cutter to make diagonal rectangles across the dough and baked the batch for about 20 minutes.

The taste test went well, but the crackers were a little thicker than I expected. The dough was a bit thinner on one side and browned more there. Perhaps I should have spread the dough over two cookie sheets. My only real complaint was that the seeds didn't stick to the crackers very well. Misting the dough with water before applying the topping may have helped - I just wet it with my fingers as I didn't have a spray bottle for that.

This recipe can also be used to make pitas. Maybe next time...