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Lavash
Serves 8 Prep 1 hr Cook 27 min Total 1 hr 27 min Type Side Origin Azerbaijan

Lavash

The Caucasus' paper-thin flatbread: just flour, water and salt rolled obsessively thin and cooked seconds on a hot stone. Wraps grilled meat.

Serves 8 Prep 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting) Cook 24 minutes (3 minutes per sheet) Units Rate

Overview

The paper-thin flatbread of the Caucasus, on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2014, and the bread that wraps every grilled meat from Yerevan to Baku. You make a dough from just three things (flour, water and salt) that is firmer than a pasta dough and smoother than a bread dough. Thirty minutes' rest under a damp cloth lets the gluten relax enough to roll. The dough divides into eight balls, each rolled paper-thin (you should be able to read newsprint through the sheet before it goes in the pan). Onto a heavy dry skillet over high heat for sixty to ninety seconds per side, just long enough to puff and blister. Stack the cooked sheets under a clean tea towel as you go so they stay pliable. Eaten the same day, torn around grilled meat, wrapped around kebabs, used as a plate, used as a napkin.

Ingredients

  • 500 g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • 280 ml warm water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Method

Stage 1 - Dough

  1. In a wide bowl, whisk the flour and salt.
  2. Pour in the warm water all at once.
  3. Mix with a wooden spoon until shaggy, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
  4. Knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic; the dough should be firm (not sticky) but still pliable.
  5. Form into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel.
  6. Rest 30 minutes.

Stage 2 - Divide

  1. Tip the rested dough onto the work surface.
  2. Divide into 8 equal portions (about 95 g each).
  3. Roll each into a smooth ball; cover with the damp cloth so they don't dry out.

Stage 3 - Roll

  1. Heat a heavy dry skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat (no oil, no butter).
  2. Take one ball at a time; press flat with the heel of your hand.
  3. Roll on a floured surface to a rectangle about 35 × 25 cm. The dough should be so thin you can see the work surface through it (1 mm or less).

Stage 4 - Cook

  1. Lift the rolled sheet carefully (a long rolling pin helps; drape the dough over it).
  2. Lay onto the hot dry pan.
  3. Cook 45-60 seconds: the dough bubbles, pale gold patches appear on the underside.
  4. Flip with tongs; cook 30-45 seconds on the second side.
  5. Lift onto a clean tea towel; cover.
  6. Repeat for the remaining balls.

Stage 5 - Stack and serve

  1. Stack the cooked sheets under the tea towel; the residual steam keeps them flexible.
  2. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Roll thinner than you think: lavash should be almost translucent. Thicker dough cooks unevenly and goes leathery.
  • Dry pan, high heat: no oil. The bread needs to puff from steam, not fry.
  • Cover the cooked stack: lavash dries within minutes if left uncovered. The tea towel traps just enough steam.
  • Reviving stale lavash: mist with water from a spray bottle, wrap in foil, warm in a 150°C oven 5 minutes.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in a sealed bag at room temperature.
  • Freezes well: stack with parchment between sheets, double-bag, freeze 2 months. Thaw 10 minutes at room temperature.
  • Dried-out sheets can be crisped further in the oven and crumbled over salads as a substitute for croutons.

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