Saturday, 21 December 2019

Lavash style flat bread - perfect for a Middle-Eastern feast


Greek yogurt based lavash bread
My slightly too plump Lavash breads - but they were scrummy. 
If you ever feel that time is just flying by and you'd like it to slow down just a bit, I have an immediate solution. Knead. Time will never go slower than when you are kneading. Even running on the treadmill seems like you're just breezing through time, although one treadmill minute equals at least 3 normal life minutes. But kneading happens in a kind of parallel universe where everything stops or even goes backwards, like Matthew McConaughey knocking about behind a bookshelf for 30 years. 

But every once in a while you forget how much you hate kneading and you decide it would be lovely to make some home-made bread for your loved ones. Fill the house with that lovely smell, show them the love and other such deluded thoughts. You mix everything together in a bowl and full of hope tip the dough onto the floured surface and get on with it everytime forgetting to remove your rings before it's too late. But the moment the dough hits the work surface the concept of time changes.You don't notice immediately, you keep going pretending it's not the most boring thing in the world including Ed Sheeran and then eventually you think it must be getting close to the magical 10 minutes that always seems to be the requirement set by sadistical home-ec teacher types with arms of steel who can whisk eggwhites into stiff peaks by hand without the smiles on their ruddy faces faltering once.

Baba Ghanoush aubergine dip with tahini
Baba Ghanoush prettified with some Iranian rose petals.
So you glance at your watch. If it's an iWatch it will ask you "How can I help you" instead of showing the time which you'd think is the obvious thing you'd like it to help you with, apart from kneading, obviously. You moved your arm in way that is not recognised by the Apple corporation, so you do some other weird arm movements to get the time, because you don't want to press the watch face with your fingers covered with the evil dough which refuses to stop sticking everywhere no matter how much flour you keep adding. So finally after much arm flailing you get the time. It's been a minute and a half.

Beetroot hummus with gorgonzola and walnuts
Beetroot hummus with bluecheese and walnuts.
The full 10 minutes is obviously way too much for me and at around the already painful enough 5-6 minure mark I decide I don't care, I will go and run on a treadmill or read a couple of reports from our quality department whilst listening to Ed Sheeran and leave the bloody thing to proof.

But even with the pain of kneading it is still worth it, so I have been baking a bit more lately. I made some really healthy, but possibly a bit dense wholewheat and seed rolls for husband the other night and there may be a French pot loaf happening soon.

This lavash was really lovely served with baked Camembert and some other pretty dips. All light and fluffy, pretty easy to make and 6 minutes of kneading will do!

Lebanese Lavash bread
Top tip: If you'd like your Lavash thinner, make them thinner.



Lavash breads (makes 8 small breads)

2 cups Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 bag dried yeast
3 1/4 cups strong bread flour
1/4 cup oil

to finish:
1 egg
3 tbsp poppy or sesame seeds

Heat the yoghurt in microwave until lukewarm. Mix in honey, salt and yeast. Add in the flour mixing it in little by little. Add the oil. Tip onto floured table top and knead as long as you can, but until it forms a nice ball that's not sticking everywhere adding flour if necessary. 5-6 minutes should do the trick. If you have a stand mixer, for God's sakes use it.

Place back in the bowl and cover with a cloth. Leave to proof for 30 minutes or until it's doubled in size - sometimes it seems to take a lot longer than half an hour.

Devide the dough into 8 pieces. Shape the pieces into thin round discs onto baking sheets covered with grease-proof paper. Leave to proof for 30 minutes.

Prick the breads with a fork and brush with eggwash and sprinkle some poppy or sesame seeds on top. Bake in 225 C for 12-15 minutes.

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