Daring Bakers: lavash
At some point I'm going to have to stop saying oh-my-god another-month-has-passed! But it seems only days ago that I was munching on éclairs. Lo! today it's time for lavash crackers, thanks to the Daring Bakers. No buttercream. No ganache. No calories (almost).
I can't profess an enthusiasm for dry, crunchy bready things. I compulsively munch on those revolting bar-pretzel icky things. I gulp down fish shapes (odd nominally-fish-flavoured weird things in Australia) even though I'm pescaphobic. But I don't make these crunchy things. Nup.
So, with some reluctance, I stood by my commitment to the Daring Bakers project and did the thang. Really simple. Let's do it again! LOL. Seriously, they were a breeze (I think it's the lack of buttercream, ganache, etc etc… maybe I should concentrate on savoury baking 
).
Lavash crackers are made with a thinly rolled yeast dough. A touch of honey lends this lavash recipe a delightful fragrant sweetness. You can decorate them with seeds, spices or other pretty thingies.
The recipe used was from Peter Reinhart's great book The Breadbaker's Apprentice, but you'll also find it over at Lemonpi or on the challenge initiator's site Musings From The Fishbowl.
Lavash doesn't have to be dry. In fact, although most Australians probably know it as crunchy stuff, the Wikipedia entry (see link in first para) would indicate it's primarily used as a soft flatbread (which would suit me just fine 
).
The bakers were required to serve up the lavash with a vegan, gluten-free dip of some sort. As I've previously described my love of baba ghanoush, despite my antipathy to eggplant, I thought it was an ideal companion to my newly-loved crackers. My baba ghanoush is just the flesh of a large grilled eggplant, mashed with a clove of garlic, salt, juice of a lemon and 60ml of tahina.
A quick tip about crackers: if you don't want them crunchy, these are actually delightful slightly underbrowned — but the residual moisture will make them a bit leathery within a day or two, so they are best eaten fresh.
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Oh, I totally hear ya about compulsive crunching. In a few Chinese restaurants here, the pre-appetizer is "pinsec frito", which is nothing more than wonton skins. It really should be called "vegetable oil delivery system" because that's what it tastes like. But we still eat it mindlessly anyway. (Oddly enough, we get "fish" crackers here, not to be confused with fish crackers, which are also oil delivery systems but taste much better.)
You've such a variety of sprinklings here! Which one do you recommend? I also dread the leathery fate of soft flatbreads
Duncan,
I like the look of your crackers on the baba ghanoush. Cheers.
And I must profess my love for smoked paprika. You've made these lavash seem much more appetizing then I thought (which is why I skipped this month's challenge). Think I might try them non-gluten free one of these days.
Thanks everyone. Although I really liked my sweet smoked paprika (not the sweet paprika), the best was definitely the nanami togarashi. Lovely! And I think the lavash would be great served fresh out of the oven at a party (and not too crisp
)
Duncan,
I've been lurking on your blog for a few months and thought it seemed about time to leave a comment as one of the very few Melbourne Daring Bakers. I agree about the soft flatbread!
I take no particular pride in my photos, nor the way my lavash looks at all, but the easiness was a plus. Yours looks great, as I'm sure you know, and baba ghanoush, king of dips.
Love all your different toppings. I must confess, I have a dry crunchy bread thing for dry crunchy bread things.